SILVIS, Ill. – The UBC Thunderbirds (+40) have finished in a tie for 17th at the 2026 NAIA Championship, narrowly missing the cut to advance to the final two rounds of the tournament on Thursday and Friday. The T-Birds were just three strokes back of 15th place, with the top-15 teams advancing beyond cutdown day.
As gusting winds added to the difficulty of the already challenging TPC Deere Run course, the 'Birds saw their score rise slightly in the second round, going from a combined +19 on Tuesday to +21 on Wednesday.
Leighton Wright was the top T-Bird overall, shooting a 79 (+9) in round two to sit at +9 for the tournament, putting him in 60th place.
Fellow first-year Manpreet Lalh was the best 'Bird on the course on Wednesday, shaving six strokes from his opening round score to shoot a 73 (+3), bringing him to +12 for the event. Jake Houston, the only UBC golfer to crack the lineup in consecutive years at the championship, also finished at +12 to sit in a tie for 79th alongside Lalh.
Aneesh Kaura had three birdies on both the front and back nine on Wednesday, carding a 74 (+4) to slide in just ahead of Lalh and Houston at +11 overall, good for 74th place. Tim Hachey rounded out the group with a +15 showing for the event, placing him 103rd in the 156-player field.
This ends the NAIA season for the Thunderbirds, but one big event remains on their 2025/26 schedule.
The Golf Canada Canadian University/College Championship is taking place at Club de Golf La Tempete June 16-19, in Levis, Quebec. UBC will return to the event as the two-time defending national champions, seeking the 10th Canadian championship in program history.