CARLSBAD, Calif. — No. 15 Stanford’s tournament run came to an end on Tuesday as the No. 8-seeded Cardinal fell to No. 1 Auburn, 3-1, in NCAA Match Play Quarterfinal action. Stanford, which advanced to the quarterfinal out of a four-team playoff on Monday night, ends the 2025-26 campaign with its best season since the national-championship winning 2019 season.
“I just think the growth of these guy’s has been awesome," said Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf Conrad Ray. "We’ve been through a lot with a bunch of different lineups and a bunch of guys have contributed. To have it come together and have a legitimate run at the title was pretty cool and I am proud of them for that. They did everything we asked of them this year and where they started to where they ended is awesome and we will be proud of that."
Starting the day against the No. 1 player in the tournament, Nathan Wang held firm for the Cardinal against the Tigers for his third match play win of the season and first since the turn of the calendar year. Wang went 1Up after two holes before clawing back from two separate two-hole deficits. Wang won hole 18 to trim the lead to one with a birdie before once again negating the 2 stroke lead for Jackson Koivun (Auburn) with a birdie on the par-3 hole three. Wang then won three of his final four holes including a clutch putt on nine to clinch a 2Up win.
WANG! POINT STANFORD!!
— Stanford Men's Golf (@StanfordMGolf) June 2, 2026
The senior goes 2Up on the No. 1 to grab the first point for the Cardinal!
STAN 1-1 AUB pic.twitter.com/uGYVMejmvc
Wang’s tally came after the Tigers nabbed the first point of the match with a 6&5 decision at No. 3. Ethan Gao battled hard but six wins by Auburn into the turn proved too much as the Cardinal was able to claim one hole win during the round before the eventual win for the Tigers.
Elsewhere on the course, Stanford continued to battle the nation’s top-ranked team into the afternoon sun. Jay Leng grabbed led 1Up through six holes after two wins on holes 11 and 14 before battling back on the back-nine. Leng, who attempted a three-hole comeback, forced Josiah Gilbert’s (Auburn) hand on holes one and five that went the way of the Cardinal before a late win on hole six proved too much for Stanford’s sophomore to overcome as a tie on seven solidified the second point for Auburn with a 3&2 decision.
Moments later, Dean Greyserman’s 17-hole battle with Logan Reilly (Auburn) came to an end as a birdie from the Auburn No. 2 claimed a 2&1 decision. Greyserman tallied four hole wins on the round including consecutive wins following the turn. However, Reilly came back with consecutive wins on holes three and four before claiming his final win on hole 8 with a birdie on the par-3 that clinched the match for Auburn.
Battling in the anchor match, Edan Cui ended his freshman campaign entrenched in a 15-hole battle with Auburn’s Cayden Pope. Cui, who won two holes during the unfinished match, never trailed against the Tigers’ No. 5 golfer as the freshman secured an undefeated season in match play as he ended the day tied through 15 holes.
Stanford’s season ends with three stroke play tournament wins - its most since the 2022-23 campaign - while making match play for the first time in the NCAA Championships since the 2019 campaign. The Cardinal also ended the season as the last Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) team remaining in the field in just its second season in the conference.
No. 1 Auburn def. No. 15 Stanford, 3-1
Match 1: Nathan Wang (STAN) def. Jackson Koivun (AUB), 2Up
Match 2: Logan Reilly (AUB) def. Dean Greyserman (STAN), 2&1
Match 3: Jake Albert (AUB) def. Ethan Gao (STAN), 6&5
Match 4: Josiah Gilbert (AUB) def. Jay Leng (STAN), 3&2
Match 5: Edan Cui (STAN) v. Cayden Pope (AUB), T thru 15
Order of finish: 3, 1, 4, 2