May 20, 2026 12:00 PM
Will Sides narrowly missed an NCAA Championship berth, but the SMU senior closed his season with multiple program records.
Will Sides didn’t get the NCAA Championship finish he wanted, but the SMU senior still walked away with a season that belongs in Mustang history.
Sides finished tied for 16th at the NCAA Regional in Bryan, Texas, closing at 5-under par and ending just three shots shy of the final individual qualifying spot for the NCAA Championship.
READ MORE: SMU Star Chases US Open Wild Card
It was a brutal near-miss, especially after he spent much of the day firmly in the hunt.
Because bad weather was expected on Wednesday, players had to grind through two rounds in one day. Sides answered the bell early, firing another 69 in round two while making only one bogey.
He kept pushing in the final round and got to 8-under for the tournament after an eagle on the fifth hole, putting real pressure on the cut line.
But the finishing kick didn’t quite arrive.
Still, Sides’ SMU legacy is locked in. He set a new single-season scoring record at 69.63, breaking Noah Goodwin’s previous mark of 70.00 from 2020-21.
He also shattered the school record for rounds of par or better in a season with 28, passing the shared mark of 23 held by Bryson DeChambeau and Max Buckley.
That’s not just a good season. That’s a monster year.
Sides also lowered his career scoring average to 71.07, just 0.03 off the program record. His 78 career rounds of par or better rank second in SMU history, trailing only Kelly Kraft’s 81.
Freshman Ben Steinmann also wrapped up his regional appearance, finishing 64th at 12-over. His final round got away from him, but his debut season had plenty of shine.
Steinmann won the Desimone Invitational and posted a 72.38 scoring average, one of the best freshman marks in SMU history.
SMU’s season ends with a top-50 ranking, four individual tournament titles and a senior star who didn’t just chase records.
He rewrote them.
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