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Walford captures WHAC individual title, Jackets place 4th as a team
April 21, 2026

Walford captures WHAC individual title, Jackets place 4th as a team

Results

YORKTOWN, Ind. - Golf season at Defiance College will be extended for at least one Yellow Jacket after sophomore Jordan Walford (Thunder Bay, Ontario/St. Patrick) became the fourth player in DC history to win an individual conference championship at The Players Club at Woodland Trails on Tuesday. 

Walford was atop the leaderboard after all three rounds of the 2026 WHAC Men's Golf Championship. The Thunder Bay native opened the tournament with a career-best 2-under round of 70 aided by 5 birdies to set the tone of the tournament. Walford birdied 5 more times in Monday's second round and broke par again with a 71 to continue leading through 36 holes. In Tuesday's final round, he birdied 5 times for the third straight round but ran into some trouble on the back nine that included a triple bogey on the 18th. Cleary's Axel Houdaille was tied with Walford after Monday's two rounds but carded a 7-over round to drop to third place overall. UNOH's Jose Luis Vargas led the field in the final round with a 73 to go from fifth to second, finishing 2 strokes behind Walford.

Walford qualified for the NAIA National Championship at TPC Deere Run in Silvis, Ill. on May 12-15. He is Defiance's first conference medalist since Alex Miday captured the 2016 HCAC championship. Defiance also had individual conference champs in 1967 (Denny Mantel) and 1986 (Nelson Snellenberger). 

A pair of program records fell as part of the action. Walford's 216 54-hole total set a new program record while the team's 915 total is the lowest in program history in a 54-hole event. The Yellow Jackets finished 4th among the 12-team field, a significant boost from last year's 12th-place finish and a 9th-place at the Fall Preview. DC entered the final round tied for 5th and weathered a windy day to shoot 308 as a team to move up one spot. 

Fellow sophomore Sam Theissler (Barrie, Ontario/Innisdale) also placed in the top 10 for Defiance thanks to 3 sub-80 rounds, closing at 226 overall and 10-over par for the tournament. Theissler birdied 9 holes on his way to his best finish in a WHAC event. 

The remainder of Defiance's field were freshman in their first conference tournament. Peyton Thomas was the top finisher among that trio with a 236 total, while Brayden Allen ended at 241 ahead of Colten Schroeder's 244. 

TEAM RESULTS: 303, 304, 308 (915, 4th)

-JACKETS-