KENT, Ohio – The Kent State Herb Page men’s golf team opens the 2026 Mid-American Conference Men’s Golf Championship on Sunday at The Club at Holliday Farms in Zionsville, Ind., where the defending champion Golden Flashes pursue their 30th MAC title in program history under sixth-year head coach Jon Mills.
Kent State enters the championship ranked No. 129 nationally by Clippd and brings a roster anchored by the reigning MAC Freshman of the Year, sophomore Isaiah Ibit. The Golden Flashes arrive in Indiana with momentum, coming off a victory at the inaugural Muirfield Shootout at The Country Club at Muirfield Village, where Kent State posted a 36-hole 579 (3-over) to finish one stroke clear of a three-way tie between Michigan State, Miami (Ohio) and Eastern Michigan.
Sophomore Isaiah Ibit, the 2025 MAC Freshman of the Year and First Team All-MAC selection, anchors the lineup at No. 1, followed by Kent native and first-year Liam Curtis, sophomore Darcy Hogg of Belfast, Ireland, first-year Christoffer Leuenhagen of Esbjerg, Denmark, and senior James Newton, the team’s lone upperclassman. Sophomore Nolan Haynes of Barberton, Ohio, serves as the alternate.
The nine-team field is led by Eastern Michigan, ranked No. 98 nationally, with Miami close behind at No. 124. Also competing are Toledo, Northern Illinois, Ball State, Ohio, Central Michigan and Bowling Green.
Kent State Lineup
Isaiah Ibit
Liam Curtis
Darcy Hogg
Christoffer Leuenhagen
James Newton
Nolan Haynes (Alternate)
Field (Clippd Team Rankings)
Host: Central Michigan – No. 258 (Host)
Eastern Michigan – No. 98
Miami (Ohio) – No. 124
Kent State – No. 129
Toledo – No. 143
Northern Illinois – No. 149
Ball State – No. 189
Ohio – No. 223
Bowling Green – No. 259
Tournament Information
Event: 2026 Mid-American Conference Men’s Golf Championship
Host: Central Michigan
Location: Zionsville, Ind.
Course: The Club at Holliday Farms
Par/Yardage: 72 / 7,349 yards
Dates: May 3-5, 2026
Format: Stroke Play / 5-count-4 (+1 Alternate) / 54 holes
Team Live Scoring: https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournaments/244563/scoring/team
Individual Live Scoring: https://scoreboard.clippd.com/tournaments/244563/scoring/player
Individual Notes
#1 Isaiah Ibit (Sophomore | Orleans, Ontario)
Teeing off from Hole 1 – 9:40 a.m. with Charlie Box (Eastern Michigan) and Cameron Pero (Miami (Ohio))
National ranking: No. 358 (Clippd) | Season scoring average: 72.23 (1st on team) | Counting rounds: 26 | Career-low round: 64 | 2025 MAC Freshman of the Year | 2025 First Team All-MAC | 2025 MAC All-Tournament Team | 5th-best 54-hole score in program history (204, twice) | Two-time “entire tournament in the 60s” (Canadian Collegiate 2024, Hal Williams 2025) | 2025 MAC Championship finish: 15th
Ibit enters Holliday Farms as the team’s leading scorer and the reigning MAC Freshman of the Year. He owns the team’s low round of the year, an 8-under 64 in the opening round of the Canadian Collegiate at Öviinbyrd, where he finished third overall at 12-under-par 204 with 17 birdies on the week. He closed the fall with a 6-under 66 in the final round at the Cal Poly Invitational at The Preserve Golf Club, then opened the spring by leading Kent State at the Hal Williams Intercollegiate with an even-par 210. Few sophomores in the conference enter the championship with this kind of resume.
