SMCC Men's Golf Sophomore Jack Taylor Transfers to Kansas State
PHOENIX ---
Sophomore Jack Taylor of the South Mountain Community College men's golf team will transfer to Kansas State University, an NCAA Division I program in the Big 12 Conference in Manhattan, Kan., for the upcoming 2026 spring season, SMCC head coach Marcus Smith announced. Taylor is coming off a strong fall campaign where he won The Thunderbird Classic, tied for seventh at the Charles Cooper Classic, and placed third at the ENMU-Ruidoso High Country Shootout.
Taylor won the final tournament of his Cougar career, finishing at -17 (127) to win the Thunderbird Fall Classic on Nov. 11-12 at Dobson Ranch Golf Course in Mesa, Ariz.
On the first day, Taylor opened with a birdie on the par-four No. 2 and, after a bogey on the par-four No. 5, posted nine birdies over the final 14 holes to finish at 63. He went bogey-free on the second day and carded another eight birdies, four on both the front and back nine, to claim individual medalist honors.
Taylor tied for seventh at +3 (219) at the Charles Cooper Classic on Oct. 27-28 at Windance Country Club in Gulfport, Miss.
Making the trip to Mississippi to face some of the nation's top NJCAA Division I and Division II programs, Taylor carded a two-under 70 behind four birdies on the final day. He started the event with a three-over 75 that featured two birdies and added four more in his second round en route to a two-over 74.
He paced the Cougars with a third-place finish at -16 (200) over the three rounds, including an eight-under 64 over the final 18, at the ENMU-Ruidoso High Country Shootout on Sept. 22 and 23 at The Links at Sierra Blanca in Ruidoso, N.M.
Taylor closed with a fury in the final round and carded nine birdies and just one bogey over the final 18 holes to finish at eight-under 64. He moved up eight spots on the final leaderboard because of that 64 and finished one stroke off second and three behind the tournament's individual medalist, Odessa College's Jules DeBrauwere. Taylor opened with four birdies to finish at three-under 69 and posted another six in his second round to record a five-under 67.
As a freshman in the 2025 spring season, Taylor played in eight tournaments and tied for 29th at the NJCAA National Championships at +17 (305). His best performance of the season came when he tied for first at the Glendale Spring Tournament at -4 (140). He also tied for third at the Gila Monster Tournament at -1 (143) and at the SMCC Tournament at -8 (136), and tied for fifth at the CGCC Tournament at +1 (145).