BECKER, Minn. - Conference championship season is underway for the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, as the 2026 UMAC Golf Championships began Thursday at Pebble Creek Golf Club. The University of Northwestern Men's Golf team is looking to build off the momentum of its win at the Sword and Shield Invitational last weekend--its first victory of the season. Follow along with live scores from the three-day event here.

Day One

Northwestern got off to a good start in Thursday's opening round, with lots of birdies on the scorecards and all scores in the 70's. Carson Moscoso (Maple Grove, Minn./Maranatha Christian Academy) led the way by shooting 37 on both nines, and is tied for second place with a score of 74 (+2). The sophomore made three birdies and is three strokes behind the individual leader from UW-Superior. Carson Besonen (Madison, Minn./Lac qui Parle Valley) is also in the top 10, as his three birdies produced a 77 (+5) and have him tied for seventh. Luke Frazell (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock) is tied for 10th after carding a 78 (+6) with back-to-back birdies on holes six and seven, while Carter Dilly (Henning, Minn./Henning) and Tanner Doeden (Fargo, N.D./Park Christian) each shot 79 and are tied for 14th, making four and one birdies, respectively.

The Eagles' team score of 308 (+20) has them four shots behind UW-Superior for the top spot entering round two, which will begin at 11:00 AM on Friday. As one of the top three teams on the leaderboard, UNW's tee times will begin at 12:12 PM.

Day Two

Battling windy conditions all day, Northwestern was able to improve on its opening-round score and take a six-stroke lead entering the final round on Saturday. The Eagles shot 306 (+18) on Friday, which was the second-lowest round of the day. Besonen was the spark plug, making three birdies and shooting even par on the back nine to shoot 73 (+1) and move into a tie for third place at +6 overall. Doeden's back-to-back birdies on holes nine and 10 highlighted his round of 77 (+5), which ties him for 10th at +12 with Frazell, who carded a 78 (+6). Dilly's 78 (+6) was the final counting score and has him tied for 12th at +13 for the week. Despite his 79 (+7) not counting for the team total, Moscoso remains near the top of the medalist leaderboard, in solo sixth place at +9.

UNW will take its six-stroke advantage into an even windier Saturday, where it will attempt to close out its fifth conference championship in program history, and clinch its second-ever bid to the NCAA Division III National Championship (2016).

Day Three

Battling strong winds on an extremely warm October Saturday, Northwestern kept its foot on the gas and rose above the conditions to win its first UMAC Championship since 2016. It was a fitting day for the Eagles to do it as well, as one of the members of the 2016 squad, Michael Vowels, was inducted into the UNW Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday morning. UNW shot a team score of 320 (+32), which was the best in the field, and won by seven strokes with an overall tally of +70 for the week.

Besonen and Dilly led the way in the final round, combining for Northwestern's only three birdies and each shooting 79 (+7). Besonen finished in third place at +13 for the week, while Dilly tied for eighth with a final count of +20. Also tying for eighth at +20 was Doeden, who carded an 8- (+8) on Saturday. Moscoso's 82 (+10) tied the sophomore for fifth at +19 when all was said and done, while Luke Frazell (Waverly, Iowa/Waverly-Shell Rock) tied for 16th after his final-round 86 (+14) put him at +26 for the tournament.

By winning the conference championship, the Eagles have qualified for the 2026-27 NCAA Division III Men's Golf National Championship at Kingsmill Resort in Williamsburg, Virginia. The tournament will take place May 18-21. UNW's fall season is not quite finished; however, as it has also qualified for the NCCAA Men's Golf National Championship, taking place October 19-21 in Palm Coast, Florida. This is the second-consecutive season Northwestern has qualified for the event.