The 2026 Cowboy Cup Invitational was forecasted to be a rainy affair, but the field of 40 players were instead treated to welcome cloud cover. They also enjoyed a golf course that was in excellent shape. The greens, while not fast, were lush, as were the fairways, and play was excellent, with several contestants playing to their handicap or better for the regulation 18 holes. We all know, however, that the Cowboy Cup doesn't really begin until the Final Four. The players waited anxiously for all groups to finish and, when all scores were tallied, the Final Four were identified.
Rockport's Mike McBurney held the lead (net -5), followed by a "Muny Rat" contingency of Chris Haggard (-2), Doc Mann (-1), and Caleb Tucker (-1). They chose caddies and, accompanied by a gallery, rode out to the par-5 hole 4 tee box to continue play for six more holes. *Jason Robbins had a stellar around of net 69, good enough for 2nd, but due to prior commitments could not stick around for the playoff.

Over the six holes, Mann (a 12 handicap) would get 4 pops, McBurney (a 10 handicap) 3, Haggard (a 3 handicap) 1, and Tucker (scratch) 0. McBurney, Haggard, and Tucker were all former champions, while Mann would be feeling Final Four pressure for the first time. Fortunately, he had chosen Ross Henry as his caddy—himself a Cowboy champion, and renowned for having also caddied for three previous champions.

The fourth hole is a par-5 dog-leg left, and only McBurney and Mann would get a pop. Teeing off first, McBurney quickly squandered a good part of his lead when a pulled drive led to a triple-bogey 8 (net 7). Tucker, who had shot a gross 71 in regulation, also struggled out of the gate when a combination of bad breaks and a hastily missed tap-in led to an 8. Doc Mann plodded his way to a bogey, and Haggard played to a solid par. After one hole, the net standings were now McBurney -3, Haggard -2, Mann -1, and Tucker +2.

On the short par-3 fifth, Tucker, Haggard, and Mann made comfortable pars, but McBurney faltered again—this time with a missed jab at a tap-in, leading to a double-bogey 5.

Now McBurney's lead was gone, and his troubles weren't over. An errant approach into the island-greened par-4 sixth led to a second straight double-bogey. Doc Mann also struggled when his approach air-mailed the green, leading to his own double-bogey (net 5). Tucker, back to form, made a 4, as did the steady South African, Haggard, who, with three opening pars, now seemed to be in total control of the championship (Haggard -2, Mann E, McBurney +1, Tucker +2).

That would change, however, on the par-5 seventh. Haggard made a costly three-putt for a bogey, while Tucker and McBurney both birdied. When Doc Mann carded his own bogey, the net standings shifted to Haggard -1, McBurney E, Tucker +1, and Mann +1. It was now anyone's race.

On the difficult par-4 eighth hole, everyone except for Tucker would get a pop. His steady par, however, would gain him no ground, as Haggard and McBurney each made a 5 (net 4), and Mann made a 4 for a net birdie! Now, with one remaining hole, it was Haggard at -1, Mann and McBurney at E, and Tucker at +1.

On the par four 9th, McBurney and Mann would each receive a pop; Haggard and Tucker would not. Tucker had donned the jacket and held up the Cup in 2023, shooting a gross 64 at Lions and running away with it. Since his opening debacle on hole 4, he had played holes five through eight in 1-under par. He would need a birdie here to have any chance.

Meanwhile, Chris Haggard was trying to avoid his third straight bogey. After missing the final green in regulation, he chipped up to 6 feet below the hole and marked.

McBurney, the 2009 champ, was known among his friends for his competitiveness. True to form, having survived his disastrous opening stretch, he had clawed his way back into contention and now smelled opportunity. An excellent drive and approach put him on the green in regulation and, with two putts, his net birdie put him at -1, all but assuring him of at least a tie after six holes.

Doc Mann was treading a rockier path. A flared approach shot put him short and to the right of the green, leaving him facing a difficult flop shot to get up and down for his own net birdie. With calm determination, he managed to put it on the green, but short of the hole.

