Deacs Finish Eighth at NCAA Regionals

Wednesday, May 20

Winston-Salem, N.C. | Bermuda Run CC

Wake Forest University

NCAA Regionals

5/20/2026 7:49:00 PM | Men's Golf

Nicholas Prieto claimed his fifth top-10 finish of his junior season.

By: Sophie Langdon

BERMUDA RUN, N.C. – Despite shooting their best round of three, the Wake Forest men's golf team saw their season come to an end at the NCAA Winston-Salem Regional on Wednesday.

Overall, the Demon Deacons finished twelve-under par to finish in eighth place, and collectively went eight-under in the final round. Wake Forest led the 14-team field in par-5 scoring (-29) and eagles recorded (5) over three rounds of tournament play.

Carding three under-par rounds for the Deacs, Nicholas Prieto claimed his fifth top-10 finish of the 2025-26 season. Tallying two eagles and two birdies over his first nine holes of the day, the junior posted a 69 (-1) in his final round.

As the highest finisher on the individual leaderboard for Wake Forest, Prieto led the 80-player field in eagles recorded (3).

Freshman Lorenzo Rodriguez matched Prieto's low round of the week, carding a low 67 (-4) in his final round. Carding eight birdies in round three, Rodriguez tallied three consecutive birdies over his final three holes to finish tied for 25th at three-under par. The round by the Miami, Fla. native helped the team shoot their best round of the week.

In his postseason-debut, Maddux Cook counted two rounds of par or better for the Deacs. Carding 15 birdies over three rounds, the freshman finished inside the top-35 at even-par.

To highlight the final tournament of his collegiate career, senior Jakob Melin carded an eagle on the 509-yard par-5 in his final round to post a one-under score of 70. Melin finished the NCAA Winston-Salem Regional inside the top-40 at one-over par.

Climbing 12 spots up the leaderboard, Tom Haberer shot his best in the final round posting a two-under score of 69. The junior tied for 42nd place at two-over.

Season Highlights

Earning the No. 6 seed, this was Demon Deacons' 27th straight NCAA Regional appearance, which marks the sixth-longest streak in the country and third-longest by an ACC institution.

Longest Active NCAA Regional Streaks

Rank	School	Streak Started	Consecutive Tournaments
1.	Oklahoma State	1989	38
2.	Texas	1989	38
3.	Georgia	1996	31
4.	Georgia Tech	1998	29
5.	Stanford	1999	28
6.	Wake Forest	2000	27
7.	Texas Tech	2002	25
8.	Florida State	2006	21

The Deacs posted six top-five finishes over the 2025–26 season. Wake Forest swept three events this season, the Bryan National Collegiate, the Highlands Invitational, and the Palmas del Mar Collegiate, with individual wins from Nicholas Prieto, Jorge Hao and Tom Haberer.

With the three team wins this campaign, head coach Jerry Haas now sits at 49 victories throughout his career at the helm of the Deacs. This mark puts him 18th in NCAA history and is eighth among active head coaches.

Career Wins - Active Head Coaches

Rank	Name	School(s)	First Year	Wins
T1.	Bruce Heppler	Georgia Tech	1995	73
T1.	Nick Clinard	UCF/Auburn	2001	73
3.	Bruce Brockbank	BYU	1999	68
4.	John Crooks	Campbell	1990	64
5.	Matt Thurmond	Arizona State/Washington	2001	56
6.	Mike McGraw	Baylor/Oklahoma State	2005	50
7.	Ryan Hybl	Oklahoma	2009	50
8.	Jerry Haas	Wake Forest	1997	49

Jakob Melin, Sr.

Melin led Wake Forest at the ACC Championship, recording three under-par rounds and standing as the lone Demon Deacon to post multiple rounds below par. He topped the 77-player field with 17 birdies across the tournament and finished with a final-round 71 (-1) to tie for fifth at 6-under par, earning his fourth top-five finish of the season. Melin wrapped up his collegiate career at the NCAA Winston-Salem Regional, tying for 37th at one-over par after opening with a 70 (-1) and finishing with an even-par closing round. He finished the season tied for the team-lead with a 70.65 average alongside Prieto. Melin claimed four top-5 finishes and six top-10 finishes over his career as a Demon Deacon.

Boyd Owens, Sr.

Owens appeared in six tournaments for the Demon Deacons during his senior season, highlighted by a strong spring campaign. He recorded his best finish at the Palmas del Mar Collegiate, tying for 16th place at three-under par after back-to-back under-par rounds of 68 and 69. He also added a top-30 finish at The Prestige. Owens finished the season with a 73.71 scoring average across 17 rounds and helped Wake Forest capture team titles at both the Bryan National Collegiate and Palmas del Mar Collegiate. In his first collegiate round at the Maui Jim Invitational, he recorded the lowest debut round in program history, posting a 63 (-7). Owens helped the Demon Deacons reach the finals of match play at the 2023 ACC Championship and claimed a point for the Deacs during the finals while also leading his match at the conclusion of the semifinal.

Nicholas Prieto, Jr.

At the Bryan National Collegiate, Prieto captured his first collegiate title as a Demon Deacon after shooting 203 (-13), tying for the eighth-lowest 54-hole score to par in program history. He also recorded a top-10 finish at the Hamptons Intercollegiate, tying for sixth individually. At the Palmas del Mar Collegiate, Prieto earned a runner-up finish, highlighted by a career-low 66 (-6) in the final round. He closed the season at the NCAA Winston-Salem Regional with three under-par rounds to finish tied for 10th at seven-under par, securing his fifth top-10 result of his junior campaign. Prieto additionally paced the field with three eagles during the tournament. He finished the season tied for the team-lead with a 70.65 average alongside Melin.

