Eastern Michigan Athletics
Sunday, May 3
Zionsville, IN
9 a.m.
Eastern Michigan University
at
MAC Championships
Photo by: Walt Middleton Photography
Men's Golf Leads After Round One at MAC Championships
5/3/2026 6:08:00 PM | Men's Golf
Hess and McDonald-O'Brien are tied for second and one shot off the lead
Results
ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – Four individuals are among the top 10 and the team holds an eight-stroke lead as Eastern Michigan University closed out the first day of play at the 2026 Mid-American Conference Men's Golf Championships, May 3, at The Club at Holliday Farms in Zionsville, Ind. Playing on the par-71, 7,349-yard course just outside of Indianapolis, two Eagles are one stroke off the individual lead as well with two rounds remaining to be played.
Eastern shot 4-over 288 in the opening round to take an eight-stroke lead over Miami University, who sits second at 12-over 297, with Northern Illinois University one stroke behind the RedHawks at 13-over 297. Host Central Michigan University and Kent State University round out the top five after shooting 16-over 300 and 20-over 304, respectively.
Individually, both freshman Joshua Hess (Schattdorf, Switzerland/Montverde Academy (Fla.)) and senior Rory McDonald-O'Brien (Shrewsbury, England/Shrewsbury School/USC-Aiken) shot 1-under 70 to sit tied for second place and one stroke behind leader Patrick Raupp of Northern Illinois, who shot 2-under 69. McDonald-O'Brien is no stranger to the top portion of the standings as he finished second in the 2025 edition of the tournament in his debut.
Freshman Robby Turnbull (Auckland, New Zealand/Selwyn College) and junior Charlie Box (Leicester, England/Wreake Valley Academy/Hutchinson CC) are tied for seventh at 3-over 74 to give the Eagles four players in the top 10 after 18 holes. Should the Eagles maintain their positions, it would mark only the fourth time in program history Eastern would have four top-10 finishers in the same MAC event and the first since 2019, the last time the team won the conference title. Leo Mihaich (Bell Ville, Argentina/Figuero Alcorta Normal School/Oklahoma Christian) is tied for 22nd at 6-over 74, leaving him just three strokes out of the top 10.
Individual Notes
» Rory McDonald-O'Brien is one of three players tied for second place after round one after shooting 1-under 70. The senior is picking up where he left off last year as he was the tournament runner-up. His round of 70 marks the second-lowest opening round at a conference event in his career, surpassed only by the 69 he fired last year.
» Freshmen Joshua Hess and Robby Turnbull are among the top 10 in the conference debuts with Hess tied for second and Turnbull tied for seventh. Hess is one of only four players in the tournament to shoot under par on the day.
Team Notes
» The 288 strokes recorded in the opening round tied for the 12th-lowest round in a MAC event for Eastern in program history and marked the fifth-best opening round score in the play-5, score-4 era.
» Eastern has four players in the top 10 of the individual standings and, should it be able to maintain that through the end of the tournament, would mark the fourth time in program history EMU would see four top 10 finishers in the same MAC Championship. The last time it happened was in 2019, which also was the last time the Eagles won the team title. The other instances came in 2009 and 2010.
Up Next
The second round of the MAC Championships will get underway at 9 a.m., May 4, with Eastern Michigan, Miami, and Northern Illinois leading things off from the No. 1 tee.
Results
2026 MAC Championships
The Club at Holliday Farms • Zionsville, Ind.
Round 1 • Sunday, May 3, 2026
Par 71 • 7,349 yards
Team Standings
1. Eastern Michigan [#98] • 288 (+4)
2. Miami • 296 (+12)
3. Northern Illinois • 297 (+13)
4. Central Michigan • 300 (+16)
5. Kent State • 304 (+20)
6. Bowling Green • 305 (+21)
7. Ball State • 308 (+24)
8. Ohio • 311 (+27)
9. Toledo • 318 (+34)
Top 100 rankings (April 30 Scoreboard/Clippd) listed
Individual Results (Top 10)
1. Patrick Raupp (NI) • 69 (-2)
t2. Joshua Hess (EM) • 70 (-1)
t2. Rory McDonald-O'Brien (EM) • 70 (-1)
t2. Liam Nelson (MU) • 70 (-1)
5. Keith Hunter (CM) • 71 (E)
6. Angelo Luciani (BG) • 73 (+2)
t7. Robby Turnbull (EM) • 74 (+3)
t7. Charlie Box (EM) • 74 (+3)
t7. Devin Swoyer (NI) • 74 (+3)
t7. Jeffrey Andrus (CM) • 74 (+3)
t7. Isaiah Ibit (KS) • 74 (+3)
----------------------------------
t22. Leo Mihaich • 77 (+6)
Top 200 individual rankings (April 30 Scoreboard/Clippd) listed
ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (EMUEagles.com) – Four individuals are among the top 10 and the team holds an eight-stroke lead as Eastern Michigan University closed out the first day of play at the 2026 Mid-American Conference Men's Golf Championships, May 3, at The Club at Holliday Farms in Zionsville, Ind. Playing on the par-71, 7,349-yard course just outside of Indianapolis, two Eagles are one stroke off the individual lead as well with two rounds remaining to be played.
