Missouri Men’s Golf is looking to build off a NCAA Regional Championship appearance last season under Glen Millican, head coach, this upcoming fall. 

Last year the program thrived, despite it being Coach Millican’s first season with the team. Millican spent 22 years leading the University of New Mexico golf program before his time with the Tigers. In his first year, Millican led the Tigers to their third consecutive NCAA Championship appearance for the first time in program history.  

Millican also worked very closely with former Tiger Jack Lundin, who had one of the best individual seasons in Missouri golf history, being the first Tiger golfer since 1984 to be named to an All-American team. Lundin became the first Tiger ever to play in the Arnold Palmer Cup representing the United States, while posting a scoring average of 69.69, a stroke and a half improvement from the season prior. 

While the Tigers are budding to improve upon last season, they will do so with a lot of new faces. The Tiger’s roster is headlined by four returners, including sophomore Brock Synder, Venezuelan Virgillian Paz, Icelandic Dagbjartur Sigurbrandsson and Trevor Mierl. 

Brock Snyder

Brock Snyder averaged just over even par with a 72.75 clip per round in his freshman campaign in eight starts. Synder carded a 66 at the NCAA Regional Championship, the lowest single round score by a Tiger freshman at that event. He had a busy off-season and summer, highlighted by qualifying for and playing in the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska, Minn. Snyder is poised as a probable starter, being one of the Tigers’ most experienced returning players.

Virgillio Paz

Virgillio Paz is one of the most seasoned players on the Tigers roster, entering his second year with the Tigers and fourth in collegiate golf. Paz was the top ranked junior in his home country of Venezuela, where he won the Venezuela open in 2022. In 31 rounds last year, Paz averaged 73.65 strokes per round, anchoring a team win at the Chicago Highlands Invitational with a 9-under-par score, finishing in a tie for fifth place. 

Dagbjartur Sigurbrandsson

Dagbjartur Sigurbrandsson, who is entering his senior season, has steadily improved all three years he’s been a Tiger. Sigurbrandsson draws pedigree from his golf career in his home country of Iceland, where he was a member of the Iceland National Team. Sigurbrandsson has seen it all, and knows what it takes to win. After appearing in 27 starts his junior year, he is one of the Tigers’ most dependable players and could be at the top of the Missouri roster. 

Trevor Mierl

Trevor Mierl, recorded five rounds under par and one tournament under par in 21 rounds in his first season with the Tigers last year. Mierl played in his home state event, the Texas State Amateur, over the summer and finished in a tie at No. 22 on the leaderboard, shooting 5-under-par. Mierl will tee it off this season with his younger brother, Trent Mierl, who will start his freshman season with the Tigers.

Veikka Viskari and Mattias Varjun

The Missouri roster is now home to two transfers from Virginia Commonwealth University:  sophomore Veikka Viskari from Finland and Estonian senior Mattias Varjun. Both Viskari and Varjun were recognized on the All-Conference Atlantic 10 team last season, with Varjun also being recognized with that same honor the year prior. 

Viskari and Varjun both averaged 72.22 strokes a round last year. Both golfers have championship experience in their home countries, with Viskari winning the Finnish under-21 Stroke Play championship in 2022 and the 2020 Finnish under-18 Match Play title. 

Varjun had similar success in Estonia, becoming a two-time winner of the Estonian Match Play Championship in 2019 and 2022. Viskari and Varjun look to tap into their prior collegiate and international success in an effort to bolster the Tigers this year. 

Missouri Men’s Golf welcomed four true freshmen in the class of 2024: Bubba Chapman, Jakob Hansen, Jules Lauer and Trent Mierl. 

Bubba Chapman

Bubba Chapman, an Iowa native, who also played for Chaminade College Prep in Saint Louis, Missouri, has quite the resume. He was a two-time Missouri Class Five medalist title holder and won  the Metropolitan Golf Association Junior Amateur in 2023. Chapman stands at 6 feet 2 inches, as his tall frame helps him navigate golf courses with his distance off the tee. 

Jakob Hansen

Jakob Hansen is a Missouri golf legacy, as his father, Brian Hansen, played for the Tigers from 1986 to 1988. Following in his father’s footsteps, Hansen had an incredibly successful high school career. He attended Summit High School in Bend, Ore., where he was a huge factor in his team winning three league titles and three state titles. Individually, he was recognized three times as the Most Outstanding Player in his conference. 

Jules Lauer

Jules Lauer is a freshman hailing from Vaudreuille, France. The European carries an illustrious amateur and junior career into his freshman season in Columbia, where he looks to develop in his new home. Lauer posted a top 10 in the U18 French Championship in 2023, including a 7-under-par-65 during the tournament. Lauer also is a two-time French Grand Prix winner, both in a row, including winning one by five strokes. 

Trent Mierl

Trent Mierl, the younger brother of senior Trevor, is the last of Missouri golf’s freshmen. From Austin, Texas, Mierl had an accolade-filled high school career, capped off by a busy summer, where he won the 2024 First Tee National Championship, finishing at 9-under-par, with a low final round of 65. Mierl also placed top 10 in the Junior Byron Nelson tournament, one of the biggest youth golf tournaments in the state of Texas.

The Tigers open the season at Oviinbyrd Golf Course in Ontario, Canada Sept. 16 at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational. 

Edited by Michael Stamps | mstamps@themaneater.com

Copy edited by Emma Short and Hannah Taylor | htaylor@themaneater.com

Edited by Annie Goodykoontz | agoodykoontz@themaneater.com