MEMPHIS, Tenn. — The LeMoyne Owen College men's golf team delivered another encouraging performance in its young 2026 fall season, earning a second-place finish while hosting the Magicians on the Green Invitational at The Links at Pine Hill.
Competing against a seven-team field that included Henderson State, Jackson State, Northwest Mississippi, Lincoln (Mo.), Fisk and Central State, the Magicians finished the three-round tournament with a team score of 866 (+26). Henderson State captured the tournament championship at 834 (-6), while LOC finished five strokes ahead of NCAA Division I Jackson State, which placed third at 871 (+31).
The Magicians put themselves in contention early and entered the final round in second place after the opening 36 holes.
Leading the way for LOC was Albert Svane Laursen, who continued the strong play that made him the 2026 SIAC individual champion. The sophomore fired rounds of 70, 68 and 73 to finish at 211 (+1). His second-round 68 was the lowest round recorded by a Magician during the tournament. Laursen's 211 placed him among the tournament's leading individual performers and gave LOC a consistent presence near the top of the leader board.
Freshman Dalton Wilkes was right behind him with one of the strongest performances of his young collegiate career. Wilkes carded rounds of 72, 70 and 70, finishing at 212 (+2). His back-to-back even-par rounds to close the tournament helped the Magicians maintain their position ahead of Jackson State.
Freshman Maximus Knight also contributed to LOC's team effort, opening with an even-par 70 before shooting 71 in the second round and finishing with a 78. Knight completed the tournament at 219 (+9).
LOC also received notable performances from golfers competing outside its primary scoring lineup. Freshman Ryan Darland put together rounds of 70, 75 and 69 to finish at 214 (+4). His final-round 69 was the best closing round among the LOC golfers highlighted. Felipe Guido finished with rounds of 76, 73 and 79, while Ryan Broderick posted rounds of 79, 75 and 75.
For head coach Dominique Worthen, the runner-up finish was another indication of the progress his program has made, particularly with a roster featuring several freshmen and newcomers.
"We've come an awful long way in a very short amount of time, but as Kobe Bryant says, job's not finished. We've yet to secure first place in a tournament, although we have won several times this season. And when I say won, I mean we've won by bonding together, learning each other, understanding each other. We've won the internal competition. We've won the attitude race. We've won the academic race. But we're yet to win a golf tournament, and when I say that, I mean first place. Extremely proud of this group and how they've bonded together and become one. We're going to just continue working and see what that gets us."
The Magicians will have another opportunity to build on their early-season momentum when they return to competition Sept. 19-22 at the 41st Annual Toman Dortch Jr. HBCU Golf Classic in Suwanee, Georgia. LOC will compete at Bear's Best Atlanta before returning to action later in the month at the Battle for the Belt.
