Sheils Donegan Ties UNC, Colonial Records With A 61

Monday, September 28

Fort Worth, Texas (Colonial Country Club)

All Day

North Carolina

Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational presented by Charles Schwab Day One

Photo by: Wright Hilbert

September 28, 2026 | Men's Golf

Hogan Rd 2 Results

By: Steve Kirschner

Niall Sheils Donegan tied the all-time course record and the 18-hole University of North Carolina record with a first-round 61 Monday at historic Colonial Country Club in the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational presented by Charles Schwab.

The 61 established the low round at Colonial since it was renovated in 2024. Eric Cole shot 63 at the Charles Schwab Challenge in a PGA Tour event in May.

Sheils Donegan, a native of Scotland who resides in Mill Valley, Calif., is a senior in his second season with the Tar Heels. He became the eighth player to shoot 61 at Colonial (the other seven were PGA professionals) and the fourth Tar Heel to card a competitive 61.

He joins Ryan Gerard at Notre Dame in 2018, Hampton Roberts in Hawai'i in 2024 and Grant Roscich at UNC Finley Golf Club in Chapel Hill last April.

Sheils Donegan began his first round on the 15^th hole and birdied his first five holes and seven of his first nine. He made his only bogey of the round on his 13^th hole.

He shot 75 in the second round and is tied for first after 36 holes 4-under 136. Auburn's Billy Davis, Vanderbilt's Jon Ed Steed and Texas Tech's Adam Bresnu are tied with Sheils Donegan.

Freshman Asher Vargas (69-71) is 12^th at even-par 140. Preston Hage (73-69) is tied for 18^th at over and Carson Bertagnole (69-74) and Grant Roscich (72-71) are tied for 27^th at 3 over.

Top-ranked Auburn is the leader at 6 under par, two strokes ahead of Carolina and Alabama, which are tied for second at 4 under par.