WAYNESBURG, Pa. - The Bethany College men's golf team opened the 2026-27 season as All-PAC senior
Jude Smith (Weirton, W.Va./Weir) won the Jacket Tri-Valley Classic hosted by Waynesburg (Pa.) University at Greene County Country Club.
First-year head coach
Evan Lewis and the men's golf team begin the 2026-27 season on a high note as
Smith took home the top place at the Classic and the team fell just two strokes back of winning their first tournament of the season. The Bison shot 306 (+18) on the day to beat Geneva (Pa.) College while the host Waynesburg won the day with a score of 305 (+17).
Smith opened his senior season by firing a 69 (-3) for yet another tournament victory in a storybook career. After scoring 35 on the first nine holes,
Smith shot 34 down the stretch to lead the way for the Green and White.
Senior
Payton Hildebrand (Wellsburg, W.Va./Wheeling Central Catholic) finished tied for third among 26 golfers with a round of 76 (+4) to give the Bison two Top-3 finishes.
Sophomore
Jacob Bursey (Winchester, Va./James Wood) comes off a standout freshman season by firing a 78 (+6) as he competed individually at the Classic.
Academic All-PAC senior
Sam Phillips (Charleston, W.Va./Herbert Hoover) and sophomore
Brayden Roberts (Franklin, Ky./Franklin-Simpson) each had good days after taking third and fourth in the team score with rounds of 80 (+8) and 81 (+9), respectively.
Academic All-PAC junior
Lincoln Pablo (Tulalip, Wash./Heritage) and freshman
Ian Longo (Winchester, Va./James Wood) each shot an 83 (+11) as individuals to open the 2026-27 campaign.
Junior
Caleb Mouton (Denham Springs, La./Walker) penciled in an 85 (+13) to finish ahead of half the Golden Tornadoes lineup.
Graduate
Tyler Kytta (Marietta, Ohio) made his Green and White debut by carding a 93 (+21) to round out Bethany's golfers.
The Bison are back in action on Monday, September 14 as they travel to Latrobe, Pennsylvania to compete at the Saint Vincent Invitational hosted by Saint Vincent (Pa.) College at 11 a.m. at the Latrobe Country Club.
