Tag: The Prestige

Wind, cold, hail no problem for Vanderbilt in runaway victory at Prestige golf event

Vanderbilt produced a 14-under par score in the third round to run away with a 10-shot victory over Oregon.

LA QUINTA, Calif. — When the Vanderbilt Commodores made plans for their first trip to the Coachella Valley to play in the Prestige men’s college golf tournament, head coach Scott Limbaugh had an idea what the experience would include. It wasn’t wind, cold and hail.

“It’s funny, this is our first time out here, and we came here thinking we signed up for 85 and sunny and light and variable winds,” Limbaugh laughed after this team survived another difficult day of weather in the desert for a victory in the Prestige tournament.

A day after play was suspended in the second round by 30 mph winds and cold temperatures, the 24 teams in the field faced the same conditions Wednesday, with strong winds and temperatures in the mid-50s. But somehow Vanderbilt produced 14-under par score for the third round to run away with a 10-shot victory over Oregon.

“It was hailing when we teed off (Wednesday),” said Limbaugh, whose team is ranked 20th in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. “We had 40 mph winds yesterday. We had a north wind, we had a west wind. But the guys, I’m just proud of them. They fought through adversity. We had a great first round and a very tough second round. We just wanted to have an opportunity to still be in the golf tournament.”

Vanderbilt’s team score of 14-under 270 on the par-71 Greg Norman Course at PGA West in La Quinta was one of just two sub-par rounds by any team during the three days of the event. The round was 15 shots better than Oregon, which finished second after a 1-over 285 third round. Vanderbilt won with a 16-over 868 score for 54 holes, with Oregon at 26-over 878,

Kansas was alone in third at 29 over, followed by sixth-ranked Texas Tech at 32 over par.

Low scores in bad weather

Gordon Sargent led Vanderbilt with a 6-under 65 on Wednesday, while Reid Davenport shot 66 and Cole Sherwood shot 68. Matthew Riedel shot 71 under the five-play, four-count format, and Jackson Van Paris shot 75.

In the individual competition among the 24 teams, Ludvig Aberg of Texas Tech managed to match or break par all three days in the unusual weather that saw snow capping the nearby San Jacinto Mountains. Aberg’s 3-under 210 total included a 70 in the third round, giving him a two-shot victory over Carson Barry of Oregon, who also shot 70 Wednesday. Davenport was third at 214 and Sherwood was fourth at 215.

In a separate individual competition played in conjunction with The Prestige, freshman Ian Maspat of Pepperdine scored his first college victory for the Waves. Playing on the par-72 Coral Mountain Golf Club just a few miles from PGA West, Maspat shot a 4-under 68 Wednesday for a 54-hole total of 6-under 210, five shots better than Zubair Firdaus of San Jose State and Jackson Fretty of Princeton.

“I just knew that par was a good score in that tough wind,” said Maspat, 18 and from San Diego. “It was blowing at least 30 at some point, and I was just thinking par is going to get it done. And not try to press for birdies. That would just put me in trouble.”

Maspat held at least a share of the lead each of the three days of the individual event.

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Strong winds force suspension of Prestige, but not before Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg shoots 69

Twelve of the 24 teams in the event were unable to complete 18 holes Tuesday before play was suspended a second time.

Strong winds that started in the morning eventually caused a suspension of play Tuesday afternoon at the Prestige men’s college golf tournament at the Greg Norman Course at PGA West.

Play was suspended at 3:08 p.m., with onsite USGA officials saying sustained winds of 30 to 40 mph made it necessary to stop play. Mark Weissman, director and founder of the tournament, said the wind was causing problems for officials because it would die down only to strengthen again just a few minutes later.

Play resumed at 4:30 p.m., with 13 teams still on the course. Twelve of the 24 teams in the event were unable to complete 18 holes Tuesday before play was suspended a second time, this time for darkness. The Prestige is scheduled to end with 18 holes Wednesday, but officials were still working on a plan Tuesday afternoon about how to possibly complete the second round and then play the third round.

The winds were strong in the mid-morning for the first wave of tee times in the 24-team field, but then calmed down. But for the afternoon wave of tee times, the winds kicked up again, causing the suspension.

UC Davis, the host team, held the lead at 14-over par as a team including a 3-over par round Tuesday, but Davis players still have as many as nine holes to finish in their second round. Oregon was at 19-over par, with Kansas at 20-over for the tournament.

Among the teams that completed the second round, Texas Tech had the low two-day score at 25-over 593, including a 10-over 294 on Tuesday in the five-play, four-count format. That puts the Red Raiders five shots ahead of Vanderbilt, which had shared the first-round lead but ballooned to 27-over in the second round for a 30-over two-day score.

Despite the wind, some players were able to shoot low scores. Ludvig Aberg of Texas Tech fired a 2-under 69 on Tuesday to take the individual lead in the event at 2-under 140.

