Strong Fall Start Helps Flames Move into the Men’s Golf Top 25 Rankings
10/16/2026 2:21:00 PM | Men's Golf
Liberty's best start to the fall season has the Flames back in the top-25 national rankings for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
Following the release of the latest top 25 national rankings, Liberty finds itself ranked No. 17 in the first Scoreboard powered by Clippd rankings of the season. The Flames are also ranked No. 20 in the recently released Bushnell/Golfweek DI Coaches' Poll.
The rankings are Liberty's highest since finishing the 2020-21 season ranked No. 19 in the Bushnell/Golfweek DI Coaches' Poll and No. 24 in the final Golfstat national poll.
Liberty finished the 2020-21 season as the ASUN Conference Champions, a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional and in 21st place at the 2021 NCAA Men's Golf National Championship.
Through three events during the fall portion of their 2026-27 schedule, Liberty has already claimed a team title and had two players capture individual medalist honors.
Liberty captured the team title at the 2026 Bearcat Invitational, hosted by Cincinnati, at the Coldstream Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio (Sept. 14-15).
The win was Liberty's 36th NCAA Division I team title in program history and the first regular season event victory since the 2020-21 season (Timuquana Collegiate – Jan. 25-26, 2021).
Michael Lugiano paced the Flames at the event and shared individual medalist honors with TCU's Cameron Kuchar, son of PGA Tour professional Matt Kurchar. The junior's winning score was a 9-under par 204 (66-69-69).
Freshman Austin Krahn kept the win streak going for the Flames as he claimed medalist honors at the 2026 Bryan Bros Collegiate, hosted by South Carolina, at the Solina Golf Club in West Columbia, S.C. (Sept. 28-29).
Krahn posted a winning score of 9-under par 204 (65-70-69), finishing one shot clear of Ole Miss' Collins Trolio (8-under par 205/69-67-69).
Lugiano and Krahn both claimed Conference USA Men's Golfer of the Week honors following their individual medalist honors.
Back on the Course – Liberty's Next Event:
Following the release of the latest top 25 national rankings, Liberty finds itself ranked No. 17 in the first Scoreboard powered by Clippd rankings of the season. The Flames are also ranked No. 20 in the recently released Bushnell/Golfweek DI Coaches' Poll.
The rankings are Liberty's highest since finishing the 2020-21 season ranked No. 19 in the Bushnell/Golfweek DI Coaches' Poll and No. 24 in the final Golfstat national poll.
Liberty finished the 2020-21 season as the ASUN Conference Champions, a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional and in 21st place at the 2021 NCAA Men's Golf National Championship.
Through three events during the fall portion of their 2026-27 schedule, Liberty has already claimed a team title and had two players capture individual medalist honors.
Liberty captured the team title at the 2026 Bearcat Invitational, hosted by Cincinnati, at the Coldstream Country Club in Cincinnati, Ohio (Sept. 14-15).
The win was Liberty's 36th NCAA Division I team title in program history and the first regular season event victory since the 2020-21 season (Timuquana Collegiate – Jan. 25-26, 2021).
Michael Lugiano paced the Flames at the event and shared individual medalist honors with TCU's Cameron Kuchar, son of PGA Tour professional Matt Kurchar. The junior's winning score was a 9-under par 204 (66-69-69).
Freshman Austin Krahn kept the win streak going for the Flames as he claimed medalist honors at the 2026 Bryan Bros Collegiate, hosted by South Carolina, at the Solina Golf Club in West Columbia, S.C. (Sept. 28-29).
Krahn posted a winning score of 9-under par 204 (65-70-69), finishing one shot clear of Ole Miss' Collins Trolio (8-under par 205/69-67-69).
Lugiano and Krahn both claimed Conference USA Men's Golfer of the Week honors following their individual medalist honors.
Back on the Course – Liberty's Next Event:
- Quail Valley Collegiate Invitational (Oct. 18-19)
- Hosted by USF
- Quail Valley Golf Club (Vero Beach, Fla.)
- Par 72, 7,401 yards
Players Mentioned
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