#2 Liam Curtis (First-Year | Kent, Ohio)
Teeing off from Hole 1 – 9:30 a.m. with Leandro Mihaich (Eastern Michigan) and Michael Weber (Miami (Ohio))
National ranking: No. 884 (Clippd) | Season scoring average: 74.32 | Counting rounds: 28 | Career-low round: 66 | First MAC Championship appearance
Curtis, a first-year from Kent, brings the heaviest workload on the championship roster, leading the team with 28 counting rounds – a hometown product playing in his first MAC Championship. His season was defined by resilience: at the Canadian Collegiate, he opened with an 87 before firing a 6-under 66 in the second round, the team’s biggest single-round turnaround of the year. He posted a 3-under 69 in the final round at the Hootie Intercollegiate at Bulls Bay and bounced back from an opening 78 at the Muirfield Shootout with a 1-under 71 to help Kent State capture the inaugural title.
#3 Darcy Hogg (Sophomore | Belfast, Ireland)
Teeing off from Hole 1 – 9:20 a.m. with Robby Turnbull (Eastern Michigan) and Brett Podobinski (Miami (Ohio))
National ranking: No. 618 (Clippd) | Season scoring average: 72.42 (2nd on team) | Counting rounds: 24 | Career-low round: 68 | 2025 MAC Championship participant
Hogg has been the steadiest scorer on the team all season, holding the team’s second-best scoring average. He posted his low round of the year, a 3-under 68, in the second round at the Coach Sykes Individual and bookended a strong Robert Kepler Invitational with a 70 in the first round and a 3-under 69 in the third. At the Muirfield Shootout, Hogg tied for fourth at even-par 144 to help Kent State capture the inaugural title. His consistency makes him one of the most predictable counting scores in the lineup heading into Holliday Farms.
#4 Christoffer Leuenhagen (First-Year | Esbjerg, Denmark)
Teeing off from Hole 1 – 9:10 a.m. with Rory O’Brien (Eastern Michigan) and Liam Nelson (Miami (Ohio))
National ranking: No. 974 (Clippd) | Season scoring average: 73.80 | Counting rounds: 20 | Career-low round: 69 | First MAC Championship appearance
Leuenhagen, a first-year, posted his low round of the year, a 1-under 69, in the second round at the Hal Williams Intercollegiate. He tied for fourth at the Muirfield Shootout at even-par 144 with a 73-71 finish that helped Kent State capture the inaugural title and closed the Canadian Collegiate with a 1-under 71 in the final round. Leuenhagen brings a clean recent stretch into Holliday Farms and the championship experience of having played a decisive role in the Flashes’ most recent win.
#5 James Newton (Senior | Ottawa, Ontario)
Teeing off from Hole 1 – 9:00 a.m. with Joshua Hess (Eastern Michigan) and Tyler Anderson (Miami (Ohio))
National ranking: No. 970 (Clippd) | Season scoring average: 73.11 | Counting rounds: 19 | Career-low round: 68 | Two-time MAC Championship participant (2024, 2025)
Newton, the team’s lone senior and a Rutgers transfer in his second year at Kent State, recorded the team’s top individual finish of the season at the Tom Tontimonia Invitational – third in a 75-player field at 2 under, capped by a 3-under 68 in the final round. He posted back-to-back 69s at the Cal Poly Invitational at The Preserve Golf Club and closed the regular season with a 71 in the second round of the Muirfield Shootout. Newton brings the championship lineup’s veteran composure and the kind of single-round ceiling that can deliver a counting score on a tough day.
Alternate Nolan Haynes (Sophomore | Barberton, Ohio)
National ranking: No. 632 (Clippd) | Season scoring average: 72.84 | Counting rounds: 25 | Career-low round: 67 | 2025 MAC Championship finish: T-13
Haynes serves as Kent State’s alternate at Holliday Farms after a season that featured his career-best round – a 5-under 67 in the second round of the Canadian Collegiate at Öviinbyrd Golf Course. He carded a 211 (1 over) at the Hal Williams Intercollegiate to finish second among Kent State players and closed the regular season with a 71 in the second round of the Muirfield Shootout. Available to step into the lineup if needed, Haynes brings 25 counting rounds of championship-environment experience to the bench.
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