None of the 65 players in the adjoining individual tournament played at nearby Coral Mountain Golf Club managed to even match par-72 on the windy day. Ian Milspat of Pepperdine was one of three golfers to lead after the first two days at 4-under, but Milspat managed a 2-over 74 on Tuesday to hold a two-shot lead over Ben Sigel of Kansas and Alejandro Gonzalez of Texas.

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College golf: Arizona, North Carolina split team title at The Prestige

Arizona survived both some swirling desert winds and the Greg Norman Course at PGA West to tie North Carolina for the team title.

LA QUINTA, Calif. — When Texas and Oklahoma State withdrew from the Prestige men’s college golf tournament over concerns about California’s COVID-19 restrictions and whether the tournament in La Quinta would be played at all, the Arizona Wildcats were happy to take one of the open spots in the event.

While Texas and Oklahoma State had their replacement tournament in Houston postponed by snow and sub-freezing temperatures, the Wildcats enjoyed three days of breezy sunshine on the way to a share of the Prestige crown with the North Carolina Tar Heels.

“I don’t even know, to be honest with you,” Arizona head coach Jim Anderson said when asked what his team would be doing if the Prestige slot hadn’t opened up. “So much of COVID is a little bit one step at a time. If this didn’t work, we did have a massive contingency plan to maybe try to host another tournament ourselves in our desert.”

Instead, the Wildcats survived both some swirling and strong desert winds and the Greg Norman Course at PGA West to tie North Carolina, which finished an hour earlier and had slowly moved up the leaderboard most of the day Wednesday as Arizona, Arizona State and Pepperdine struggled to finish their rounds in freshening winds in the final nine holes.

Arizona, fourth in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin team rankings, and North Carolina each finished 54 holes at 4-under 848 under the five-play, four-count format, one shot ahead of Pepperdine, which finished in the top three of the desert tournament for the fourth year in a row, all without winning the event.

Arizona State, which at times on the back nine held the outright lead of the event, stumbled down the stretch and finished fourth, six shots behind the co-winners.

The Prestige: Team scores | Individual scores

North Carolina’s 4-under total for the final 18 holes was the second-best total of the day behind only Stanford’s 8-under performance. Arizona finished 1-over for the day, while Pepperdine, the second-round lead, struggled to a 5-over final round.

Climbing up the leaderboard

“I don’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing,” North Carolina head coach Andrew DiBitetto said about finishing an hour ahead of the three leading teams for most of the day. “I just know the golf course was very difficult and very demanding and obviously some windy conditions. So we talk to our guys all the time about being mentally tough and resilient and executing at a high level under pressure. And that’s exactly what they did.”

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With North Carolina finished at 4 under and a team or individual playoff ruled out by officials as the sun drifted behind the Santa Rosa Mountains, the final threesome came to the 18th hole with Arizona still alive for a solo victory and Pepperdine looking for a share of the title. Arizona’s Trevor Werbylo’s approach shot on the 461-yard par-4 missed the green and kicked about 40 feet from the green with another 20 feet to the pin.

His delicate pitch shot climbed a slope, found the putting surface and rolled to just three feet from the cup. He made the three-footer to not only clinch a tie for the team victory for the Wildcats, but also part of a three-way tie for the individual title. Werbylo, Ludvig Aberg of Texas Tech and Jacob Skov Olesen of Texas Christian all finished the three rounds at 4-under 209 on the par-71 Norman Course.

Pepperdine had a chance for a team tie, but Joey Vrzich’s 12-foot birdie putt burned the right edge of the cup and stayed out.

“The 18th hole, that green is tough,” said Werbylo, who had made a tough par putt on the 17th hole to keep the Wildcats’ title chances alive. “Especially with the wind coming out of the right. It’s a small target. I pulled it. I had a tough chip, but it was doable. I kind of landed it right where I wanted to.”

“There’s not a guy I would rather put in that position beside Trevor,” Anderson said. “He’s been our anchor for a couple of years. But we have a great team around him, all of the guys.”

Werbylo’s up-and-down par on the 18th gave him a 2-under 69 for the day. Aberg shot 73 in the final round, while Skov Olesen shot 70. But Aberg and Skov Olesen were gone from the course by the time Werbylo finished his round, with COVID-19 restrictions meaning teams were asked to leave the golf course when their rounds were over rather than congregating around the clubhouse.

North Carolina’s final-round charge was led by a 67 by Ryan Burnett and a 69 by Austin Hitt, including a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. Burnett, Hitt and Dylan Menante of Pepperdine all finished the event at 3-under 210, one shot out of the three-way tie for the individual title.

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Texas Golf: Texas takes team title at The Prestige

The Texas Longhorns golf team took the Prestige over the number one team in the country Pepperdine.

