Tag: Southern Highlands Collegiate 2020

Southern Highlands Collegiate: USC earns team title, Texas’ Parker Coody wins first college event

The Trojans held off Texas and Texas Tech for their first win of the season, while Texas sophomore Parker Coody earned his first college win.

LAS VEGAS — For the second consecutive year a Texas Longhorn found himself in a playoff for the Southern Highlands Collegiate individual title.

This year, he came out on top.

Texas sophomore Parker Coody claimed his first collegiate win on Tuesday, defeating USC freshman Yuxin Lin, who held a five-shot lead entering the final round.

Coody shot a 5-under 67 in the final round, making five birdies on the back nine, including a clutch birdie on the 18th hole in regulation to force the playoff. He won with a par in the first playoff hole.

SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS: Team leaderboard | Individual

“I just started playing well,” Coody said of his performance down the stretch Tuesday. “I did the same thing yesterday. I knew if had any chance I had to finish strong and luckily I did. The rest is history.”

With the win, Coody earns an exemption to the PGA Tour’s 2020 Shriners Hospitals for Children Open, held at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas in October.

“(The win) does great things for my confidence,” Coody said about his first win. “From junior golf to now I hadn’t really played the way I wanted to. This is a great start.”

ROAD TO GRAYHAWK BLOG: We are counting down to the NCAA Championships in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Last year UNLV’s Jack Trent beat Texas’ Cole Hammer in three playoff holes.

In the team competition, USC was the only team under par after a blustery 36 holes and entered the final round with a dominant nine-shot lead. The Trojans gave three shots back to the field, allowing Texas and Texas Tech to climb into contention. A Cameron Henry birdie on No. 18 gave USC a cushion with one group to play, propelling the Trojans to their first win of the season.

Interesting enough, Henry played the entire week without using his driver. By choice.

Parker Coody of Texas celebrates after winning the individual title at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas. Photo by Adam Woodard/Golfweek

“I feel so confident with my 3-wood, it only goes 10 yards shorter than most guys out here with drives, and I feel like I can put it in play every time,” said Henry, who also gave a shoutout to his “little cheddar hybrid.”

The Longhorns shot 4 under as a team Tuesday to finish second, just two shots back. Texas Tech was the low team of the day, shooting 7 under to finish in third at even par. Florida finished fourth at 6 over, with Pepperdine and UCLA T-5 at 9 over.

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After putting with wedge, Pepperdine’s Sahith Theegala rides old putter to 65 in Las Vegas

After putting with a wedge, Pepperdine’s Sahith Theegala rode an old putter to a 7-under 65 at the Southern Highlands Collegiate.

LAS VEGAS — Sunday’s first round of the Southern Highlands Collegiate was an “outlier” for Pepperdine men’s golf, especially senior Sahith Theegala.

The No. 3 Waves have three wins under their belt this season and haven’t finished worse than fourth. After the first 18 holes, they were T-12 at 16 over. Theegala, the No. 3-ranked player in the country, shot his worst score of the year, carding a 4-over 76.

It sure didn’t help that the Chino Hills, California, native was using a wedge to putt for four holes down the stretch.

“I was on No. 11 and missed a three and a half footer for birdie. It was a graphite shaft so I assumed if I kicked it, nothing would happen,” said Theegala after his round on Monday. “I didn’t actually kick it with my foot, I just hit it up against my leg. There was a small bend, I didn’t even know I bent it right away.”

Southern Highlands: Team Leaderboard | Individual
More: Tour pro plays coach for a day at alma mater UCLA

Theegala realized the damage on the next hole, noting how the bend messed with the lie and loft. So, he putted with a wedge for three holes.

“I tried to put the putter back in and missed a four-footer, so I said ‘alright forget this.’ I didn’t have to putt on 16, I actually tried the putter again on 17 and three-putted from like 20 feet so on 18 I had a 15-footer and pulled the wedge out again.”

SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS: Watch the final round LIVE on Tuesday, March 3. Part of College Golf Live’s 2020 Spring Series.

Here’s how Theegala performed putting with a wedge: Two-putt from 40 feet on No. 12, made an eight-footer for birdie on No. 13, tapped in on No. 14 and used it from 15 feet on No. 18.

