Wake Forest Athletics
Wake Forest University
ACC Championship
Deacs Ready to Begin Postseason Play at ACC Championship
4/22/2026 6:56:00 PM | Men's Golf
Wake Forest captured its last conference title at the course in 2022.
PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – The Wake Forest men's golf team is set to begin postseason play on Thursday at the ACC Championship held at The Watersound Club in Panama City Beach, Fla. With knowledge of Shark's Tooth Golf Course, the Demon Deacons secured their 19th ACC Championship there in their last outing in 2022, the first under head coach Jerry Haas.
The Demon Deacons will look to continue their rich tradition of competing for championships as the Deacs have won the most outright ACC titles in the conference (19) while also having a league-best 24 individual champions at the tournament.
The Deacs have now posted six top-five finishes in 2025–26, including a most recent fourth-place showing at the Ford Invitational. Wake Forest swept three fall events, the Bryan National Collegiate, the Highlands Invitational, and the Palmas del Mar Collegiate, with individual wins from Nicholas Prieto, Jorge Hao and Tom Haberer.
Additionally, the Demon Deacons recorded the third-lowest 18-hole score since 1976, carding a 266 (-14) in their last outing at the Ford Collegiate. Wake Forest finished ahead of ACC foe No. 19 Georgia Tech.
The ACC Championship is five days, teeing off on Thursday, April 23 and concluding Monday April 27. Wake Forest will be paired with Notre Dame and Clemson in the opening round, beginning at 9:55 a.m ET.
Decades of Dominance
Wake Forest has won 19 ACC championships in program history (1955, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1967-76, 1978-80, 1989 and 2022), with the most outright championship titles in the conference. The Demon Deacons' most dominant stretch came from 1967-76, when they captured 10 consecutive titles under coach Jesse Haddock. Their most recent championship came in 2022 under coach Jerry Haas, snapping a 33-year title drought.
Wake Forest has also recorded nine runner-up finishes (1956, 1959, 1965-66, 1981, 2003-04, 2016 and 2023), bringing its total top-two finishes to 28.
The program holds the ACC record for most consecutive titles (10, 1967-76) and largest margin of victory, defeating NC State by 44 strokes in 1973.
A History of Champions
In the 71 ACC Championships that have been held, the Deacs have accounted for a third of the individual titles, the most in conference history.
The rich history of ACC individual champions dates back to the first ACC Championship in 1954 when Arnold Palmer won at Old Town Club in Winston-Salem:
- 1954 Arnold Palmer
- 1957 John Gerring
- 1959 Ronnie Thomas
- 1960 Ronnie Thomas (2)
- 1962 Ken Folkes
- 1963 Jay Sigel
- 1964 Dennis Milne
- 1966 John Harris
- 1967 Charles Snipes
- 1968 Jack Lewis
- 1969 Lanny Wadkins
- 1970 Kent Engelmeier
- 1972 Jim Simons
- 1973 Jay Haas
- 1974 Bob Byman
- 1975 Curtis Strange
- 1977 Scott Hoch
- 1978 Scott Hoch (2)
- 1980 Gary Hallberg
- 1989 Tim Straub
- 2004 Sean Moore
- 2008 Webb Simpson
- 2023 Michael Brennan
- 2024 Michael Brennan (2)
ACC Championships by School
- Wake Forest, 19
- Georgia Tech, 19
- North Carolina, 12
- Clemson, 11
- Duke, 8
ACC Individual Champions by School (includes ties)
- Wake Forest, 24
- North Carolina, 14
- Georgia Tech, 11
- Clemson, 8
- Duke, 6
- NC State, 6
The Deacs Lineup
Jakob Melin
Behind a commanding bogey-free 65 (-5) in the final round, Jakob Melin secured his fourth top-10 finish of the season at the Ford Collegiate. At the Valspar Collegiate, Melin picked up a top-15 finish, finishing at 9-under par tying for 13th. Melin picked up his second top-5 finish of his senior season, ending in fifth place at nine-under at The Bryson Invitational. Melin finished the Hamptons Intercollegiate inside of the top 20 after having a pair of top-10 finishes to start the season.