As Tucker and McBurney cleaned up their pars, Mann and his caddie surveyed the putt from all angles. It was 9 feet, downhill, and right-to-left with about 6 inches of break—not the easiest of putts under the circumstances. But, with everything on the line, Doc Mann stepped up, picked his spot, made his stroke, and watched it trickle down on a perfect path dead into the hole to tie McBurney at -1. The gallery was witnessing gritty execution under championship pressure. There would now be extra holes.
The only question left was whether Haggard would convert his par putt and join the fray.

Though a righty ball-striker, Haggard had been putting left-handed for a few years now. It was unconventional , but it had helped him win multiple majors, including the 2022 Cowboy Cup at Grey Rock. His putt was uphill and left-edge from 6 feet. He did everything right: read it, went through his routine, took one last look, and let it go... but he pulled it. He missed it low, and his shoulders slumped. Four years ago, he had gotten it done. This time, it had slipped away.

Off to the tenth tee it went. The two mid-handicappers, McBurney and Mann, had hung in there and prevailed. They would now face each other in sudden death, with no strokes given, until a winner was decided. Off the box, both McBurney and Mann hit solid drives, but McBurney's was a little too solid and ran through the fairway. His punched lay-up also traveled too far, leaving him with tree limbs blocking a 100-yard approach. With a lofted wedge, McBurney attempted to go up and over, but, alas, his ball hit a branch and came straight down. His next shot flew over the green, leaving a downhill pitch back to the hole. His attempt ran past, and two putts later, he had carded a 7.

Mann took a different route. His drive was perfect. His lay-up left him with a clear 75 yards, uphill to the pin. The advantage was his. His adrenaline, though, was running high, and his shot sailed over the green. He, too, faced a tricky downhill pitch, but his stopped short of the pin. His par putt slid past, but a tap-in resulted in a bogey 6 and, with that, his first Cowboy Cup championship.

At the awards ceremony, Tournament Chairman Andy Boutot awarded the low gross medal to Caleb Tucker for his 1-under-par 71. Former Champion Mike McBurney was then gracious enough to help Mann into the champion's jacket and help him light the champion's cigar. Chairman Boutot then presented him with a bottle of Weller Antique 107 and the Cowboy Cup trophy. Mann thanked everyone and expressed gratitude for the fact that, just a few months before, he had undergone shoulder surgery and didn't know when—or if—he would be able to play again. Now, there he stood, grinning, happy, and healthy, as the Cowboy Cup Champion.

Note: This was Ross Henry's 4th winning loop as a Final Four Caddy. ***The insertion of this note was demanded by Commissioner Henry.

Forty Rats showed up to Roy Kizer for the season's first Major, and Andrew Blobaum edged out Pat Michalik by three hundredths of a stroke — net 68.27 to 68.30 — for the Rat Derby title and the 750-point Major winner's share.

As Blobaum always says, champions are made on the back nine. After a grinding front nine of 39 that included bogeys on 1, 6, and 9, things looked bleak when he doubled the 11th. But Blo flipped a switch on the par-5 14th, rolling in a birdie to start a stretch that would define the tournament. Two holes later on 16 — the hole that wrecked half the field — Blobaum carded an incredible birdie 3 while Matt Brower, sitting pretty and leading at that point, made a triple-bogey 7. Brower never recovered, adding another bogey on 17 before a birdie on 18 that was too little, too late, finishing T9.

Pat Michalik looked like the man to beat after a flawless even-par 35 on the front — not a single bogey while Blobaum was scrambling to stay in it. But the back nine unraveled quietly. A bogey on the par-3 13th was the first crack, and failing to birdie the par-5 14th — where nine players made 4 — was a missed opportunity. Bogeys on 15 and 17 let Blobaum creep closer, and on 18, needing par to force a tiebreak, Michalik three-putted for bogey. A round that started with surgical precision ended with the title slipping away by three hundredths of a stroke.

Chris Lyles put up the low gross round of the day at 69 — two under on a course playing tough — with birdies on 1, 6, 7, 15, and a closing birdie on 18 for good measure. But his double on the par-3 4th proved costly, and his plus handicap pushed his net to 70.49, good for 6th. He also took home the gross pot and a CTP on 15.

