Marquette men's golf is quietly building a dynasty in the Big East, and this weekend, they're poised to add another chapter to their story. Head coach Steve Bailey has turned the Golden Eagles into the conference's powerhouse, heading into the 2026 Big East Championship as the clear favorite.
The numbers speak for themselves: Marquette has won five of the last 10 conference titles, including two of the last three (2023 and 2025). And here's the kicker—the 2023 victory came at Riverton Pointe Golf & Country Club in Hardeeville, South Carolina, the same course hosting this year's event. That's a home-field advantage of experience that can't be underestimated.
But the Golden Eagles' dominance goes even deeper. In that same 10-tournament stretch, they've finished as runners-up three more times. Zoom out one more year, and you're looking at nine top-two finishes in 11 Big East meets. That's not just consistency—that's a program that expects to win.
So why does all this history matter? Because the Big East Championship tees off at 7 a.m. Central on Saturday, May 2, and Marquette enters as the team to beat. The national rankings back that up: Marquette sits at No. 70 in the Scoreboard rankings, with Xavier as the only other Big East team cracking the top 100 at No. 94. The rest of the field? Seven teams are ranked No. 150 or lower, giving the Golden Eagles a clear edge on paper.
What really sets Marquette apart is its depth. The Golden Eagles are the only team in the conference with all five players ranked in the top 600 nationally. In fact, they're the only squad with three golfers in that elite group—Butler is the next closest with just two. That kind of roster strength means Marquette can afford an off day from one player and still compete for the title.
As for the individual crown, it's a bit more of an open question. Mason Schmidtke leads Marquette at No. 280 in the national rankings, but Xavier's Cayse Morgan (No. 195) and Creighton's Grant Feldman (No. 275) have a slight edge on paper. But as any golfer knows, rankings only tell part of the story. Golf is a game of adapting to the course in front of you, and Schmidtke has a key advantage: he was in the lineup when Marquette won at Riverton Pointe in 2024. That course knowledge could be the difference-maker.
Whether it's a team trophy or an individual standout, Marquette has all the pieces in place for another memorable weekend. The only question now is whether they'll deliver when it counts.