SPRINGFIELD, N.J. – A remarkable come-from-behind effort in the third round of the Ivy League Championships propelled the Harvard men's golf team to its fifth conference title in program history. The Crimson – down one stroke entering Sunday's final round - lifted the trophy on Sunday after defeating second place Princeton by just a single stroke after a strong push early in the round. After the final putt dropped, Harvard posted a team score oof 874 (+10) to claim the top spot in the Ivy League for the first time since 2017. Harvard received the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Regionals after capturing the Championship at the historic Baltusrol Golf Club.
 
Barry Zhang went wire-to-wire in the tournament to claim Medalist honors as the top golfer in the field. The fifth Ivy League individual champion in program history, Zhang won the title after beating Princeton's Reed Greyserman in a playoff on Sunday. The sophomore posted rounds of 69-74-69 to shoot 212 (-4) at the historic Baltusrol Golf Club to claim the Championship and lead his Harvard team to victory.
 
Zhang's performance was at the forefront of a terrific team effort for Harvard. His classmates, Ieuan Jones (4^th) and William Ma (5^th) also secured top five finishes after shooting 217 (+1) and 219 (+3), respectively. Isaac Ahn chipped in with several strong rounds in his first Ivy League Championship, finishing in 14^th place and posting two rounds of even par.
 

How it Happened

The 2026 Ivy League Championship took the Crimson to the historic Baltusrol Golf Club in the Ney Jersey to compete for the conference title. Harvard, who closed out the regular season with a win at the Princeton Invitational, was looking to capture its first Ivy League trophy since 2014.
 
Harvard made a strong move in the first round of the tournament, quickly moving into first place and opening an eight-stroke lead with a team score of 286 (-2) on the first 18 holes. Zhang led the charge with the lowest round in the field, carding a 69 (-3) in a bogey-free round that featured three birdies and 15 pars. Jones and Ahn shot even-par rounds of 72 to aid the Crimson push in the first round. Jones posted two birdies and an eagle while Ahn collected four birdies in the opening round. Ma was the final contributor in the first round with a score of 73 (+1).
 
A weather affected second round saw the Crimson battle through rough conditions including rain and high winds at Baltusrol. Harvard powered through and posted a team score of 304 (+16) to stay in contention. The sophomore class led the way on Saturday with Ma, Zhang and Jones each shooting 73 (+1), 74 (+2) and 75 (+3), respectively. The highlight of the day was Jones' hole-out eagle on the par-four, eighth hole. Ahn's round of 82 (+10) was the final score added to the Crimson's tally in the round. At the end of round two, Harvard was one shot back of Princeton at 590 (+14).
 
The comeback began early on Sunday morning, when Zhang and Jones birdied the first hole to kick off the run at Baltusrol. After back-to-back bogeys on the third and fourth holes, hang cruised in the remainder of the round, posting four birdies on the final 14 holes to finish three-under par with a score of 69 (-3). Jones was on fire in the final round, posting five birdies and eventually closing out his tournament with a round of 70 (-2). Ahn came in clutch with a steady round of 72 (E) and Ma contributed with a round of 73 (+1) to send the Crimson back on to the top of the leaderboard. Harvard's team score of 284 (-4) was the lowest in the field on the final day of action and gave the team a thrilling one-shot win.
 
After 18 holes, Zhang found himself locked in a tie at the top of the individual leaderboard with Reed Greyserman of Princeton at four-under-par. The duo went back onto the course to compete in a playoff. Zhang emerged as the victor on the extra holes to claim medalist honors and earn the Ivy League Individual Championship crown.
 
Zhang, Jones and Ma all landed on the Ivy League All-Championship team and
 

Harvard Highlights

• Harvard posted 45 birdies in the tournament, the most in the field.
• The Crimson had the best scoring average on par fives, shooting 13-under.
• Ieuan Jones tied for the most eagles in the tournament with two.
• Zhang, Ahn and Ma each recorded 10 birdies to tie for the second most in the field.
• Zhang's 38 pars were the third most in the field and his six bogeys were the third-fewest.
• Barry Zhang becomes the fifth Ivy League medalist in program history and the first since 2014.

Team Results 

1. Harvard (+10)
2. Princeton (+11)
3. Columbia (+30)
4. Yale (+44)
5. Dartmouth (+48)
6. Penn (+52)
7. Cornell (+60)

Individual Results 

1 | Barry Zhang | 69-74-69 | -4
4 | Ieuan Jones | 72-75-70 | +1
T5 | William Ma | 73-73-73 | +3
T14 | Isaac Ahn | 72-82-72 | +10
T27 | Morgan Riley | 78-82-76 | +20
 

Up Next

Harvard earned the right to compete in the NCAA Regionals as the league's automatic bid. The Crimson will need to wait until the selection show on May 6 to see where it will compete in the regional round on May 18-20.