MARICOPA, Ariz. — Glen Millican could feel a round like Friday’s brewing.
The Missouri men’s golf coach had no complaints after his team’s stellar first round at the 2026 Men’s National Golf Invitational. The Tigers hold a one-shot lead after 18 holes at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes in the postseason championship that’s equivalent to college basketball’s NIT. Their drop score on Friday? A 3-under 69.
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“We played good at home to finish the regular season,” Millican said, “then had some really good things happen at our conference tournament. We just continued to work on our game. We wanted to be ready for when we came here.”
All four Missouri players are in the top 14 after the opening round. Five bag Brock Snyder paced the way, playing in the first tee time before signing for a bogey-free 6-under 66. Reese Roberts, Virgilio Paz and Esteban Cruz Bonilla all had matching 68s. Trent Mieri had three birdies and an eagle during a 3-under 69, and his score doesn’t even count.
More: NGI SCORES
The Tigers sit at 18 under, one shot ahead of Grand Canyon and four ahead of Rhode Island and Nevada.
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After missing the NCAA postseason, Missouri could’ve chose to end its season. Millican and his players didn’t want to do that, instead choosing to extend the year by one week and carry the momentum into the NGI. That decision is paying off after the first round.
“We love to compete. We love playing for Mizzou. We will play anybody anywhere,” Millican said. “We heard about this tournament and knew it was going to be a good experience. It’s another chance for the guys to travel together and compete as a team. It’s a special experience.”
Another interesting tidbit from the first round is the scoring average for players using Motocaddy, motorized push carts, available for the first time for every player at the postseason competition. Players who used Motocaddy in the first round, including the top-three players on the leaderboard, averaged 1.14 shots better than those who didn’t, and that includes the entire Missouri team, none of who used the carts.
Wyoming’s Brody Leid and Grand Canyon’s Gavin O’Neill are tied for the individual lead at 8 under after matching 64s. The individual medalist of the NGI earns a PGA Tour exemption into the Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: National Golf Invitational 2026: Missouri takes early opening lead
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