HOWEY-IN-THE-HILLS, Fla. - The New England College men's golf team saw their third straight NCAA Championships appearance come to an end on Wednesday upon the completion of round two at the Mission Resort and Club in Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida. The team shot a collective +85 with a +41 in round one and a +44 for round two.
The 'Grims only got through about half of yesterday's first-round action on the El Campeón course before rain and lightning halted play for the remainder of the day. They resumed at 7:30 AM this morning to finish round one before moving over to Las Colinas to immediately begin round two.
Senior Graham Hassan (Pinckney, Mich.) capped off his collegiate career with his third straight NCAA appearance, leading the team with a 159 (+16) in rounds one and two. He shot an 80 (+8) in round one as he used a strong finish with two birdies and four pars across his final six holes. He came back with a 79 (+8) in round two for his best individual finish of his career on the national stage.
Sophomore Vesse-Wincent Lampen (Espoo, Finland) posted a 166 (+23) for the second lowest total on the squad. He carded an 84 (+12) in round one and an 82 (+11) to improve upon his NCAA Championships debut last season. His best stretch came on the front nine on Las Colinas with a 39 (+4).
Freshman Emil Elias (Ekerö, Sweden) finished just one stroke behind Lampen after the two days of competition, tallying a 167 (+24) in his first taste of NCAA Championship play. He tied Hassan for the team-low after the first round with an 80 (+8). He shot an 87 (+16) in round two with a pair of birdies on the back nine.
Sophomore Dalton Gordon (Boscawen, N.H.) shot a 171 (+28) as the Pilgrims fourth scorer. He had a stellar start to his first round with a 40 (+3) across his first nine holes before finishing round one with an 85 (+13) and one birdie. He wrapped things up in round two with an 86 (+15) and one more birdie.
Sophomore Bryce Sturm (Lake in the Hills, Ill.) scored a 95 (+23) in round one followed by an 81 (+10) in round two. His strong round two performance came with a team-high three birdies on holes 6, 7, and 17 of Las Colinas.
With the completion of their 2025-26 season, the Pilgrims will look to defend their three straight GNAC titles once again next Fall.
For continuing coverage of New England College Athletics, visit athletics.nec.edu and follow the Pilgrims on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
