WVU Golf is just one month away from its first tee time of the 2026-27 season. The team will feature a good mix of returning golfers, including several who represented WVU at the NCAA Marana Regional, as well as some brand-new freshmen. Read more: One month out: WVU Golf.
On August 31, WVU will begin play at the inaugural New York Harbor Cup at Bayonne Golf Club in New Jersey. Rutgers will serve as host, and the tournament will run until September 1.
Overall, the Mountaineers will return as defending champions to three tournaments throughout the fall and make appearances at new and familiar places throughout the entire season.
Related: WVU Golf to host two golf tournaments in 2026-27; full schedule revealed.
Returning golfers
Seven golfers are set to return to WVU Golf for the upcoming season. Only one returner will be a senior playing their final season of eligibility.
Three of the returning golfers, junior Nick Turowski, junior Ryan Leach and sophomore Jack Michael, competed in the NCAA Marana Regional this past season. The Mountaineers finished in eighth place with a 5-under par final team score.
Additionally, WVU’s substitute player in regional play, Harrison Thompson, is the returning senior on the squad. While he traveled, he did not make a substitute appearance in the tournament.
Turowski had the best performance in the NCAA Marana Regionals of all Mountaineers competing. He finished at 6-under par and tied for 18th place overall.
Related: WVU Golf caps amazing season with impressive NCAA Regional performance.
While Turowski was not the top finisher at any tournaments this past season, he did lead the Mountaineers in three other tournaments; Gopher Invitational, Steelwood Collegiate Invitational and Mountaineer Invitational.
Turowski won his first collegiate tournament as a freshman in the 2024-25 season. He competed as an individual at the Red Flash Invitational, finishing 1-under par.
Leach won one tournament this past season, the Island Resort Collegiate, at 17-under par. He also was the leading Mountaineer at the Cullan Brown Collegiate.
Michael was the top Mountaineer finisher at the Hootie at Bulls Ray Intercollegiate this past season at 5-under par.
The other returning golfers include:
- Sophomore Brody Burgess
- Sophomore Gabe Schmitz
- Junior Adain Dortch
Incoming freshmen
WVU Golf will welcome three new golfers to the team this season, all incoming freshmen.
Hogan Blais joins the team from Ontario, Canada. His accomplishments include finishing as runner-up at the Ontario NextGen Championship and Quebec Match Play.
At the Quebec Match Play, Blais was runner-up only by one stroke.
Blais also finished in third at the Quebec Junior Boys Championship at 9-under par.
Blais has also competed in the PGA Tour Cognizant Classic and was a member of Team Quebec for the Williamson Cup twice.
Major Ewing also joins the team as a freshman from Blacksburg, Virginia.
Ewing was a Two-time VHSL Class 4 State Champion at Blacksburg High School in 2022 and 2023. He also made the All-State team both years.
In 2024, Ewing finished as runner-up at the Junior Valentine Invitational. The winner of the tournament was now teammate Ryan Leach.
He has also competed at events such as the US Open Qualifying, AJGA Georgia Cup and AJGA Lanto Junior Championship.
The last incoming freshman is Michael Shivers from Brentwood, Tennessee.
In 2025, Shivers was runner-up in the 2025 U.S. Amateur Local Qualifier, finishing with a round of 69.
Shivers was also honored with the Montgomery Bell Academy Varsity Golf Most Valuable Player Award in 2024.
Other competitions for Shivers include the Tennessee Jr. Amateur Championship, U.S. Amateur Local Qualifier and Tennessee Junior Cup.
Key matchups
WVU will serve as host to two tournaments this season; Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational and the Mountaineer Invitational.
The Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational will take place from October 5-6 in Farmington, Pennsylvania, at Mystic Rock Golf Course.
The Mountaineer Invitational will be in the spring season from April 12-13 in Bridgeport at Pete Dye Golf Club.
The Mountaineers will be defending champions at the Nemacolin Collegiate Invitational, as well as the Island Resort Collegiate and Pearl at Kalauao Invitational.
The Mountaineers will return to the Island Resort Collegiate from September 6-7 at Sage Run Golf Course in Bark River, Michigan.
The Pearl at Kalauao Invitational will also take place during the fall season, with WVU returning to it from November 4-5 in ‘Aiea, O’ahu, Hawaii.
The Big 12 Golf Championship will take place in Columbus, Texas, at The Covey at Big Easy Ranch from April 26-28.
NCAA Regionals will take place from May 17-19, with the NCAA Championships taking place at La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California, from May 28-June 2.
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