FAYETTE, Iowa - Upper Iowa men's golf starts the 2026-27 season at Central Missouri's "The Mule" on Tuesday and Wednesday. The tournament takes place at Mules National Golf Club in Warrensburg, Missouri.
The Peacocks are replacing their top two scoring-average leaders from 2025-26, Owen Davison, an All-GLVC Second Team selection, and Christian Burkhart.
"Owen and Christian were great leaders both on and off the golf course," said head coach Mike Lewis, who enters his 16th season at Upper Iowa. "They will definitely be missed. In this day and age, they can be replaced in terms of scoring, but we will miss their leadership."
MEET THE PEACOCKS: RETURNERS
The Peacocks return five golfers from last year's team: William Benedict, Joseph Grau, Jaxx Johnson, Jack Miller, and Jayden Rios. Miller, a two-sport athlete at UIU and a returning starter for the basketball team, will join the golf team in the spring.
Grau is the returner from that group who played the most rounds for the Peacocks last season and had the lowest scoring average of the four who will play this fall. The senior averaged a score of 77.9 over 23 rounds of golf in 2025-26.
"He is a steady player who does not make a lot of mistakes and keeps the ball in front of him," Lewis said. "I'm looking for Joe to be a steady scorer in the top five."
Benedict had the next-lowest average of the Peacock returners with a 78.5 average through 13 rounds. He is returning to action this fall after an injury over the summer. Rios, a powerful and explosive player, averaged an 80.6 through 13 rounds last season. Johnson will also continue to grow his game this year after joining UIU last season from Paradise Valley Community College in Arizona.
Another unique returner to the team is Dylan Burns, who took a year off for deployment. The senior averaged a score of 78.1 through 21 rounds in 2024-25 and posted a third-place finish at that season's Wartburg Spring Invite.
"Dylan has been at it for a while practicing for this season," Lewis said. "We are very happy to have him back. I feel like he will be a steady scorer for us near the top, just because of his experience and the way he plays the game."
MEET THE PEACOCKS: NEWCOMERS
UIU added three freshmen and one transfer to this season's roster. Bryce Yearian joins the team after two years attending the University of Iowa. He went to Williamsburg Jr.-Sr. High School and was a next-door neighbor to Burns when they both competed for the Raiders.
"Bryce is a nice addition to our team," Lewis said. "We will see how he transitions into college golf. He has not played college golf yet, even though he is coming in as a transfer."
Coach Lewis then added three freshmen from Iowa to the team, starting with Cale Kleppe from Ossian. He was a three-time state competitor for the Warriors, taking ninth in the Class 1A State Tournament this past season.
"Cale comes from a good high school program in northeast Iowa," Lewis said. "It is awesome to have another local kid become a Peacock. He is a super nice kid. As a freshman, the question is how quickly he can transition. That applies to all three of these guys."
Another freshman joining the mix is Dawson Fuelling, who took fifth at the Class 3A State Tournament last year for Independence High School. He shot a 147 (+3) with a 71 (-1) in the second round to earn that placement.
Dylan Stegen joins the team after being a three-time all-conference selection at Waukon High School and winning a Sectional Championship. Lewis believes he brings a hardworking and fierce competitive attitude to the team.
"With all three of these freshmen, I do not think they have played their best golf yet," Lewis said. "They are looking for the opportunity, and all three are hungry to contribute to the top five."
SCHEDULE PREVIEW
Upper Iowa is competing in the same five tournaments that they did in the fall of 2025. By maintaining a similar schedule, Lewis hopes his golfers can use their course knowledge to their advantage.
"We try to keep the schedule very similar so we have some continuity," Lewis said. "The more times you play a golf course, the more you pick up on it. You know what to expect, what to stay away from, where you can attack and where you have to play a little more conservatively."
After "The Mule" this week, the Peacocks head north to Hudson, Wisconsin, for the Minnesota State Fall Brawl on Sept. 14-15. Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.) is hosting this season's Jewel Invitational in Lake City, Minnesota, on Sept. 21-22. The Peacocks wrap up the fall with a pair of GLVC-hosted tournaments with the Lewis (Ill.) Flyers Fall Intercollegiate on Oct. 5-6 and the McKendree (Ill.) Bearcat Dual Gender on Oct. 19-20.
