SEARCY, Ark. — Fresh off a record-setting postseason run, the Harding University men's and women's golf teams enter the 2026–27 season with high expectations as second-year head coach Sam Tandy leads both squads back into competition.

The Lady Bisons tee off their fall schedule Sunday morning at the Dallas Baptist Invitational in Thackerville, Oklahoma, while the Bisons men open their season Sept. 8 at The Mule, hosted by Central Missouri in Warrensburg, Missouri.

Both programs are coming off appearances in the NCAA Division II Central Regional tournaments and feature deeply experienced rosters anchored by national honorees.

Lady Bisons Preview

The Lady Bisons kick off their 54-hole season opener at WinStar Golf Club on Sunday, looking to build on a 2025–26 campaign that culminated in an 11th-place finish at the NCAA Central Regional.

Harding returns a strong core led by 4th-year Sydney Kincade, the program's all-time career scoring average leader (76.47), and 4th-year Cooper Meyer. 3rd-year Sidney Gainor, 2nd-years Macy Cooper, Alyson Thomas, and Vivian Volion—who fired a season-best 73 at last year's regional—also return. Newcomers Nerea Acosta (1st year, Benahavís, Spain) and Audrey Kuntz (1st year, Sugar Land, Texas) join the roster to bolster squad depth.

Women's Fall Schedule

• Sept. 6–8: DBU Invitational (WinStar GC — Thackerville, Okla.)

• Sept. 14–15: NSU Classic (Page Belcher GC — Tulsa, Okla.)

• Oct. 11–12: Battle of the Belt (Hot Springs CC — Hot Springs, Ark.)

• Oct. 26–27: Tulsa Cup (The Club at Forest Ridge — Broken Arrow, Okla.)

Bisons Preview

The Harding men's team enters the fall following a historic 2025–26 campaign that saw the Bisons post a program-record .850 winning percentage, place second at the GAC Championship, and advance to the NCAA Central/Midwest Regional.

The Bisons are anchored by 5th-year Dennis Staykov, a PING Honorable Mention All-American, two-time GAC individual champion, and the 2026 GAC Player of the Year. Staykov is joined by 3rd-year Austin Bibb and 4th-year Conner Geist—both Cobalt Golf All-America Scholars—along with returning contributors William Pulley (2nd year), Drew Simmons (2nd year), Luke Killough (2nd year), and Ethan Law (3rd year). 4th-year Easton Denney also returns, alongside 1st-year Terrance Kempson (Fox, Ark.) and 1st-year Salvador Villagomez Gomez (Merida, Mexico).

Men's Fall Schedule

• Sept. 8–9: The Mule (Mules National GC — Warrensburg, Mo.)

• Sept. 21–22: NSU Classic (Muskogee GC — Muskogee, Okla.)

• Sept. 28–29: National Preview (PGA National - Champion Course — Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.)

• Oct. 5–6: Skip Wagnon Invitational (KickingBird GC — Edmond, Okla.)

• Oct. 26–27: Tulsa Cup (Indian Springs CC — Broken Arrow, Okla.)