2026 High School Boys Golf Preview
First match: Was Feb. 21
Championship dates: First round is May 18 at Steele Canyon Golf Club, final round is May 20 at Torrey Pines North
Defending champions: Torrey Pines (Division 1), Cathedral Catholic (Division 2) and Bishop’s (Division 3)
Defending individual champion: Evan Liu, Torrey Pines
Rivalry
Torrey Pines High School and Cathedral Catholic are natural rivals. They sit on Del Mar Heights Road, separated by 1.8 miles. Last May, Torrey Pines won its 10th straight San Diego Section Division 1 title. Cathedral took home the Division 2 trophy. But for the first time in Torrey Pines’ 10-year run, the Falcons didn’t win the overall title. That honor went to Cathedral Catholic, which finished 32 strokes ahead of the Falcons. The next week, at the SoCal Championship in Chino Hills, Torrey Pines advanced to the state championship at Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach. Cathedral failed to qualify.
Chasing history
After finishing second as a freshman, Torrey Pines’ Evan Liu, then a sophomore, won the San Diego Section title last year. Two weeks later, he shot a 7-under 64 at Poppy Hills to take second in the state championship.
Liu was named the section’s Golfer of the Year.
Now a junior, Liu will try to become the first golfer since Christian’s Joe Almquist (1997, 1998) to earn the honor in back-to-back seasons. Phil Mickelson won the award in 1987 and 1988.
“Anytime you get your name up there with a guy like Phil Mickelson, who has won six majors, golf’s oldest majors champion, it’s special,” said Liu. “That’s something to be proud of. It’s probably not good to look that far ahead. I should stay where my feet are. But I’m going to keep going the way I have and hope that leads to some good things.”
Liu, Take 2
Liu has committed to play collegiately at North Carolina. He picked the Tar Heels over Stanford.
“It was not an easy decision,” Liu said. “The culture at the University of North Carolina, the coaches there, I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys. And I think there’s a ton of value learning how to play golf somewhere other than the West Coast. I play well on the West Coast in these conditions.”
He said he wants more experience golfing, particularly putting, on surfaces other than what he sees in California.
“Also, it can get a little cold elsewhere and I have more trouble adapting,” he said. “That was definitely a factor in my decision.”
Golfers to watch
(in alphabetical order)
Kaden Chang, Carlsbad, Jr.
JT Cochrane, Bishop’s, So.
Roman Dammkoehler, Torrey Pines, Sr.
Kenyon Kahler, Carlsbad, Jr.
Milton Kromydas, La Costa Canyon, Jr.
Evan Liu, Torrey Pines, Jr.
Oliver Mayson, Cathedral Catholic, Jr.
Brady Neal, Cathedral Catholic, Jr.
Charlie Qiu, La Jolla Country Day, Jr.
Alex Renda, Torrey Pines, So.
Luke Schnider, San Marcos, Sr.
Ethan Schramm, Classical Academy, Jr.
Ty Smock, Classical Academy, Jr.
Yunze Wang, Cathedral Catholic, So.
Weiqiao Zhang, Cathedral Catholic, Jr.
Ryan Zhao, Westview, Sr.
— DON NORCROSS