Sides finished in 16th place and Steinmann placed 64th at the NCAA Regional golf tournament, according to a May 19 announcement from SMU. Sides was close to earning a spot in the NCAA Championship as the top individual not on an advancing team. He played two rounds in one day due to expected weather delays and shot a second-round score of 69, keeping him near qualification. After an eagle on the fifth hole during round three, Sides reached eight-under for the tournament but ultimately ended at five-under par—three shots short of advancing.
The performance marked a significant achievement for Sides. He set a new SMU record for season scoring average with a mark of 69.63, surpassing Noah Goodwin’s previous record of 70.00 set during the 2020-21 season. Sides also broke the school record for rounds of par or better in one season with 28, exceeding Bryson DeChambeau and Max Buckley’s shared mark of 23. His career scoring average is now down to 71.07, just shy of another program best by only .03 strokes. Additionally, he ranks second all-time at SMU with 78 career rounds of par or better; Kelly Kraft holds first place with 81.
Steinmann completed his tournament run by shooting even-par (72) in his middle round before finishing with an overall score that placed him solo in 64th position at twelve-over par after posting an eighty-one in his final round. Despite this finish, Steinmann had one of the strongest freshman seasons for SMU men’s golf—he won a title at the Desimone Invitational and posted a scoring average of 72.38, which ranks just outside SMU’s top twenty-five overall but inside its top five among freshmen.
The conclusion of regional play marks the end of this year’s campaign for SMU men’s golf team. The Mustangs secured four individual titles over their season—including three by Sides—and closed out their conference championships ranked within college golf’s top fifty teams.
Looking ahead, both players’ achievements this year will be part of ongoing efforts by SMU men’s golf to build on recent successes.
