FHSU Athletics
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. - Fort Hays State's Cooper Scheck finished in third place as an individual at the 2026 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Central/Midwest Super Regional which wrapped up Saturday, May 9 at Katke Golf Course, a par-72, 6,967-yard layout. He finished the week at 2-under 214, finishing just three shots back of first place.
He was the top individual on a non-advancing team, giving the senior a trip to the 2026 NCAA Division II Men's Golf National Championship May 18-22 at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nev. He is the first player in men's golf team history to advance to the final national site.
Battling cold and windy conditions all three rounds, Scheck turned in an incredibly consistent performance as he was one of just 11 players in the 116-player field to not post a single double or worse all week. He tied for 10th in the field with 12 birdies while adding one eagle, 29 pars and 12 bogeys. He did not post a single hole score above five all week.
The Dodge City, Kan. native took advantage of the five par-5's on the course, finishing second in the field after playing those holes in 11-under. In 15 tries on the long holes, he turned in nine birdies, one eagle and five pars. He played each of the five under par twice and made a par on each hole once.
Scheck opened the week with a 2-over 74 in the opening round, sitting in a tie for 29th. His week opened with an eagle on the third hole before committing four bogeys over the next five holes. He birdied the par-5 ninth hole to get back on track before bogeying holes 10 and 11. He rebounded to play the final seven holes in two-under, rolling in a long birdie on 14 and nearly holing out for eagle on the par-5 15th before tapping in for birdie.
He bounced back in a big way in round two, firing a 3-under 69 to move into a tie for 11th and keeping himself in the mix for the top individual spot. That round included five birdies and just two bogeys. He birdied four of the five par 5's on the day and added a birdie on the long par-4 fifth hole after hitting his second shot to inside five feet.
Scheck posted a 1-under 71 in the final round, getting into the clubhouse early Saturday afternoon at 2-under for the week. After posting three opening pars in high winds, he nearly drove the green on hole four before carding his first birdie of the day. Rain set in over the next three holes, with Scheck bogeying No. 5 before getting back to under par with birdies on two more par-5's, holes seven and nine. He continued to battle through high winds on the back nine, giving up two more bogeys to get back to even par heading into No. 18 where he chipped in for one final birdie.
Grand Valley State took home the team title at 3-over as a team, with Missouri St.-Louis, Central Missouri and Washburn securing the other three trips to nationals as a team. Washburn edged out host Ferris State and Arkansas Tech by just one shot for the fourth and final spot.
Central Missouri's CJ Phillips was the regional champion as an individual at 5-under 211 thanks to his opening round 4-under 68 and his second round 6-under 66. Winona State's Peyton Coahran secured the second individual spot at nationals at 1-under 215, winning in a one-hole playoff over Harding's Dennis Staykov.