STOCKTON, Calif. – Peyton Hendricks started the inaugural day of the NCAA Division II Men's Golf West/South Central Regional Tournament on a positive note for Cal State East Bay at 3-under and ended the afternoon with a 69, Cal State East Bay's lowest individual score, to place him tied for third out of 122 individuals, and the Pioneers will enter Friday's second round tied for sixth place alongside three other teams with a 1-under 287.
 
Cooper Groshart started his 2026 national postseason experience under par after finishing the par-5 2nd hole in four shots. Also enjoying a positive start to his day was Paddy Blinderman, who earned the first of his four birdies throughout the round on the opening hole.
 
The first pair of holes were kind to Hendricks as he opened competition with a birdie on No. 1 and an eagle on No. 2 — he was the only golfer to finish 2-under on the second hole in the first of three 18-hole rounds, scheduled in as many days, on the par 72 7,082-yard course at The Reserve at Spanos Park in Stockton, California.

Birdies on the par-5 6th from Blinderman and Hendricks and another from Oscar Blomqvist on the par-4 7th helped the Pioneers finished the front nine tied for second place at 6-under, with Hawaii Hilo, two shots off the lead once the final EB golfer made the turn.
 
The Pioneers' front-nine effort generated momentum that continued throughout the rest of the round, starting with birdies from Hendricks on Nos. 10 and 16.
 
Easton Hether also birdied 16, the last of four occasions when multiple Pioneers fared well on the same hole. After opening the back nine shooting par on No. 10, Blinderman, Blomquvist and Groshart all carded a 4 on the par-5 519-yard 11th hole.

Hether and Blomqvist finished 2-over (T58th), Groshart was 1-over (T40th) and two golfers finished under par: Blinderman at 1-under (T19th) and Hendricks with a 3-under 69 by ending his and CSUEB's round with a birdie on 18.
 
Tomorrow's action will start on No. 1 at 7:30 a.m.; Hether is the first Pioneer to start the second round with an 8:20 a.m. tee time, his teammates will start 10 minutes after one another beginning with Blinderman (8:30 a.m.) and Groshart (8:40 a.m.), with Blomqvist (8:50 a.m.) and Hendricks (9 a.m.) completing East Bay's contingent.

Third-seeded Cal State East Bay is one of five California Collegiate Athletic Association teams competing in Stockton this week; this total comprises half the selections in the NCAA Men's Golf West Regional.
 
All five of those institutions enjoyed a sneak peek at the course two weeks ago at the CCAA Men's Golf Championship since the league hosted its postseason tournament on the same course.
 
The top six teams, and the top two individual not participating on these teams, from the combined West/South Central Regional Tournament will advance to the 2026 NCAA Division II Men's Golf Championship, taking place May 18–22 at the Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nevada, hosted by UNLV and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority.
 
 
NCAA Division II Men's Golf West/South Central Regional Tournament
May 7-9, 2026
Stockton, Calif.
The Reserve at Spanos Park
Par 72 | 7,082 Yards
W = West Region participant
SC =  South Central Region participant

Team Standings
1. Western Washington (W) 283
2. West Texas A&M (SC) 284
3. Cal State San Marcos (W) 285
T4. Cal State San Bernardino (W) 286
T4. Cameron (SC) 286
T6. Cal State East Bay (W) 287
T6. Hawaii Hilo (W) 287
T6. Dallas Baptist (SC) 287
T6. Colorado Mesa (SC) 287
T10. Simon Frasier (W) 289
T10. Colorado Christian (SC) 289
T12. Chico State (W) 293
T12. Midwestern State (SC) 293
T12. Vanguard (W) 293
T15. UT Tyler (SC) 294
T15. CSU Pueblo (SC) 294
T17. St. Mary's (TX) (SC) 297
T18. UT Permian Basin (SC) 301
T18. Dominican (CA) (W) 301
20. Cal State Monterey Bay (W) 302

Individual Results (leader plus Cal State East Bay only)
1. Liam Weaver (Cal State San Marcos) 66
T3. Peyton Hendricks 69
T19. Paddy Blinderman 71
T40. Cooper Groshart 73
T58. Easton Hether 74
T58. Oscar Blomqvist 74