NEWS | Official GCAA press release (June 19, 2025)
 
Norman, Okla.----The Golf Coaches Association of America has named Wingate University freshman Brandon Skidmore (Gloucester, England) and junior Lewis Beeden (London, England) to its 2025 Division II PING All-America teams Thursday. Skidmore is a second team choice, while Beeden earned a spot on the honorable mention squad. The dynamic duo are the second and third NCAA men's golf All-Americans in program history.
 
The South Atlantic Conference member Bulldogs advanced to the national semifinals in 2025, dropping a tough decision to eventual champion the University of West Florida. Wingate won five tournaments this season with three runner-up performances. Three of the Bulldogs' five victories were achieved in consecutive spring events: Barton's Bulldog Clash, Lander's Bearcat Classic and Wingate's Hargett Memorial.
 
Skidmore snags Outstanding Freshman Award for D2;
WU newcomer sets NCAA-era record with 71.5 average
 
In May, Skidmore was named the recipient of the 2025 NCAA Division II Phil Mickelson Outstanding Freshman Award presented by StrackaLine. He recorded seven top-five and five top-three finishes this season. Skidmore tied for first place in the Southeast Regionals, propelling Wingate to its second consecutive trip to the national championship site.
 
Skidmore set a new Wingate NCAA-era standard with his 71.5 scoring average. The South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year was a runner-up at the NCAA Championship, guiding the Bulldogs to the NCAA Championship Medal Match Play. For his efforts, Skidmore was named to the PING All-Southeast Region team by the GCAA.
 
Beeden's brilliant postseason helps 'Dogs make national semifinals
 
Beeden gave Wingate two student-athletes in the NCAA stroke play top 10, as he tied for sixth place. He shot a four-under-par 212 in the 54-hole national championship tournament, only one shot behind his younger teammate. Wingate's two All-Americans had 12 under-par rounds in the postseason with Beeden posting five and Skidmore carding seven. Beeden recorded a career-best 64 in the first round of the '25 SAC tournament, matching Wingate's school record for low 18-hole individual score.
 
What They Are Saying
Wingate head men's golf coach JD Lamm
 
"This was an incredible season for Wingate University men's golf. Both Brandon and Lewis were massive parts of our team's success. It has been a pleasure watching their games improve and develop over the last year. I think both Lewis and Brandon have extremely high ceilings and I can't wait to see what they will achieve on and off the course next season."
 
Brandon Skidmore
Wingate MGOLF freshman
No. 17 golfer in D2
 
- Led team with 71.5 scoring average
- Seven top-five finishes this season
- Tied for second at national championship stroke-play event
- Posted a five-under-par 211 over 54 holes at the PGA National Resort
- Tied for first at regionals before dropping a medalist playoff
- Recorded a 10-under-par 206 in the regional championship event
- Took third in Flagler's Jay Jennison Cup
- In only his second WU appearance, shot a two-under-par 214
- Started spring with an eight-under-par 208 at LMU event
- Finished tied for second place among 100 golfers
- Season-low round of 66 twice
- Shot 66 at Spring Bulldog Clash and Bearcat Invite
 
Lewis Beeden
Wingate MGOLF junior
No. 69 golfer in D2
 
- Third on the WU team with 72.5 scoring average
- One of three who played in 41-of-41 WU rounds
- Shot 64 in the first round of the SAC tournament
- His effort tied NCAA-era WU record for low 18 holes
- Placed fifth in SAC event with one-under-par 215
- Tied for sixth at NCAAs with four-under-par 212
- Beeden had five under-par rounds in the postseason
- He shot a one-under-par 71 against West Florida
- Recorded 24 par or under-par rounds this year
- Freshman teammate Skidmore led WU with 26
 
About PING
 
PING designs, manufactures and markets a complete line of golf equipment including metal woods, irons, wedges, putters and golf bags. The family-owned company was founded in 1959 in the garage of the late Karsten Solheim, a mechanical engineer with an extensive background in the aerospace and computer industries. His frustration with his putting inspired him to design his own putter, which created a "pinging" sound when striking a golf ball. This sound was the source of the name now synonymous with innovation, quality and service throughout the world of golf.
 
Solheim and his company are credited with numerous innovations that became industry standards, including perimeter weighting, custom fitting and the use of investment casting in the manufacturing of golf clubs. His insistence on adhering to strict engineering principles and tight manufacturing tolerances raised the level of product performance and quality throughout the golf industry. Solheim is the only person to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame as a golf club manufacturer.
 
Today, the Phoenix-based company is under the direction of Solheim's grandson, John K. Solheim, who leads a team of more than 800 dedicated employees committed to helping improve the games of golfers around the world.
 
About Wingate University
 
Wingate University is a lab of difference-making that serves more than 3,400 students in North Carolina and offers 60 degree pathways, including 37 undergraduate majors, 10 pre-professional tracks and five dual-degree programs. Graduate students choose from seven master's and five doctoral programs. The University is home to the Cannon College of Arts and Sciences, the Levine College of Health Sciences, the Byrum School of Business, the Thayer School of Education and the School of Sport Sciences.
 
Founded in 1896, Wingate University is a leader in healthcare education where nearly one in five undergraduate students is preparing to be a pharmacist, physician assistant, physical therapist, occupational therapist or nurse. Student-athletes on Wingate's 29 teams compete in NCAA Division II and have brought home the SAC Echols Athletic Excellence Award the past 17 times it has been awarded. The University's motto is "Faith, Knowledge, Service." View current news and videos at www.wingate.edu.
 
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