Men’s Golf Finishes in Second at Southwestern Invitational
History Links WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — For the second day in a row, the Pepperdine Men’s Golf Team had the best game of any team, but settled for a second straight second-place finish at the Southwestern Invitational presented by ZipRecruiter.
The Waves recorded a three-day total of one-under 863 (290-288-285) at North Ranch Country Club by 72.
Texas opened the final round with a 17-shot lead and never looked back en route to a 13-shot win, shooting 14 under. The Longhorns became the first team since Pepperdine in 2020 to lead the wire-to-wire event. This is Texas’ third win at the Southwestern Invitational, and the first since 2004.
Wake Forest’s Michael Brennan won the individual title, shooting 207 (70-68-69) for a tournament best nine. He started the day three strokes behind the leader but won the event by one stroke.
This year’s Southwestern Invitational featured five top-25 teams, including the Waves (#14 by Golfstat and #16 by Golfweek/Sagarin) and Longhorns (#17 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #20 by Golfstat).
PLAYER SCORES
Graduate Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School) is tied for ninth at 215 (69-72-74). He had three birdies on Wednesday. Graduate Sam Choi (Anaheim, Calif./New Mexico) finished 13th at 216 (74-71-71). He was the only player in the tournament to score six birdies in the final round. Senior William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS) finished 15th at 217 (72-74-71). He had four birdies on Wednesday – all of the front nine. Graduate Luke Gifford (Boca Raton, Fla./South Florida) finished 15th at 217 (75-71-71). He birdied three times in the final round, including two in the final four holes, and tied for the par-three lead (3.00). Sophomore Ian Maspat (San Diego, Calif./Scripps Ranch HS) finished 25th at 222 (75-75-72). He had two birdies in the last round. Playing individually, graduate Roberto Nieves (Miami, Fla./Delaware) finished tied for 40th at 227 (78-75-74). Playing individually, rookie Brady Siravo (Sacramento, Calif./Jesuit HS) finished tied for 61st with 236 points (80-78-78).
NEXT
Pepperdine will be back in action a week from today, traveling to Waimea, Hawai’i for the Amer Ari Invitational hosted by Hawai’i Hilo at Hapuna Golf Course. The event runs Wednesday through Friday, February 8-10.
NUMBERS
Team scores: 1. Texas 850; 2. Pepperdine 863; 3. State of Arizona 868; 4. Oregon 872; T5. Washington 880; T5. UCLA 880; 7. Georgia 883; T8. WakeForest 885; T8. San Diego State 885; 10. USC 899; 11.UNLV 902; 12. State of San Jose 908.
Top Individuals: 1. Michael Brennan (Wake Forest) 207; 2. Keaton Vo (Texas) 208; 3. Jacob Sosa (Texas) 209; 4. Luke Potter (Arizona State) 211; T5. Christiaan Maas (Texas) 212; T5. Owen Avrit (Oregon) 212; T7. Taehoon Song (Washington) 213; T7. Chuan-Tai Lin (Washington) 213; T9. Justin Hastings (San Diego State) 215; T9. Caleb Manuel (Georgia) 215; T9. Pablo Ereno (UCLA) 215; T9. Derek Hitchner (Pepperdine) 215.