Bisons Men's Golf Looking to Turn Contenders into Champions in 2026-27

There is a familiar feel to the Manitoba Bisons men's golf team heading into the 2026-27 season.

The roster has remained largely intact, with two players moving on and two new additions joining the program.

But while the group may look similar on paper, head coach Devon Schade believes there is plenty of room for this team to take another step after claiming bronze at the Canada West Championship last season.

Derek Benson and Eric Prokopowich have graduated after serving as important leaders both on the course and within the team.

"They will be greatly missed," says Schade.

Replacing them are transfer Terence Rafferty, who joins Manitoba from Ranger College in Texas, and true freshman Ryder Pufal.

Both newcomers have the ability to shoot low numbers, and Schade believes they could quickly become important pieces of the Bisons lineup.

That combination of returning players and new talent has Schade excited about what lies ahead.

"In years past, we did not lack the scores on our top end to win Canada West and national championships," he says. "We struggled in our third and fourth scores generally."

That is where Manitoba believes its biggest opportunity lies in 2026-27.

With continued improvement from the returning players and the addition of Rafferty and Pufal, the Bisons are hoping to build the depth necessary to turn strong individual performances into team success.

Learning to Finish

The talent has never really been the question.

The Bisons have players capable of competing for individual championships. The bigger challenge has been putting together complete team rounds.

Too often last season, Manitoba would find itself near the top of the leaderboard through the opening 12 holes, only to slip down the standings over the closing stretch.

"We struggle getting rounds into the clubhouse on our bottom end," says Schade.

It is an issue the Bisons have been addressing throughout the off-season.

In university golf, five players compete for a team, with the four lowest scores counting each day. That means every player matters — particularly the fifth player, who can either put pressure on the fourth score or allow the gap between Manitoba and its competition to grow.

Schade has emphasized the importance of treating every hole the same way.

"Every hole is just as important as the last," he says. "We need to fight for every last stroke."

The team also changed its initial qualifying process this season, a move Schade says resulted in a significant improvement in scoring averages.

Now, the goal is to carry that improvement into competition.

A Team Others Notice

The Bisons don't just want to play well.

They want to establish an identity.

"We want to be a team that other schools notice," says Schade. "By the way we play and the way we carry ourselves."

That means being competitive every time Manitoba tees it up, while also earning the respect of opponents and tournament hosts.

"We want schools to know we will be a threat to win every event we play in," says Schade. "And we want to be a team that the other coaches enjoy inviting to events because of the respect we show to the event."
It is an approach that extends beyond the scorecard.

With such a small roster, every player has an important role to play, both in determining team results and in establishing the culture of the group.

And there are certainly players capable of leading Manitoba from the front.

Ready to Get Over the Hump

If Schade had to identify two players who could make a significant impact this season, Rory Neill and Ryan Blair would be the top two choices.

Both have demonstrated that they can compete with the best in the conference and nationally.

Neill finished with a silver medal at the Canada West Championship, while Blair earned a spot on the All-Canadian Team at the national championship.

Both have also been close to the ultimate individual prize.

"They're a threat to win the individual title at every event they show up at and just haven't gotten over the hump," says Schade.

The hope is that Neill, Blair and the rest of the Bisons can turn those near-misses into championships.

But Schade knows that part of the challenge is mental.

The physical games of his players are already good enough to put them into winning positions.

Now, the coaches want to help them develop the belief that they belong there.

"Their physical games are more than good enough to get into winning positions," says Schade. "It's the belief in themselves that we need to get them honed into as coaches."

Controlling What You Can

It has been six years since Manitoba last won a team event.

Naturally, the Bisons would like to change that.

But Schade isn't interested in setting a goal that depends on things completely outside his team's control.

Golf is different from many team sports. There is no opponent to defend against or scoreboard to chase in the traditional sense.

"You can only control so much," says Schade.

The focus, instead, will be on putting the Bisons in contention as often as possible and becoming increasingly comfortable in that position.

"We want to be in the mix in every event we play in and become more and more comfortable being in that position," he says.

That starts with the day-to-day work.

Players are expected to continue developing their physical games, while also taking responsibility for seeking out the coaching they need.

With a short university golf season, there isn't much time to waste.

The Bisons know they have the talent.

Now they need to prove they can put it all together — not just for 12 holes, not just for one player, but for four scores and every hole that counts.

If they can do that, Manitoba believes it has a chance to turn years of individual promise into team success.

And perhaps, finally, evolve from contenders to champions.