“Funny enough, in Hawaii I let (teammate William Mouw) use my old putter that I used for three and a half years after the first round because he didn’t putt well. He ended up winning with my old putter,” said Theegala on Monday. “He used it for the last tournament and the first round yesterday. I have a new putter, the exact same one, so I gave him the new one and took back the old one.”

Old faithful was back in full force for Theegala on Monday, guiding him to the day’s low-round of 7-under 65 despite chilly temperatures and high winds. Entering Tuesday’s final round, Theegala sits T-4 at 3 under, seven shots behind leader Yuxin Lin of USC.

Despite boasting the best score of the tournament thus far, Theegala knows he left some more birdies out on the course.

“I actually had a lot of missed opportunities on the greens,” said Theegala. “I hit really good puts, I just had a lot of lip-outs. I was hitting it really well. I still feel like I could have made a few more, but I’m not complaining.”

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USC, freshman Yuxin Lin extend leads entering final round at Southern Highlands Collegiate

After 36 holes everyone’s chasing the USC Trojans are freshman Yuxin Lin at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas.

LAS VEGAS — The conversation surrounding the 2020 Southern Highlands Collegiate was its loaded field featuring six of the top-seven teams in the country.

They’re all chasing No. 37 USC.

Led by freshman star Yuxin Lin, the Trojans hold a dominant nine-shot lead at 6 under after a blustery 36 holes at the nation’s premier men’s college golf event. Able to outduel the elements, Southern Cal is the sole team under par.

Texas (+3) is in second, followed by Florida and Texas Tech (T-3, +7) and UCLA (+9). Thanks to a dominant 7-under 65 performance from senior leader Sahith Theegala on Monday, Pepperdine (+11) shot up the leaderboard and sits sixth.

Lin, a freshman from Beijing, China, shot a second-consecutive 5-under 67 to increase his individual lead to five shots at 10 under. Florida freshman Ricky Castillo fired off a 4-under 68 and sits second (-5), followed by SMU’s Mac Meissner in third at 4 under.

“I gave myself more looks and made it easy on myself,” said Meissner. “I really only hit one bad shot on one, then I think I hit every green after that. Stress-free golf makes it a lot easier.”

Southern Highlands: Team Leaderboard | Individual
More: Tour pro plays coach for a day at alma mater UCLA

Theegala, Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg, Texas’ Parker Coody and UCLA’s Devon Bling are all T-4 at 3 under. USC’s Cameron Henry and Georgia’s Davis Thompson are T-8 at 2 under, with UCLA’s Hidetoshi Yoshihara rounding out the top 10 at 1 under.

SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS: Watch the final round LIVE on Tuesday, March 3. Part of College Golf Live’s 2020 Spring Series.

PGA Tour’s Parker McLachlin plays coach for a day at UCLA

A volunteer assistant for his alma mater Bruins, Parker McLachlin brings a new perspective to the UCLA men’s golf team.

Most families have a “cool uncle.”

He’s around for all the fun events and helps out when available. The kids look up to him and can relate to him on a level different from their parents.

In a sense, that’s what Parker McLachlin has been for the UCLA men’s golf team this season.

The PGA Tour pro and winner of the 2008 Legends Reno-Tahoe Open joined the program as a volunteer assistant this offseason after he was approached by head coach Derek Freeman.

“Over the summer I played four events and missed all four cuts, shooting under par every week,” explained McLachlin. “So I thought, ‘I need to think of something else to do.’”

He spent a week with the team in the fall and his role has progressed from there.

Southern Highlands: Team Leaderboard | Individual

“A handful of players will send me videos and I’ll help them with their short games if they’re struggling,” said McLachlin, who also noted the guys will Facetime him for help when he’s not around. “For me, it’s great because I love their energy. It’s infectious, I love that. I’ve been playing professionally for 15 or 16 years and it’s nice to be reminded why we play this game and the love we have for it.”

During Sunday’s opening round of the Southern Highlands Collegiate, one of the most competitive tournaments in men’s college golf, McLachlin was one of the on-course coaches for the Bruins alongside assistant coach Andrew Larkin while head coach Derek Freeman sat out.

