Fall season is underway for Santa Clara men’s golf, and the team is on a hot streak right out the gate. They have yet to finish outside of the top five after competing in three tournaments. At the center of their consistency is Emil Nielsen ’28, who has finished fourth or better individually in each event.

Nielsen kicked off the season with a T-4 finish at the Bomb Darts Collegiate, helping the team capture their first team victory since 2024. Then, at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational, Nielsen finished runner-up and was one of two players out of a field of 83 to shoot under par in the final round. Most recently, Nielsen shot an impressive 11-under par at the William H. Tucker Invitational to come in third place overall. 

“Nothing’s really changed since last year, other than kind of keep doing the same things and starting to get finally rewarded for it,” said Nielsen when asked about what has led to this breakthrough.

Nielsen’s success this fall has been in the making for some time. After dealing with injuries and illness last season, he worked hard to come back stronger than ever. 

“He’s worked really hard to make some big changes in his golf swing over the last year, and I certainly think the work is definitely paying off there,” said Andrew Larkin, head coach of Santa Clara men’s golf. 

Nielsen said his driving and putting have been major parts of his success. His driving game has allowed him to be in some great positions off the tee, giving him more opportunities to be aggressive with his wedges and short irons into the greens.

Along with his physical game, Nielsen has continued to improve mentally.

Coach Larkin noted Nielsen’s ability to stay cool under pressure, saying, “Being able to stay really, really focused per hole, and not bring past mistakes with him, I think he’s done a great job this fall as a whole.”

The dedication has clearly shown through in his tournament performances this fall, most notably at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational. 

Nielsen started the final round with two double bogeys on the front nine, putting him at 4-over par. But instead of unraveling, Nielsen rallied, making five birdies to shoot 5-under par for the back nine to finish 1-under par for the day. 

He carried that momentum into the William H. Tucker Invitational, where he opened with rounds of 6-under and 8-under par, respectively. After a few unlucky breaks in the final round, Nielsen finished 11-under par overall, placing third. 

Despite the difference between his first two rounds and his final round, Nielsen said he felt comfortable overall during the tournament.

“I was in the flow state, you could say,” said Nielsen. “I didn’t really feel much different in that round versus the first and second rounds. Sometimes, changes don’t go your way.” 

But Nielsen says there’s still room for improvement this fall. Leading up to the Saint Mary’s Invitational later this month, he plans to focus on both his iron play and his chipping.

His individual success has been an integral part of the Broncos’ strong start as a team. They opened the season with a team victory at the Bomb Darts Collegiate, where they set a new program record of 50-under par over 54 holes, smashing their previous record of 45-under. 

The win was the team’s third under coach Larkin and first since 2024 at the Myrtle Beach Golf Trips Intercollegiate. The team followed that performance with a third-place finish at the Canadian Collegiate Invitational before placing fifth at the William H. Tucker Invitational.

The Broncos headed into the Tucker Invitational fighting off the flu. Both Nielsen and Matthew Robles ’28 were deemed too sick to play the practice round. Yet the team was able to pull themselves together and put themselves in a position to win, holding a four-shot lead heading into the final round of the tournament. 

But that momentum didn’t hold, and the team ultimately fell to fifth place overall against a competitive field that included nationally ranked No. 15 New Mexico and No. 24 BYU according to the Bushnell/Golfweek D1 Coaches’ Poll.

Yet Larkin was really impressed with the team’s finish.

“The guys handled it great,” Larkin said. “It was really a great performance to be able to see the guys have a chance to take the lead heading into that final round.” 

Nielsen hasn’t been the only player contributing to Santa Clara’s success. Senior J.P. Odland ’27 finished inside the top 10 in each of the last two tournaments. Freshman Ryan Xie ’30 shot 15-under at the Bomb Darts Collegiate, tying the best score to par in program history. At the Tucker Invitational, Odland and Xie finished inside the top 20 alongside Nielsen.

“It’s been kind of a full team effort across the five. We haven’t had to rely on a single player or only two guys,” Larkin said. “We’ve been able to have different guys step up in different weeks.”

The depth has helped the Broncos put together one of their strongest starts in recent years. The team was just ranked No. 21 nationally by The Differential. 

Larkin said that Nielsen’s consistency has allowed for other players to play their best.

“I think he’s taking a lot of pressure off of the other guys that have had to carry the load in the past,” said Larkin. “I think it’s actually making other guys better, cause now they’re not worried about their contribution to the team. They can just go be their best selves.”

The Broncos have some time off before returning to competition for their final two tournaments. 

For Nielsen, the focus during the break will remain on sticking to his guns and staying true to his game. 

“I don’t really like thinking about results, just because they’re pretty much out of control,” said Nielsen. “You can kind of control what you can control.”

The Broncos will tee it up again in Monterey, California on Oct. 19 for the opening round of the Saint Mary’s Invitational.