PALM HARBOR, Fla. (Oct. 13, 2026) – Behind top-25 individual finishes from Paraic McGrath and Parker Shaw, the Colorado State University Pueblo men's golf team concluded competition at the 2026 Copperhead Championship on Tuesday, finishing tied for 14th place in a competitive 17-team field at the prestigious Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club.
The ThunderWolves entered Tuesday's final round tied for 15th place following consecutive rounds of 292 on Monday before improving by two strokes in the final round with a 290 to finish the 54-hole tournament with a team score of 874. CSU Pueblo finished tied with Saint Leo, one stroke behind 13th-place Grand Valley State.
The Copperhead Course is best known as the annual host of the PGA TOUR's Valspar Championship, which has featured some of the world's top professional golfers, including past champions Jordan Spieth, Sam Burns and Paul Casey. The course is also renowned for its challenging closing stretch, famously known as the "Snake Pit," which consists of holes 16, 17 and 18.
McGrath led the way for the ThunderWolves throughout the tournament, finishing tied for 21st place individually with a 54-hole score of 213 (+3). After opening the tournament with a five-over-par 75, McGrath responded with an impressive four-under-par 66 in Monday's second round, one of the lowest individual rounds of the tournament.
The Pack's top finisher closed out competition Tuesday with a two-over-par 72 to earn his top-25 finish against a strong field of NCAA Division II competition.
Shaw followed just one stroke behind McGrath, finishing tied for 25th place individually with a three-round total of 214 (+4). Shaw opened the championship with a one-under-par 69 before carding rounds of 74 and 71 over the final 36 holes. His one-over-par final round allowed him to climb 11 positions on the individual leaderboard after entering Tuesday tied for 36th.
Luke Shelton turned in one of the Pack's strongest performances during Tuesday's final round, carding a two-over-par 72 to finish tied for 63rd place with a 54-hole score of 222 (+12). Shelton improved by four strokes from his second-round 76 and climbed 10 positions on the individual leaderboard.
Jake Johnston finished the championship in 79th place individually with a three-round total of 226 (+16). Johnston opened with a four-over-par 74 before posting rounds of 77 and 75 to close out the tournament.
Rounding out the CSU Pueblo lineup was Cole Kratz, who finished in 86th place with a 54-hole total of 230 (+20). Kratz recorded rounds of 77, 76 and 77 across the three rounds of competition.
As a team, CSU Pueblo's final-round 290 was its lowest team score of the tournament, with Shaw's 71 leading the way, followed by matching 72s from McGrath and Shelton and a 75 from Johnston.
Florida Southern captured the team championship with a three-round score of 832, finishing three strokes ahead of runner-up Nova Southeastern (835). Lincoln Memorial rounded out the top three with an 843, followed by Barry (844) and Rollins (850).
Nova Southeastern's Elias Mardeni captured individual medalist honors after firing a final-round five-under-par 65 to finish the tournament at five-under-par 205. Mardeni finished two strokes ahead of Florida Southern's Jack VanderSchuur and Valdosta State's Alexander Nilehn, who tied for second at three-under-par 207.
The ThunderWolves concluded the championship with two golfers inside the top 25 and three players improving their individual standing during Tuesday's final round.
CSU Pueblo Individual Results
Team Results: T-14th of 17 teams – 292-292-290 (874)
Up Next
The ThunderWolves will wrap up their 2026 fall schedule with a trip to the Lone Star State to compete in the West/South Central Super Regional Preview in San Antonio, Texas. The tournament will be hosted by St. Mary's University at Dominion Country Club and will provide the Pack with another opportunity to compete against regional competition before turning their attention to the spring championship season.
