Men's Golf | 4/27/2026 9:42:00 PM

ST. HELENA ISLAND, SC – North Carolina A&T sophomore Ignacio Zapata stayed in contention for the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) individual golf title Monday at the 2026 CAA Men's Golf Championship Tournament.

After a first-round 68 on Sunday, Zapata shot even-par 72 on Monday at the 6,764-yard Dataw Island Club. His 4-under 140 is four shots behind leader James Rico of UNC Wilmington, who shot 2-under 70 Monday for an 8-under 136 total.

Towson's Ariihau Faana and Campbell's Joachim Larsen Tegner are tied for second at 5-under 139. Zapata is in a four-way tie for fourth.
The Aggies climbed to sixth after round two, up from seventh. They are 4-over 580, trailing leader UNCW's 18-under 558. Campbell is seven back at 11-under 565, with Elon third at 9-under 567.

Zapata got going early with a birdie on the par-3, 162-yard second. He birdied the hole before holing five straight par putts to reach the eighth hole. He bogeyed No. 8 with a five on the par-4. Zapata parred the next three holes before encountering another bogey on 12. However, for the second straight day, Zapata birdied the par-5, 513-yard 13th.
A bogey on the par-4 15th moved Zapata to 1-over, but he birdied No. 16 and parred the last two holes to finish even. Freshman Emilio Hernandez, tied with Zapata after round one, slipped to 12th after a 2-over 74.

Hernandez had mostly a clean card over the front nine, carding seven pars, a bogey, and a double bogey. His second nine proved much more adventurous. He posted a par on the par-4 10th, before a bogey on the par-4 11th. Hernandez then got on a hot streak. He birdied the par-3, 183-yard 12th before birdieing the 533-yard par-5 13th. He parred the 14th, and then went bogey, birdie, bogey, birdie over his final four holes on the day.

His birdies fell on 16 and 18. Sophomore Javier Morgado matched Zapata's team-best of even-par 72 for the day. Morgado started his day with a birdie on the 309-yard par-4 first. He tripled bogeyed the par-4 eighth to shoot a 2-over 38 on the front nine. After three pars and a bogey to start the back nine, Morgado got going. He started with a birdie on the par-4, 466-yard 14th before birdieing No. 16 and No. 17, a 432-yard par-4. Morgado closed with a par on 18 to finish the back nine with a 2-under 34.

Graduate Drew Walker shot 2-over on Monday, posting two birdies on the day. He is 7-over 151 for the tournament. Junior Camilo Marin carded a 5-over 77 on Monday, birdieing the par-5, 535-yard seventh for his lone birdie of the second round.

The third and final round of the tournament starts at 8 a.m. on Tuesday.