SILVIS, Ill.- Rocky Men's Golf tees off in the NAIA Men's Golf National Championships beginning Tuesday morning. 

Round one begins Tuesday at 12:40 p.m. (MT) at the historic TPC Deere Run, where Rocky will tee off from Hole 1. The Battlin' Bears will be paired with:

• Hastings (Neb.): The GPAC automatic qualifier, ranked 18th in the NAIA Coaches' Top 25.
• Columbia College (Mo.): The AMC automatic qualifier, currently 73rd in the Clippd rankings.

On Wednesday, the Bears will flip to a morning start, beginning at 8:00 a.m. (MT) on Hole 10. Following the second round, the field will be trimmed to the top 15 teams (plus ties) and the top six individuals not on an advancing team.

The 2025-26 season has been another successful one, leading into another National Championship appearance. The team totaled five tournament victories, including their seventh Frontier Conference Championship since 2018. 

The charge is led by redshirt junior Kristjan Burkelca, who enters the week ranked 43rd nationally (Clippd). Burkelca recently secured his second consecutive individual Frontier Conference Championship, finishing a staggering nine strokes ahead of the nearest non-Rocky competitor. His performance earned him his second straight Frontier Conference Player of the Year award.

Frontier Conference Rookie of the Year Sam Norman and All-Conference selection Aidan McDonagh follow, both entering the week ranked inside the top 200 by Clippd Player Rankings. Norman finished runner-up at the Frontier Conference Championships behind only his teammate and finished six strokes ahead of the next golfer, while McDonagh shot one of the best tournaments of his career at the Music City Classic in April to finish inside the top-15 after firing a round of seven-under-par 65. McDonagh makes his third appearance in the Men's Golf National Championships to cap his senior season. 

All-Conference honorable mention Adam Hyde-Lay joins the team in Illinois, along with freshman Alexander Brester and junior Nathan Piers, to round out Rocky's traveling crew. Piers is playing some of the best golf of his career, entering the NAIA Championships and earning a top-10 finish at the Frontier Conference Championships. 

Another trip to the NAIA National Championships adds another chapter in the program's storied run under Frontier Conference Coach of the Year Nathan Bailey. The Rocky men look to improve upon recent national finishes, having placed 21st last year, 15th in 2022-23, and 22nd in 2021-22.