The Incarnate Word men's golf team concluded their best-ever week at the Southland Conference Championships by finishing as the runners-up at the 2026 Southland Conference Men's Golf Championship.

The Cardinals led after the first two rounds, but a decision by the tournament officials to disqualify Taylor Cussimanio before the start of Round 3 amplified the already high-pressure situation for Incarnate Word. UIW were forced to replace Cussimanio's vacated four-over-par in the first round with Thomas Chalk's six over, a move that cut Incarnate Word's lead in half, from four to two, just before the final round was to begin.

The Cardinals maintained their slim lead, countering two eagles from UT Rio Grande Valley on Hole 4 with eight total birdies in the first four holes, but they had 13 bogeys, including 2 double bogeys, and not enough birdies down the stretch. Even with the collective struggles, Incarnate Word battled until the end and Joel Talusen stepped to the tee on 18 needing to outscore his UTRGV counterpart by one stroke to force a tie. Unfortunately, he found the bunker on his approach shot and would end up matching his opponent with a bogey as Incarnate Word came up two strokes short of winning their first Southland Conference championship.

Joel Talusen had thrived over the first two days of the tournament, sitting as the 36-hole leader at nine-under-par. While he navigated Comanche Trace almost perfectly over the first two days, carding 12 birdies against just three bogeys, he did not have the same scoring opportunities in the final round and after four mid-round bogeys, was sitting at six-under with six holes to play.

Talusen had only recorded three birdies on the back nine through the first two rounds, but he got one on the Par 3 14th to settle his round. While he would be unable to continue his birdie run and help UIW, who trailed by four strokes with 4-5 holes to go, he was able to hold onto his personal lead on the field and became the first Incarnate Word golfer to win the Southland Conference Individual Medalist. He broke one school record and then placed himself on the list of another with his scoring this week. Talusen's 36-hole total of nine-under-par was one shot better than the previous record and his five-under-par over 54 holes puts him in a tie for fifth all-time.

The absence of Cussimanio forced Alex Kolodziejski into the lineup for Round 3 and he did not disappoint. He went out on the front nine with a one-over, 37, and was three over through 12 holes. But he had birdies on three of his last four holes, including back-to-back birdies on 17 and 18, to card an even-par, 72, for the day.

That score was matched by Thomas Chalk who bounced back after his opening round six-over-par to shoot -2 and even to finish the tournament in 13th place at four over. He was two under through the first nine holes and was helping UIW keep pace with UT Rio Grande Valley after the Vaqueros had back-to-back eagles to take the lead, but he'd slide a bit on the back nine and just miss his second-straight red round of the week.

Rhys Nicholas earned a spot on the Southland Conference Second Team after finishing 10th with a tournament score of three over. He was off to a great start in his final round, following an opening-hole bogey with three-straight birdies to move under par for the tournament. But he ran into some trouble with a triple bogey on Hole 5, and while Nicholas followed that up with a birdie to get one stroke back, the rest of his round was 10 pars and two bogeys as he'd finish the round at two-over.

Francisco Taboada also had a great front nine, matching Chalk's two-under, 34, but he, too, ran into some trouble early on the back nine. He sandwiched a birdie on 11 with two bogeys and then followed that with a double bogey on the par five 13th to move him to one-over on the day. He'd birdie 16 but then bogey 17 to close out his one-over-par round.
 
This ends the 2025-26 season on a high note for the Incarnate Word men's golf team.