⛳ NHGL 2026 Playoffs
Projected bracket through Week 18 • Seedings finalize after Week 20 • 2 weeks remaining
Playoff Status
✅ Auto-Qualified (Seeds 1–14)
1Orlando Flores99.5
2Jeff Kardas94.5
3Todd Sewell93.5
4Tom Pehr91.0
5Paul Rael88.0
6T. Jaramillo85.5
7Jimmie Rains80.0
8Jason Maxwell77.5
9Brian Shields74.5
10Andy Dean73.5
11D. Candelaria72.0
12Brit Harvey71.5
13Jeff Hunt62.0
14Joe Olson59.5
⚡ Play-In (Seeds 15–18)
15Doug Baird31.5
16Sean Winters27.5
17Mike Keefe22.5
18K. Nicholson14.0
❌ Eliminated
—Dave Milisa4.0
Injured — out for remainder of season and playoffs.
Projected Seedings
Based on pts through Week 18. Seedings finalize after Week 20. Up to 20 pts still available — seeds 10–14 remain fluid.
| # |
Player |
Pts |
HCP |
P/Rd |
Max Pts |
Status |
Notes |
🫧 Bubble Watch: Seeds 9–12 — Brian Shields (74.5), Andy Dean (73.5), Dennis Candelaria (72.0), and Brit Harvey (71.5) — are separated by just 3 pts with 20 still available. Any of these four could finish anywhere from 9th to 14th. The final two weeks will determine who enters the bracket in the top half vs. the bottom half.
Play-In Round
Seeds 15–18 compete for the last 2 spots in the 16-player bracket. Winners earn seeds 15 and 16. Losers are eliminated.
Match A
#15Doug Baird31.5
vs
#18Kevin Nicholson14.0
→
Match B
#16Sean Winters27.5
vs
#17Mike Keefe22.5
→
Projected 16-Player Bracket
Seeds 15 & 16 filled by play-in winners. Bracket locked after regular season ends.
Round of 16 Preview
Handicap and pts/round comparison for each first-round matchup. In match play, a higher handicap means more net strokes — a critical edge on close holes.
| M |
Higher Seed |
HCP |
P/Rd |
vs |
Lower Seed |
HCP |
P/Rd |
Insight |
🥉 3rd Place Match
The two semifinal losers play for 3rd place and NHGL bronze.
3rd Place Match
SFSemifinal Loser 1TBD
vs
SFSemifinal Loser 2TBD
→
Consolation Bracket — 9th Place
First-round losers battle in the consolation bracket. Winner earns the NHGL consolation title and 9th-place honors.
Magic Numbers & Scenarios
With 2 weeks remaining (max 10 pts/week), how seedings could shift. Each player can gain up to 20 pts.
| # | Player | Current |
Max Possible | Gap to #12 | Seeding Risk / Notes |