Strong Final Round Vaults SMCC Men's Golf to Third-Place Finish at National Championships

The South Mountain Community College men's golf team used a strong performance in the fourth and final round at the 2026 NJCAA Division II National Championships to finish third at the event for the second-straight year. As a team, the Cougars finished at +27 (1,179) over the 72 holes and jumped up two spots on the leaderboard after a score of +4 (292) on the final day of competition at Swan Lake Resort in Plymouth, Ind. Individually, freshman Quinton Breuer led SMCC by tying for 11th at +7 (295) to earn Second Team All-American honors. Freshmen Cooper Perkinson (T-27th) and Hudson Ross (T-31st) and sophomore PJ Segerstrom (T-50th) played all four rounds, while Kaedon Smith played 54 holes, and sophomore Luke Padilla competed in the second round for the Cougars. 

 

"I'm so proud of the way we stayed in the fight all week long," said SMCC head coach Marcus Smith. "After every round we all reassured each other that we can still do this, that it wasn't over yet, and that we still had something to fight for. These guys battled for 72 holes and I'm proud of that fight. That says so much about our guys, and a lot about our program and its values." 

SMCC entered the final day sitting in fifth place and leaped past two opponents to earn third place. Breuer embodied that strong finish on day four. 

 

After a tough stretch to open the day, he recorded three birdies over the final 11 holes to post a three-over 75 for the round. He posted a one-over 73 in his first round behind three birdies, and followed that up with a two-over 74 on his second day with three more birdies. Breuer's third day was his best on the course, finishing at one-over 73 with five birdies, including four on the front nine.

 

He earned NJCAA DII Second Team All-American honors to go with NJCAA Division II PING All-Central Region honors. Breuer also won ACCAC Division II Player of the Year honors after he won the Puma Spring Classic, placed second at the NJCAA Region I Division II Championships, and had two other top-three finishes.

 

Perkinson moved up final spots on the final leaderboard after posting a two-over 74 in round four, recording three birdies to finish at +10 (298).

 

He opened the event with an even-par 72 behind five birdies, and posted four more in his second round en route to a five-over 77. In the third round, Perkinson carded a three-over 75 with three birdies. He also earned NJCAA Division II PING All-Central Region honors after winning a pair of spring tournaments.

 

Ross had a stellar fourth day for SMCC, jumping an astounding 24 places on the leaderboard after recording a one-under 71 with three birdies to finish at +11 (299).

 

He started the event with a one-over 73 behind three birdies, and posted another three in a tough second round that saw him post a nine-over 81. Undeterred, Ross rebounded with a two-over 74 in round three behind four birdies, including three on the front nine. He also earned NJCAA Division II PING All-Central Region honors. 

 

Segerstrom tied for 50th at +14 (302) to wrap up his Cougar career. 

 

He recorded one birdie in his first round to post a two-over 74, and added one more in his second round to card a three-over 75. In his third round, Segerstrom had four birdies, including three on the back nine, to finish at two-over 74. He had one birdie on the final day and finished at seven-over 79. He also earned NJCAA Division II PING All-Central Region honors.

 

Smith played three rounds of golf and posted a score of +4 (220) over the 54 holes.

 

He had a birdie in his first round and finished at five-over 77. After missing round two, he came out on fire in round three. He birdied five of the first six holes, added two more on the back nine, and finished one-under 71 for the day. In the fourth round, he helped the Cougars come back with an even-par 72 with three more birdies.

 

Padilla played the second round for SMCC and posted a five-over 77 for the day. He had a birdie on the par-four No. 3. 

 

SMCC won the Region I Division II Championship and four other spring tournaments in 2026. Smith received ACCAC DII Coach of the Year, and Breuer, Perkinson, and Segerstrom earned First Team All-Region I DII honors. Ross received a spot on the Second Team All-Region I DII squad.