Entering the season as the defending national champions, Stanford men's golf faced a big challenge to repeat. The Pac-12 did not compete in the fall and the Cardinal did not return to campus for its spring season until mid-February, beginning the abbreviated season at The Prestige on February 15.
For myriad reasons, only one Cardinal competed in every event throughout the season, and that was freshman Karl Vilips. Vilips was named to the All-Pac-12 Newcomer Team following his 72.57 scoring average over 23 rounds.
The headliner for the Cardinal was All-Pac-12 first teamer, Barclay Brown, who tallied a 71.10 scoring average in 20 rounds. Despite being his second season on campus, he was named to the All-Pac-12 Newcomer Team as the 2019-20 season was cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Brown won his first collegiate event in April at The Cowboy Classic, while also turning in Top-10 finishes at the Bandon Dunes Championships (T5th) and at The Western Intercollegiate (8th).
Fifth-year senior Henry Shimp earned All-Pac-12 second team honors in 2021 after compiling a 71.81 scoring average over 16 rounds. In one of the best performances in program history, he turned in a fourth-round, 8-under 64 at the Pac-12 Championships to force a sudden-death playoff at 16-under 272. Shimp ended up finishing second, his second straight Top-6 finish (The Western Intercollegiate).
Junior Ethan Ng was named All-Pac-12 honorable mention following a 71.47 scoring average over 17 rounds in 2021. He turned in seven rounds in the 60s and eight at par or better. Freshman Michael Thorbjornsen played in all but one event, tallying a 72.15 scoring average in 20 rounds to earn All-Pac-12 Newcomer Team.
Stanford saw its season come to an earlier end than expected, as its top two golfers were knocked out of the lineup for the NCAA Albuquerque Regional due to COVID-19 testing and contact tracing protocols. The Cardinal finished tied for seventh at the event, falling short of qualifying for the NCAA Championships.