Rodriguez Family Celebrates Santa Barbara City Championship

By Jimmy Friery

SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Vaquero Men's Golf alum Vicente Rodriguez won the 2026 Santa Barbara City Championship on Monday, birdieing the final hole to win by one stroke.

Among a group of 182 competitors—many of them current NCAA Division I golfers—Rodriguez's 200 (-10) across the three-day Championship topped the leaderboard. Five others finished within three strokes, emphasizing just how tight the weekend was.

Rodriguez was tied with 2022 and 2023 champion Leo Metzger—a rising senior at Cal Poly—heading into the final day, and trailed by two strokes heading into the 16th hole. The birdie on 18 sealed the former Vaquero's victory, one stroke better than Metzger (201, -9) and two better than Central Michigan rising sophomore Hudson Vedder—the reigning champion—and Chris Gregoire (both 202, -8).

"There are so many good golfers here," Rodriguez said. "It didn't go my way last year and I was hurt by that result. I came back this year with full confidence knowing I could win it."

It has been quite the past two months for Rodriguez, who won a different tournament in mid-April. After moving on from two great years at SBCC (2023-25), he spent this past season competing at the Division I level at Alabama A&M. The El Dorado Hills native won the 2026 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Championship individual title, culminating with a bid for the NCAA Athens Regional hosted by the University of Georgia.

"It's been surreal—a roller coaster of emotions," Rodriguez said of his spring performance as a whole. "It's shown how hard work pays off. For it all to come together in a month or two, it's an amazing feeling."

Adding to the emotions, Rodriguez had his younger brother, Reynaldo—who just finished his freshman year on the SBCC Men's Golf team—as his caddy for the City Championship.

"It meant so much to me for him to be there," the elder Rodriguez said. "I've always dreamed of having my family and little brother there, and winning it. Seeing the crowds and having someone I love with me throughout that final round calmed me down so much."

The younger Rodriguez brother did not have a bad year, either. He was one of the leading golfers on this year's great Vaqueros team who won at the Western State Conference (WSC) Championships and finished second overall in the conference. Individually, "Rey" finished tied for first at the aforementioned WSC Championships, won WSC No. 4, was named to the All-WSC Team, and made an appearance at the 3C2A State Championships.

Vicente credited his time at SBCC for allowing him the space to grow into a champion golfer.

"Going to SBCC helped push me to the next level, with the freedom and grit to keep going forward," Rodriguez said. "The community college level isn't as structured as a big university, so you have to keep pushing and learn things on your own."

Rodriguez was involved in two top-four State finishes as a Vaquero. His freshman year, 2024, the team finished third at Sandpiper before finishing fourth in 2025.

To learn more about the City Championship, visit Santa Barbara Golf Club.