Jason Long was right there with a 71, highlighted by a birdie deuce on the 4th and another on the 8th where he won closest-to-the-pin. But a double on 5 and a bogey on 11 left him at net 72.44 — a reminder that at plus-1, there's nowhere to hide at Roy Kizer.

The par-5 14th was birdie central — nine players made 4 there — but the par-4 11th was a graveyard, dishing out seven doubles and two triples. Stan Temple gutted out a net 69.54 for 4th despite a 7-7 stretch on holes 2 and 5 (an 88 gross), proving that an 18 handicap and a cool head can get the job done.

Skins were spread around, with Long, Greg Jones, Keith Phelps, Caleb Tucker, and Steve Trafton each collecting $128 from the skins pot. Brett Montgomery and Chris Kendzior picked up CTP flags on 13 and 4, respectively.

The 2026 Kickoff Classic at Crystal Falls Golf Club brought 22 Muny Rats to the tee for the season opener, and Greg Jones wasted no time making a statement. Jones posted the only sub-80 round of the day -- a 79 gross that held up as the low round by three full strokes -- and his 74.11 net left the field in the dust by nearly four shots. The exclamation point came on the 192-yard 11th hole, where Jones stuffed it close enough to win closest-to-pin honors, then drained the birdie putt for a deuce and a skin. When you win CTP, a skin, and make the only birdie of the day on the same hole, you own that hole forever. Jones pocketed $156 to go with a tournament-high 650 season points.

Jason Long proved that in skins, it's not how you finish -- it's where you cash. Long came out scorching hot, opening with a birdie 4 on the par-5 first hole and then uncorking a birdie 3 on the 389-yard third -- both good enough to claim skins. Through five holes he was one under par, playing like the near-scratch player his 0.75 handicap says he is. Then hole 18 happened. The 549-yard closer ate Long alive for a snowman 8, turning what could have been a 78 into an 82. But here's the beautiful irony of skins golf: despite finishing 7th net, Long walked away with the fattest check of anyone at $168. Sometimes the first five holes pay better than the last five.

The 18th hole was a house of horrors all afternoon. Crystal Falls' 549-yard finisher, rated the second-hardest hole on the course, played to a brutal 6.45 stroke average. Only two players in the entire 22-man field managed par: Greg Jones (of course) and Pat Michalik, who quietly closed birdie-bogey-birdie-bogey down the stretch for an 88 that netted out to 78.13 and a sneaky third-place finish. Meanwhile, six players made snowman 8 on the hole -- Long, Steve Trafton, Ross Henry, Brett Montgomery, Bhanu Rekapalli, and Jason Kendzior all limped to the clubhouse with triple bogey. Trafton's was especially painful: he had made a deuce on the par-3 eighth to claim a skin, but the 18th ballooned his round from a would-be 74 to an 82.

Speaking of Trafton, his par-3 performance deserves a closer look. He went 3-2-3-3 on the four par 3s (holes 2, 8, 11, 15) -- that's one under par on the short holes alone, including that tournament-skin-winning deuce on 8. Combined with Jones's deuce on 11, those were the only two 2s posted all day. And the Kendzior family provided a subplot worth watching: Chris finished a respectable 5th net at 79.07, while Jason -- in just his second-ever Muny Rats tournament -- brought up the rear at 102 gross and 89.0 net, a 14-stroke gap in gross score. The family dinner table was probably interesting that night.

Perhaps the most quietly impressive performance belonged to Stan Temple, who turned a 101 into a second-place net finish of 77.8. His 23.2 course handicap did the heavy lifting, but you still have to go out there and post the number. Temple beat 20 other players net despite having the second-highest gross score in the field -- proof that the handicap system works exactly as intended. Closest-to-pin honors went to David Williams (hole 2), Thomas Haley (hole 8), Jones (hole 11), and Bhanu Rekapalli (hole 15), with each taking home $24. All told, Jones set the tone for what promises to be an entertaining 2026 season -- and if you need a playing tip from the Kickoff Classic, it's this: whatever you do, lay up on 18.