McLachlin doesn’t see coaching college golf in his future despite his early success, claiming no credit for the Bruins opening-round performance. UCLA sat in third after a blustery day in Las Vegas, four shots back from Day 1 leader USC.

His message was simple: Every shot counts.

“A one-foot putt counts the same as a 320-yard drive. They all count the same, so give it 100% focus and attention,” said McLachlin. “Don’t let up on any shot. They did that really well.”

While Freeman agreed with the “cool uncle” analogy, one player had a slightly more flattering take.

SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS: Watch the final round LIVE on Tuesday, March 3. Part of College Golf Live’s 2020 Spring Series.

“(McLachlin) definitely helps because obviously he’s a coach to us and a mentor, but he’s almost like a fifth-year,” said freshman Tony Hendricks. “He’s super cool, keeps it really calm and is a great guy. When he wants to talk about golf, we talk about golf. His expertise is great, and I trust him with everything. He’s seen it all from four years at UCLA to the Tour, he puts things in simple terms. He doesn’t over-think everything, which really makes me comfortable. As we walk down the fairway we just talk about whatever and it calms us down.”

Topics included everything from UCLA basketball to music – specifically the Red Hot Chili Peppers – and campus life at UCLA.

“We talked about how old he was,” said Hendricks with a laugh, “because we were comparing dorm buildings. He asked if one building was still there and I said ‘yeah, it’s one of the oldest buildings on campus.’”

For perspective, Hendricks is an 18-year-old freshman. McLachlin is 40 and finished at UCLA 18 years ago in 2002.

“These guys are so much better than we were 20 years ago, I swear,” said McLachlin, pointing to the improvements in technology. “Their golf IQ’s are so much higher, but with that said, they’re still 20 year olds. They still need help.”

A Scottsdale resident, McLachlin will be back with the team in April when the Bruins travel to the Wyoming Cowboy Classic in Chandler, Arizona, and the Thunderbird Collegiate in Phoenix. Meanwhile, his next start on Tour will come at the end of March at the Corales Puntacana Resort & Club Championship in the Dominican Republic, held opposite the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play.

Around those events, he’ll be teaching.

“I get notes on Instagram every day from people who want short game lessons, so I’m staying busy with that,” said McLachlin, the @shortgamechef on Instagram. “Spending time teaching and prepping for tournaments, I’m staying busy.”

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Southern Highlands Collegiate: Led by freshman, USC sole team under par after blustery first round

Led by freshman Yuxin Lin, USC men’s golf is the the sole team under par after a blustery first round at the Southern Highlands Collegiate.

On a day where birdie putts were at a premium, it was a trio of eagle putts that separated the wheat from the chaff Sunday at the Southern Highlands Collegiate.

After a blustery first round of play in one of the most competitive fields in men’s college golf, there’s a two-way tie for the individual lead between USC’s Yuxin Lin and Georgia’s Davis Thompson at 5 under.

UCLA’s Devon Bling held the solo lead for a brief period after lagging his eagle putt on the par-5 ninth hole to two feet for an easy birdie to move to 4 under. Shortly after, and just a few feet from Bling’s putt, Lin did the same, just missing for eagle and tapping in for birdie to claim the solo lead at 5 under.

Southern Highlands: Team Leaderboard | Individual

In the day’s penultimate group, Thompson hit a perfect drive on the par-5 18th and stuck his approach from just outside 240 yards, setting up an eagle to join Lin atop the individual leaderboard.

With consistent gusting winds for the majority of the round, only six other players were under par for the day, all T-4 to round out the top 10: Mac Meissner, SMU; Johnny Travale, UCF; Ricky Castillo, Florida; Evan Katz, Duke; Issei Tanabe, USC; Hidetoshi Yoshihara, UCLA.

In the team competition, Lin and Tanabe led the Trojans to the top of the leaderboard at 1 under. USC is the sole team under par, followed by Texas (4 over), UCLA (5 over) and Florida and Texas Tech (T-4, 7 over). Defending champion and top-ranked Oklahoma, who returns four of five players from last year’s SHC lineup, is 11 shots back at 10 over.

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