VERONA, N.Y. – Despite heading into the day trailing NYU by 11 strokes, the University of Rochester men's golf team made up the deficit and then some on the final day of the 2026 Liberty League Men's Golf Championship as the Yellowjackets clinched their third straight title on Sunday afternoon at Turning Stone's Shenandoah Golf Course.
The Yellowjackets shot 15-under-par during the third round of the championship (273), to make up their 11-stroke deficit following the first and second rounds of the championship. Rochester's third round performance was the best round of any team at the championship, with all four of Rochester's scoring golfers below par.
Rochester won the tournament with a three-day team score of 857, seven-under-par and seven strokes ahead of the runner-up Violets. NYU finished the tournament with a three-day total of 863 and Hobart College (885) was third. Host Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) and Skidmore College tied for fourth (886). St. Lawrence University (915) and Clarkson University (927) rounded out the field.
Rochester came into the day at eight-over-par, with the Violets at three-under after two days of competition, however the Yellowjackets made up much of their deficit on the front nine, shooting a combined nine-under-par over the first nine holes, with the Violets carding one-over over the first half of their round. The Yellowjackets then took the lead on the back nine, pulling away with a six-under-par back nine, while NYU came in at one over.
As a team, the Yellowjackets tallied 22 birdies and one albatross, led by a school-record single round performance from sophomore Galen Fowles. Fowles recorded a seven-under-par (65) for the program's single round record.
Fowles opened his day with a bogey on the par-four first hole, but then followed up it up with the first four of his eight birdies on the day, followed by four on the back nine, to finish at 65, seven-under, and in sole possession of 10th place on the individual leaderboard.
Sophomore Alvin Su shot a 67 (-5) and finished in a tie for first along with NYU's Oscar Uribe, who shot eight-under at the tournament. They both carded 208 over the three days. Su won the playoff tiebreaker against Uribe for top honors with a par on the third hole of the playoff.
Over his first 18 holes of the day, Su sank a trio of birdies and an albatross on the par-five 10th hole, notching the double eagle with a six-iron from 212 yards out. Su finished two under on the front nine and three under on the back nine, thanks to his albatross on the 10th hole.
Senior Josh Pethel shot two-under on Sunday to finish at seven-over on the weekend, good for a tie for 16th. Pethel tallied a pair of birdies on the front nine and then shot an even par on the back nine, coming into the clubhouse with a 70 on his scorecard.
First-year Anderson Palm rounded out Rochester's top-four golfers on the final day of competition, shooting one-under for the day and finishing the weekend at one-over to finish eighth overall. He tallied a trio of birdies on the front nine, and added another on the back nine, finishing two-under on the front nine and one-over on the back nine.
Rochester's fifth competing golfer on the day, junior Arjun Aujla, shot four-over-par to finish at five-over overall and tied for 12th. Aujla picked up a trio of birdies on the front nine, carding a 37, one-over-par, and then carded a 39, three-over-par, on the back nine.
It is the Yellowjackets' sixth Liberty League title and their third since April 2024. The championship also punched Rochester's ticket to the 2026 NCAA Division III Men's Golf Championship, thanks to the Liberty League's automatic qualifier. The NCAAs are set for May 12-15 at Mission Inn Resort in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida.