BEAUMONT, Texas — Lamar University men's golf begins the fall portion of the 2026-27 season at the three-day Sandestin Collegiate Classic Sept. 14-16 at Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, Fla.
JESSIE MUDD FILE: Jessie Mudd was promoted to director of golf in May and now oversees both the men's and women's programs after serving exclusively as the men's head coach since July 2015 … Entering his 12th season at Lamar, Mudd has produced 10 all-conference selections across the Southland and Western Athletic conferences … He has guided the Cardinals to seven top five finishes at conference championships, including three runner-up finishes.
RETURNERS: Lamar returns six letter winners from last season, including three seniors, two juniors and one sophomore.
RETURNERS TO WATCH:
- Nathan Woodham, Sr. (33 rounds): Named second-team All-Southland Conference ... Finished second on the team with a 72.8 scoring average and recorded 15 rounds at par or better, including one top 10 finish.
- Rory Bennet, Sr. (20 rounds): After not competing in the fall, Bennett recorded a 75.1 scoring average over 20 rounds and 1,503 strokes ... Posted a low round of 64 in the second round of the Golden Nugget Invitational and finished the tournament with a season-best 54-hole score of 208 (76-64-68).
- Fermin Martinez, Sr. (25 rounds): Recorded a 76.0 scoring average and posted four rounds at par or better ... Carded a season-low round of 69 in the second round of the Sandestin Collegiate Classic in September.
- Matthew Bramford, Jr. (33 rounds): Ranked third on the team with a 73.6 stroke average, recording 13 rounds of par or better and one top 10 finish.
- Filip Widepalm, Jr., (33 rounds): Posted a 74.6 scoring average with seven rounds at par or better while recording four top 20 finishes.
- Luc Gavagnin, So.: Did not compete during the 2025-26 season due to injury.
NEWCOMERS: The Cardinals added three newcomers to the roster.
NEW ADDITIONS:
- Freddie Surgey, Jr., (Weybridge, Surrey, England / Indian Hills Community College)
- Storm Du Toit, Fr., (Gauteng, South Africa / Affies Boys High School)
- Haiden Matos, Fr., (Dartford, Kent, England / Wilmington Academy)
SPOTLIGHTING THE NEWCOMERS:
- Freddie Surgey competed in six events at Indian Hills Community College, recording two top 10 finishes while helping lead the program to a runner-up finish at the NJCAA Division I National Championship … He previously competed in 24 rounds across eight events at Louisiana Tech during the 2024-25 season, posting a 73.3 scoring average.
- According to Amateur Golf Info, Storm Du Toit averaged a score of 72.6 through events from Jan. 16-March 13.
- Haiden Matos competed in seven tournaments averaging a score of 72.2, according to European Golf Rankings … Matos won the Kent Amateur Championship in May 2026 with a score of 137 (70-67) at the age of 17.
FALL SCHEDULE: The Cardinals have five tournaments on their fall schedule:
- Sandestin Collegiate Classic (Sept. 14-16 in Destin, Fla.)
- Bayou City Collegiate Classic (Sept. 21-22 in Houston)
- Argent Financial Classic (Sept. 27-29 in Choudrant, La.)
- West Bay Collegiate Invitational (Oct. 5-6 in Estero, Fla.)
- Bank of Tennessee (Oct. 19-21 in Jonesborough, Tenn.)
SPRING SCHEDULE: The Cardinals will compete in six tournaments, including the Southland Conference Championships:
- Border Olympics (Feb. 15-16 in Laredo)
- Louisiana Classic (March 8-9 in Lafayette, La.)
- All-American Intercollegiate (March 15-16 in Humble)
- Mobile Bay Intercollegiate (March 29-30 in Semmes, Ala.)
- Everett Buick GMC Classic (April 12-13 in Little Rock, Ark.)
- Southland Conference Championships (April 26-28 / Site has yet to be confirmed)
RECAPPING LAST SEASON:
- The Cardinals posted a 74.2 scoring average during the 2025-26 season, competing in 198 rounds and recording 14,696 strokes.
- Lamar recorded three top five finishes during the season, highlighted by a victory at the Golden Nugget Invitational … The Cardinals set a new 54-hole tournament record with a score of 823, breaking the previous mark of 825 established in 2007.
- The Cardinals won their first spring tournament title since March 2016.
- Lamar finished sixth at the Southland Conference Championships with a team score of 886 (303-292-291).
SANDESTIN COLLEGIATE CLASSIC PARTICIPANTS: LSU New Orleans, Texas State, Mercer, Lamar, Central Arkansas, Houston Christian, High Point, UT Arlington, West Florida, South Alabama, UL Monroe, UL Lafayette, Nicholls and East Texas A&M.
COURSE INFO: Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort has three public courses (Raven Golf Club, Baytowne Golf Club and The Links Golf Club), including the semi-private Burnt Pine Golf Course … The four courses offer 72 holes of play across a 2,400-acre property.
STARTING LINEUP:
Live results: https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournaments/245895/scoring/participants
#PeckEmCards
