Barraza, Men's Golf Capture Titles at 49th-annual Rutherford IntercollegiateBarraza, Men's Golf Capture Titles at 49th-annual Rutherford Intercollegiate

Barraza, Men's Golf Capture Titles at 49th-annual Rutherford Intercollegiate

The Nittany Lions win their 32nd Rutherford title, 10th since 2015 while Barraza becomes Penn State’s 22nd individual champion

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – After building a sizeable lead following the second round on Saturday, Penn State shook off some early jitters after giving a few shots back Sunday morning and corrected course to secure the 2026 Rutherford Intercollegiate team title finishing as the lone team in red figures in the 13-team field.

The Nittany Lions finished the week 9-under, 843, to regain their home invitational championship, their 10th since 2015 and 32nd overall in the 49th-annual event at the Penn State Blue Course. The 9-under score ties their own record for lowest winning score under current conditions at par-71, 7,130.

“We've been talking all year about how we were so close to breaking through, but it was going to take a full team effort if we wanted to get the job done -- This week we got it,” commented head coach Mark Leon.

Penn State fired a 9-under, 275, in Saturday’s second round to open the final round with a five-shot lead over George Mason. The Nittany Lions opened the final round 6-over through their first four holes, however, they closed the front nine bogey-free and 5-under to regain their five-shot lead at the turn.

The hosts went 7-under over the final 14 holes after a rough start and finished 11 shots clear of George Mason in second while URI (3-over), Yale (6-over) and St. Thomas (7-over) rounded out the top five.

Penn State played holes five through 15 at 10-under and bogey-free as a team on Sunday.

“The team approached qualifying with competitiveness and intensity over the past two weeks, and it showed up big time this weekend. I'm so proud of this team and what they accomplished this year at the Rutherford,” Leon concluded. 

Full results for the weekend are available HERE.

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Each of the five Nittany Lions in the starting lineup placed in the top-18 including three in the top-10 of the 75-player field paced by senior Andrew Barraza who secured his first individual title in his two years at Penn State.

Barraza finished the week 5-under, 208, his lowest score relative to par in his Penn State career and tied for the 10th lowest winning score under the current setup in Rutherford history. After firing an even-par, 71, in the opening round, Barraza went 69, 68 in the next two rounds posting just two bogey’s over the final 36 holes with seven birdies.

Barraza becomes the 20th different Nittany Lion, 22nd individual champion overall, to win the Rutherford and first since James Allen in 2022.

“Andres Barraza getting the individual win was such a fitting end to the week. He has come so far this year with his ability to tackle adversity and compete. He's had a couple of great 36 hole starts this spring but struggled to close. Today he played the best round of golf of the entire year to seal the deal. I'm so happy for him!” mentioned Leon.

Junior Tim Peters secured his best finish as a Nittany Lion in a tie for sixth at 1-under, 212, as he sandwiched his best round of the weekend, 2-under, 69, in the second round, between an even-par, 71, and a 1-over, 73.

Freshman Jackson Saroney finished the week tied for 10th at one over after sandwiching a 3-under 68 between a pair of 73’s for the best finish of his career.

Junior Alex Creamean also finished T-10 following a final round 1-under, 70, which saw him climb 14 spots as the big mover of the final round.

Sophomore Will Preston rounded out the starting lineup in a tie for 18th at 2-over, 215, with his best round also coming during the second round on Saturday where he carded a 2-under, 69.

Nick Werner carded a 69 and 70 for a strong opening 36 holes on Saturday putting himself in position entering Sunday just a shot off the individual lead. However, a 4-over, 75, pushed him down the leaderboard, but he still managed the highest finish among all individuals in the field at 1-over, 214, and tied for 10th his best finish since a runner-up at the Shepherd’s Rock Individual back in the fall.

Rounding out the individuals, Zach Smith sandwiched a 75 between a pair of 73’s to finish the tied for 41st at 8-over while Robby O’Regan opened strong with a 1-under, 70, and finished the week 9-over and Billy Pabst concluded the weekend 14-over.  

The Nittany Lions have the next week off before heading west for the 2026 B1G Championships on May 1-3 at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club in North Plains, Oregon.