WEST POINT, N.Y. //  Led by individual medalist Chip Deegan (Sr / Newport Beach, Calif.), the Navy men's golf team shot a 3-under par 277 to overcome an 8-stroke deficit and win the 2026 Patriot League Men's Golf Championship played at the par-70 West Point Golf Course in West Point, N.Y. on Sunday. In addition to Deegan, Hudson Mitchell (Fr / Pensacola, Fla.) secured a spot on the Patriot League Men's Golf All-Tournament Team.

"During the regular season, they call it a tournament, but we are now at the time of year when they call it a championship. It means a lot to bring a trophy back to the Academy with Patriot League Champions engraved on the side of it," said fourth-year Navy head coach Jimmy Stobs. "Yesterday we put ourselves behind the eight ball by making some silly mistakes, but I still felt we had a chance. I told our players if we were winning after Chip finished up, the time where the other three teams in the hunt got to the tough part of the course, we would have a good chance of winning. 

"The deficit wasn't as big as it seemed in a team sport like golf, but we had to play well today," added Stobs. "We didn't start out particularly well, but we got a few birdies on the front nine and Chip (Deegan), Hudson (Mitchell) and Sebastian (Alonzo) made some birdies to get us going into the latter half of the round."

The win marked the Mids' eighth Patriot League Championship crown (1998 fall-00-01-03-08-12-18-26) and first since 2018. It's also the first time Navy has won the league title on Army's home course (sixth time it's been held at the West Point Golf Course). Deegan, meanwhile, is the ninth Navy player to earn individual medalist honors and the first since Charlie Musto claimed the title to go along with rookie-of-the-year kudos in 2018.

"It's really satisfying to see Chip win the tournament" said Stobs. "He's been close all year. To win it playing three really strong rounds, I'm happy for him."

Army (579) held a comfortable 8-stroke lead over fourth-place Navy (587) at the beginning of the day, while Lafayette (584) trailed by 5 and Loyola (586) by 7. The Mids kept chipping away at the deficit and by midway through the round, Navy was on the Black Knights' heels. Four of Navy's six players shot their lowest round of the tournament on Sunday, including Deegan and Hudson Mitchell carding sub-par rounds to help propel the Mids into the lead.

Navy was the class of the field with its 24-over par 864 (293-294-277), winning by 5 strokes over Lafayette who turned in a 29-over par 869 (299-285-285). Loyola (294-292-284=870) finished a stroke behind Lafayette in third, followed by Army (293-286-292=871) in fourth, Holy Cross (294-296-294=884) in fifth, Lehigh (297-297-294=888) in sixth, Bucknell (304-303-294=901) in seventh and Colgate (300-311-299=910) in eighth.

Navy's 24-over par 864 marks the seventh-lowest team score in a Patriot League Tournament by the Midshipmen, while the 3-under par 277 is the third-lowest round in the league championship by the Mids. Additionally, Navy was the only team to shoot a round under par during the three-day tournament.

Deegan (73-72-67=212 / +2) opened the tournament in eighth place, keeping the leaders well within distance, including teammate Jack Tarzy (Sr / Medford, N.J.) who tied for the low round (71). By the second round, Deegan was 5-over and had pushed up into a tie for fourth after posting a 2-over par 72. He made 6 birdies in the final round, including the 16th and 18th to secure the lead, however Lafayette's Travis Robertson eagled the par-5 18th hole to force a playoff for individual medalist honors.

Deegan went on to clinch individual medalist honors by making birdie on the third playoff hole (hole 17), while Robertson shot par.

"The team matters way more than I do, but it was incredible (to win), too. I've knocked on the door a few times this year," said Deegan, who won his first tournament of the season after placing among the top five four times leading into the championship.

"I know it seems a little crazy, but coming down the stretch I assumed he (Travis Robertson) would make eagle. He played a great round today, so I wanted to focus on getting myself prepared for a playoff. I hit a great one off the tee, while he pulled his shot left into the trees and needed to lay off. I hit another great shot coming onto the green and was set up from there."

Playing in his first Patriot League Championship, Mitchell (74-74-67=215 / +5) played perhaps the best round of his young college career on Sunday, matching Deegan's round with a 3-under par 67. That mark, tied for the second-lowest round of the tournament, helped propel him from 12th to a tie for third in the final standings.

Ed Scott (So / Lemont, Ill. / 75-76-71=222) also had an impressive final round for the Mids, posting a 1-over par 71 to catapult inside the top 15, tying for 14th with a 12-over par 222.

Tarzy (71-78-74=223), the Mids' team captain, rebounded nicely from a rough second round to shoot a 4-over par 74 on Sunday and finish tied for 18th with a 13-over par 223. Sebastian Alonzo (Fr / Azusa, Calif. / 82-75-72=229) shot his low round (72) of the tournament on Sunday to finish the tournament in 30th with a 19-over par 229, while Danny Auffant (Jr / Bellevue, Wash. / 83-73-75=231) posted a 21-over par 231 to tie for 36th.

By virtue of its win, Navy has earned an automatic bid to play in one of the six NCAA Regionals (University of Georgia Golf Course in Athens, Ga. / Bermuda Run Country Club in Bermuda Run, N.C. / Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas / OSU Golf Club in Columbus, Ohio / Trysting Tree Golf Club in Corvallis, Ore. / The Gallery Golf Club in Marana, Ariz. ) slated for May 18-20. In the current regional format, Navy has made eight previous NCAA Tournament regional appearances (1962, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008, 2012, 2018).

The Mids will find out their destination during the 2026 NCAA Division I Men's Golf Selection Show televised on the GOLF Channel on Wednesday, May 6, at 2 p.m. Meanwhile, the Navy women's team, who won its third-consecutive Patriot League Championship title a week ago, awaits its regional selection announced on April 29 at 4:00 pm on the GOLF Channel. It's the first time in school history that both the men's and women's teams have won the Patriot League Championship in the same year.

2026 Patriot League Men's Golf All-Tournament Team
Chip Deegan / Navy
Travis Robertson / Lafayette
Hudson Mitchell / Navy
Ryan Cronin / Lehigh
Eli Spaulding / Loyola
Liam Moloney / Loyola

### Go Navy ###