Halloween came to the U of M Stadium Course on October 31, and nobody needed a costume to be scary. The ghosts, goblins, and bogeys all got tee times. For 27 players in the 2026 U of M Open, the course served up some treats: a stretch of birdies, an eagle, and a couple of roller-coaster back nines. It also served up some tricks. Thom Mulhern was the one who sorted them out best.
Mulhern finished at net 68 (-3), a gross 79 that included six birdies, five of them on the front nine. He built the lead early and never let the field in. Noah Kline stayed one stroke back all day, close enough to put a chill on every scorecard check. Kline finished at net 69 (-2), tied for second with Tom Carroll, and Mulhern never gave him the opening.
Carroll looked like the man to beat. He was -2 at the turn, then lit up the 11th and 12th with a birdie and an eagle to reach -5, with a lead and a good look at the trophy. The 16th and 17th turned on him. A bogey on 16 and a double bogey on 17 pulled him all the way back to -2, one stroke short. It was a haunting back-nine finish for a round that had been a joy for most of the afternoon.
Tom Moran had his own nightmare. He was -2 at the turn too, then carded eight birdies on the day. A train of bogeys on 14, 16, and 17 pulled him down to net 70 (-1) and fourth place. Eight birdies usually win this tournament, and Moran proved how thin the margin was. Mike Geisser, Greg Kline, and Dave Oliver tied for fifth at 74 (+3), and Michael Thacker took eighth at 75 (+4).
The win puts Mulhern in rare company. He won the very first U of M Open in 2018 and again in 2020, and the 2026 title makes it three in nine editions, one more than anyone else on the champions list. Kevin Gregoire has two (2019, 2022). Rich Dunmore, Mike Prieskorn, Stewart Levine, and Jonathan Barnes each have one. Mulhern was good on the front and steady when the course started playing tricks, and he walked off with the treat.