At the Bryan National Collegiate, Prieto claimed his first collegiate title as a Demon Deacon with a score of 203 (-13), tying for the eighth-lowest 54-hole score to par in program history. Prieto secured a top-10 finish at the Hamptons Intercollegiate, tying for sixth on the individual leaderboard. At the Palmas del Mar Collegiate, Prieto claimed a runner-up finish, marking his fourth top-five finish of his junior season. Prieto shot his best in round three, carding a career-low 66 (-6).
Junior Tom Haberer claimed his first collegiate title by two strokes with a score of 203 (-13), tying for the eighth-lowest 54-hole score to par in program history. Haberer's win was highlighted by three under-par rounds, including a low five-under 67 in round two, tallying 17 birdies and carding just four bogeys over three rounds. Haberer had a second-place finish at the Hamptons Intercollegiate, marking his second runner-up finish this season.
In his outing at The Bryson Invitational, Haas posted a final round score of 70 (-2) to find himself tied for 12th place. Junior Kyle Haas claimed his second-straight top-10 finish at the Hamptons Intercollegiate and has ended the first four tournaments of the fall tied for 12th or better.
Rodriguez picked up his best finish of the spring at The Prestige, tying for seventh place. In the first two events of his spring season, Rodriguez has claimed back-to-back top-25 finishes. Rodriguez started his career as a Deac with a top-10 finish at the Bryan National Collegiate, tying for eighth place at two-under.
Wake Forest Alternate
Sophomore Jorge Hao captured his first collegiate title, tying the fourth-lowest 54-hole score to par (since spring 1976) with a final score of 199 (-17). Hao's first victory was highlighted by three under-par rounds, including two consecutive rounds of 65 (-7). Leading by five strokes, Hao tallied an impressive 19 birdies and four bogeys over three rounds. Hao shot his best in the final round of the Palmas del Mar Collegiate, with a final-round 69 (-3) to tie for 23rd.
Participating Teams at ACC Championships (15)
|
Seed |
School |
Ranking (as of April 15, 2026) |
|
1 |
Virginia |
2 |
|
2 |
North Carolina |
9 |
|
3 |
Stanford |
17 |
|
4 |
Georgia Tech |
21 |
|
5 |
Florida State |
24 |
|
6 |
Duke |
26 |
|
7 |
Notre Dame |
28 |
|
8 |
Wake Forest |
31 |
|
9 |
Clemson |
32 |
|
10 |
Louisville |
35 |
|
11 |
SMU |
47 |
|
12 |
NC State |
57 |
|
13 |
Cal |
59 |
|
14 |
Virginia Tech |
119 |
|
15 |
Boston College |
178 |
Course Information
ACC Championship
- Shark's Tooth Golf Course - Panama City Beach, Fla. – Par 72 - 7,246 Yards
- Shark's Tooth Golf Course provides an idyllic golf experience all year long. Tucked among the oaks and pines of a coastal sanctuary along the shores of the largest dune lake in Florida, Lake Powell, Shark's Tooth benefits from mature trees, undulating greens and deep bunkers. Available to Watersound Club Members and their guests, the Greg Norman-designed course's 18-holes feature a mix of pine forest and lake views.
First Round Tee Times (All Times ET)
9:55 a.m.- Lorenzo Rodriguez
10:06 a.m.- Kyle Haas
10:17 a.m.- Tom Haberer
10:28 a.m.- Jakob Melin
10:39 a.m.- Nicholas Prieto
Tournament Format
The ACC Championship is five days, teeing off on Thursday, April 23 and concluding Monday, April 27. Wake Forest will be paired with Notre Dame and Clemson in the opening round.
The first round of the championship will start on Thursday at 9 a.m. ET, with both the second and third rounds on Friday and Saturday to start at 8 a.m. as well. The match play quarterfinals on Sunday will begin at 8:30 a.m. ET, with the semifinal set for later that day at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET Sunday's match-play final is scheduled for 10 a.m. ET.
Live Stats
Scoring for the ACC Championship will be available via Scoreboard powered by Clippd
Live Coverage
The semifinal and final rounds of the ACC Championship will be available on ACCNX.
Players Mentioned