Tom Haberer, Jr.

At the Palmas del Mar Collegiate, Haberer secured his first collegiate victory by two strokes with a 203 (-13), matching the eighth-lowest 54-hole score to par in program history. His performance featured three under-par rounds, including a five-under 67 in round two, while totaling 17 birdies and only four bogeys throughout the event. His performance in Puerto Rico saw him named ACC Golfer of the Month, becoming the first Demon Deacon to earn the honor since Michael Brennen in 2021. Haberer also finished second at the Hamptons Intercollegiate, marking his second runner-up finish of the year. At the NCAA Winston-Salem Regional, he surged 12 spots up the leaderboard during the final round with a two-under 69 to finish tied for 42nd overall.

Kyle Haas, Jr.

Haas put together a consistent campaign for the Demon Deacons, recording three top-15 finishes during the fall season. He posted his best tournament of the year at the Highlands Invitational, tying for third at 10-under par after rounds of 68, 70 and 68. He also delivered one of Wake Forest's lowest rounds of the season with a final-round 65 at the Ford Collegiate. Haas concluded the year with a 72.31 scoring average across 29 rounds and recorded 15 under-par rounds throughout the season.

Jorge Hao, So.

Hao delivered one of the top individual performances of the season for Wake Forest, capturing the title at the Highlands Invitational with a three-round score of 199 (-17). Hao opened the tournament with back-to-back rounds of 65, tying for the lowest round by a Demon Deacon during the 2025-26 campaign. He also added a top-15 finish at the Steelwood Collegiate. Hao finished the year with a 72.40 scoring average across 25 rounds while helping Wake Forest earn multiple team victories during the fall and spring seasons.

Lorenzo Rodriguez, Fr.

The freshman opened 2026 with back-to-back top-25 finishes and earned his top finish of the spring at The Prestige, tying for seventh place overall. Rodriguez ended the campaign on a strong note at the NCAA Winston-Salem Regional, carding a final-round 67 (-4) to match the team's low round of the week. He finished tied for 25th at three-under par and closed his season with three straight birdies over his final three holes.

Maddux Cook, Fr.

Maddux Cook competed in five tournaments during the 2025-26 season and turned in strong performances for the Demon Deacons. His best finish came at The Prestige Individual, where he tied for 13th place, while he also posted an even-par performance at the Palmas del Mar Collegiate to finish tied for 29th. Cook carded a season-low round of 70 during the opening round at Palmas del Mar and finished the year with a 74.14 scoring average over 14 rounds. He additionally contributed to Wake Forest team titles at both the Bryan National Collegiate and Highlands Invitational during the fall season.

From Coach Haas:

"We got off to a tremendous start today 10-under par very early, but couldn't maintain that momentum. Scores were very good today. I honestly thought if we could get to -18 or so we would have a chance. Wake won the par-5 scoring at -29, but had to count 7 out-of-bounds balls which is tough to come back from. Lots of experience gained and we will be a team to watch this coming fall. The young men that played this week played extremely hard as always for the Black and Gold, and I'm proud of them for that. They work hard, they show up, they do all the right things to get better, and with everyone returning it will be some great golf ahead. Great Wake Forest representation this week with so many volunteers and fans. Special thanks to Wake Forest Athletics for hosting, thank you for making us all look good here in Winston-Salem. Go Deacs!"

Day Three Scores

Team

Rank	Team	Round One	Round Two	Round Three	Total
T1	Virginia	271 (-13)	270 (-14)	275 (-9)	816 (-36)
T1	Pepperdine	273 (-11)	274 (-10)	269 (-15)	816 (-36)
3	Ole Miss	278 (-6)	269 (-15)	274 (-10)	821 (-31)
4	Southern California	278 (-6)	279 (-5)	268 (-16)	825 (-27)
5	Mississippi State	278 (-6)	272 (-12)	276 (-8)	826 (-26)

6	Houston	287 (+3)	278 (-6)	269 (-15)	834 (-18)
7	NC State	287 (+3)	275 (-9)	273 (-11)	835 (-17)
8	*Wake Forest*	*278 (-6)*	*286 (+2)*	*276 (-8)*	*840 (-12)*
9	Georgia Tech	283 (-1)	298 (+14)	267 (-17)	848 (-4)
10	Kentucky	280 (-4)	290 (+6)	280 (-4)	850 (-2)
11	Richmond	293 (+9)	280 (-4)	286 (+2)	859 (+7)
12	Little Rock	298 (+14)	280 (-4)	286 (+2)	864 (+12)
13	Presbyterian	290 (+6)	290 (+6)	293 (+9)	873 (+21)
14	Navy	295 (+11)	284 (E)	297 (+13)	876 (+24)

Wake Forest Team

Player	Rank	Round One	Round Two	Round Three	Total
Nicholas Prieto	T10	67 (-4)	70 (-1)	69 (-2)	206 (-7)
Lorenzo Rodriguez	T25	70 (-1)	73 (+2)	67 (-4)	210 (-3)
Maddux Cook	T33	71 (E)	70 (-1)	72 (+1)	213 (E)
Jakob Melin	T37	70 (-1)	73 (+2)	71 (E)	214 (+1)
Tom Haberer	T42	72 (+1)	74 (+3)	69 (-2)	215 (+2)