The University of Arkansas men’s golf team will conclude its 2025-26 regular season as the fifth-ranked Razorbacks compete in the West Virginia Mountaineer Invitational at Pete Dye Golf Club in Bridgeport, West Virginia, on April 13-14.
The tournament is significant for Arkansas as it features a strong field of 19 teams, including nationally ranked programs such as #6 Oklahoma State, #8 Texas Tech, #36 Clemson, and #38 TCU. The event will begin with a shotgun start on Monday and play 36 holes that day before wrapping up with an additional 18 holes on Tuesday.
This marks the second appearance for Arkansas at the Mountaineer Invitational. The last time was in fall 2016 when all five Razorback golfers finished among the top 25 and secured a team victory. Notable performances from that year included Luis Garza finishing fourth and Alvaro Ortiz tying for fifth place.
Sophomore Erich Fortlage leads this year’s lineup. He is currently ranked nineteenth in the NCAA with an average finish of eleventh place, recording five top-10 finishes—three of which were top-five—and leading his team in scoring average (70.38), rounds in the sixties (nine), and rounds at par or better (twenty out of twenty-four played). Gerardo Gomez has also excelled during the spring season with four top-15 finishes and shares honors with Fortlage for having recorded the team’s lowest round seven times this year.
Thomas Curry has contributed notable results this spring, including a tie for seventh at Watersound Invitational and other high placements. John Daly II holds a scoring average of 71.33 with three top-five finishes so far this season. Cam Smith completes the starting five while Niilo Maki-Petaja will participate as an individual competitor.
After completing play at Bridgeport, Arkansas plans to take two weeks off before heading to St. Simons Island, Georgia, for the SEC Championships scheduled from April 22 through April 26.
