Men's golf finishes ninth to start season

The Troy men’s golf team is looking keep up its momentum from last season, where they were the highest-ranked Sun Belt Conference squad and made it to the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history. The Trojans kicked off the 2025-26 season with a ninth place finish at the Argent Financial Classic, hosted by Louisiana Tech at Squire Creek Country Club over the weekend. 

Troy Athletics photo

Head coach Clay Bounds stands during the NCAA Urbana Regional

Last season, the Trojans jumpstarted the year with a win at the 2024 Argent Financial Classic. This season, Troy finished in a tie for ninth place against teams including Houston, Southern Miss, South Alabama and Jacksonville State. 

Troy finished fourth in the NCAA Urbana Regional and is looking to keep that same energy this season. Pablo Gracia, who finished in a tie for ninth place individually, will be key to the Trojans success. Gracia led the Trojans in the event, finishing –7 across three rounds. 

Troy did have a lot of roster turnover with key players Brantley Scott, Jake Springer and Nick Fowlkes all graduating. Even though the roster is a lot younger now, they are just as fired up to represent the Trojans. 

“It's going to be hard to replace those guys," said head coach Clay Bounds. "They'll go down as some of the best to ever play here.  

“Last year is over, and we can't hang our hats on that." 

Troy’s roster has 5 freshmen on it this season.Leading the freshman group is Thomas Crane, who finished third on the team in a tie for 33rd place. Crane turned in a solid collegiate debut, carding a 70 in the first round and finishing under par for the event. 

Lee Poppell built on a strong 2025 season, finishing third on the Trojans and 22nd overall with a –4 mark. The junior golfer will bring valuable experience and leadership to a young Troy team. 

Fellow freshmen Grant Yerger and Landon Noble finished behind Crane, recording totals of 223 and 225, respectively. Noble’s one-under round three marked a strong end to the tournament. 

Bounds emphasized ahead of the event how important it is to see development in the young group. 

"We've had some strong qualifying scores, with young guys stepping up to earn spots in the lineup,” Bounds said. “This weekend is our chance to see how we stack up against a competitive field.  

“We've got a young team, and now it's about developing in tournament play.” 

The Trojans have some time off before hitting the course again to compete in the Destin Collegiate, which runs from Sep. 22 through Sep. 24 and is hosted by Texas State.