Eastern shot 4-over 288 in the opening round to take an eight-stroke lead over Miami University, who sits second at 12-over 297, with Northern Illinois University one stroke behind the RedHawks at 13-over 297. Host Central Michigan University and Kent State University round out the top five after shooting 16-over 300 and 20-over 304, respectively.
Individually, both freshman Joshua Hess (Schattdorf, Switzerland/Montverde Academy (Fla.)) and senior Rory McDonald-O'Brien (Shrewsbury, England/Shrewsbury School/USC-Aiken) shot 1-under 70 to sit tied for second place and one stroke behind leader Patrick Raupp of Northern Illinois, who shot 2-under 69. McDonald-O'Brien is no stranger to the top portion of the standings as he finished second in the 2025 edition of the tournament in his debut.
Freshman Robby Turnbull (Auckland, New Zealand/Selwyn College) and junior Charlie Box (Leicester, England/Wreake Valley Academy/Hutchinson CC) are tied for seventh at 3-over 74 to give the Eagles four players in the top 10 after 18 holes. Should the Eagles maintain their positions, it would mark only the fourth time in program history Eastern would have four top-10 finishers in the same MAC event and the first since 2019, the last time the team won the conference title. Leo Mihaich (Bell Ville, Argentina/Figuero Alcorta Normal School/Oklahoma Christian) is tied for 22nd at 6-over 74, leaving him just three strokes out of the top 10.
Individual Notes
» Rory McDonald-O'Brien is one of three players tied for second place after round one after shooting 1-under 70. The senior is picking up where he left off last year as he was the tournament runner-up. His round of 70 marks the second-lowest opening round at a conference event in his career, surpassed only by the 69 he fired last year.
» Freshmen Joshua Hess and Robby Turnbull are among the top 10 in the conference debuts with Hess tied for second and Turnbull tied for seventh. Hess is one of only four players in the tournament to shoot under par on the day.
Team Notes
» The 288 strokes recorded in the opening round tied for the 12th-lowest round in a MAC event for Eastern in program history and marked the fifth-best opening round score in the play-5, score-4 era.
» Eastern has four players in the top 10 of the individual standings and, should it be able to maintain that through the end of the tournament, would mark the fourth time in program history EMU would see four top 10 finishers in the same MAC Championship. The last time it happened was in 2019, which also was the last time the Eagles won the team title. The other instances came in 2009 and 2010.
Up Next
The second round of the MAC Championships will get underway at 9 a.m., May 4, with Eastern Michigan, Miami, and Northern Illinois leading things off from the No. 1 tee.
Results
2026 MAC Championships
The Club at Holliday Farms • Zionsville, Ind.
Round 1 • Sunday, May 3, 2026
Par 71 • 7,349 yards
Team Standings
1. Eastern Michigan [#98] • 288 (+4)
2. Miami • 296 (+12)
3. Northern Illinois • 297 (+13)
4. Central Michigan • 300 (+16)
5. Kent State • 304 (+20)
6. Bowling Green • 305 (+21)
7. Ball State • 308 (+24)
8. Ohio • 311 (+27)
9. Toledo • 318 (+34)
Top 100 rankings (April 30 Scoreboard/Clippd) listed
Individual Results (Top 10)
1. Patrick Raupp (NI) • 69 (-2)
t2. Joshua Hess (EM) • 70 (-1)
t2. Rory McDonald-O'Brien (EM) • 70 (-1)
t2. Liam Nelson (MU) • 70 (-1)
5. Keith Hunter (CM) • 71 (E)
6. Angelo Luciani (BG) • 73 (+2)
t7. Robby Turnbull (EM) • 74 (+3)
t7. Charlie Box (EM) • 74 (+3)
t7. Devin Swoyer (NI) • 74 (+3)
t7. Jeffrey Andrus (CM) • 74 (+3)
t7. Isaiah Ibit (KS) • 74 (+3)
----------------------------------
t22. Leo Mihaich • 77 (+6)
Top 200 individual rankings (April 30 Scoreboard/Clippd) listed
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
Head Coach Andy Walker previews the 2026 MAC Men's Golf Championships
Saturday, May 02
2025-26 EMU Athletics In-Review
Tuesday, April 21
Charlie Box, Eastern Michigan | Interview | CGN
Wednesday, February 25
Thank You from EMU Men's Golf!
Monday, December 01