The Texas Longhorns golf team was on the courses in La Quinta, California and battled it out with six other top 25 golf teams in the nation. The 2019 NCAA runner up came out swinging for Texas.

The Longhorns led the number one ranked Pepperdine Waves by five strokes heading into the final round.  Texas finished the round (-20), they shot (-6) in the final round.

Spencer Soosman’s round today, 65 on this golf course with these hole locations, was outstanding. We’ve been waiting for a little bit of a breakout performance from him and today was that. – Texas coach John Fields

The Longhorns took second place in their most recent tournament on February 8th in the Amer Ari Invitational. Their next event takes place on March 1st with the Southern Highlands Collegiate.

The Prestige: Texas runs away with team title, San Diego State’s Leo Oyo eagles for individual win

The Texas men’s golf team ran away with team title at The Prestige while San Diego State’s Leo Oyo took the individual honors.

We’re just a few weeks into the spring portion of the college golf season, but this week at The Prestige just might have been foreshadowing for the NCAA Championship.

Three of the top-10 and six of the top-25 men’s college golf teams were on hand at PGA West in La Quinta, California, but all eyes were on No. 7 Texas and No. 1 Pepperdine.

The Longhorns, who finished runner-up at last year’s NCAAs, entered Wednesday’s final round with a five-shot lead over the Waves and never looked back, claiming the team title at 20 under. Spencer Soosman, the lone senior in a starting lineup dominated by young talent, shot a 6-under 65 on Wednesday to climb into third place on the individual leaderboard and propel Texas to the win.

“Spencer Soosman’s round today, 65 on this golf course with these hole locations, was outstanding,” said longtime Texas coach John Fields. “We’ve been waiting for a little bit of a breakout performance from him and today was that.”

Texas began the spring with a second-place finish at the Amer Ari Invitational earlier this month after a successful fall campaign ended with a win at the East Lake Cup in Atlanta.

“We’ve been wanting to win for a while,” added Fields, noting his team’s sole win last season was at its home course for the 2019 NCAA Austin Regional. “These guys wanted to win outside of Austin.”

The Prestige: Leaderboard

Pepperdine (-14) won its first two events of the spring at its own Southwestern Invitational and the Amer Ari and added a second runner-up finish to a stellar season of results. The Waves haven’t placed lower than fourth since the opening event of the season at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate.

San Diego State finished third at 11 under, followed by Texas Tech at 9 under and Oklahoma State at 7 under.

Worst to first

Oklahoma State’s Austin Eckroat took the clubhouse lead atop the individual leaderboard at 10 under before San Diego State sophomore Leo Oyo, who started the round bogey-bogey, chipped-in for eagle on the par-5 16th hole to take the lead at 11 under. Oyo made par on the final two holes to win his first collegiate event, carding a 5-under 66 in the final round.

The Tokyo native was emotional after the win, and for good reason: last season he finished this event in last place.

“I finished dead last last year, I worked pretty hard to get to where I am, so this means a lot,” said Oyo, fighting back tears.

Eckroat finished second, followed by Soosman at 9 under. SMU’s Ollie Osborne and Wyoming’s Dan Starzinski round out the top five at 6 under.

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The Prestige: Texas takes second-round lead

On the strength of its 9 under round on Tuesday, the Texas Longhorns men’s golf team has taken a five-shot after two days at the Prestige.

On the strength of its 9-under round on Tuesday, the Texas Longhorns men’s golf team is 14 under and has taken a five-shot lead after two days at the Prestige on the Greg Norman Course at PGA West in La Quinta, California.

First-round leader Pepperdine went even par on the day and slipped into second.

UCLA, 5 under on Tuesday, and San Diego State, 7 under for the second round, are T-3 at 4 under.

Texas Tech is fifth at 3 under despite shooting +3 on Tuesday.

Texas is seeking its second win of the season, having previously won the East Lake Cup in Atlanta in October.

THE PRESTIGE: Team leaderboard | Individual scores

Leo Oyo of San Diego State holds the individual lead by two shots at 6 under. He had a four-shot lead through 12 but suffered a triple-bogey on the 16th, a hole he eagled during Monday’s first round.

Travis Vick of Texas, William Mouw of Pepperdine, Eddy Lai of UCLA, Spencer Tibbits of Oregon State, Ludvig Aberg of Texas Tech, Thomas Hutchison of host UC Davis and Joey Vrzich of Pepperdine are all T-2 at 4 under.

Austin Eckroat of Oklahoma State, Ollie Osborne of SMU, Kyosuke Hara of Oregon State and Puwit Anupansuebsai of San Diego State all shot 4-under 67s on Tuesday, the best rounds of the day.

All five Longhorns shot under par on Tuesday: Travis Vick (-3), Pierceson Coody, Parker Coody and Spencer Soosman (-2) and Cole Hammer (-1). Vick had four birdies on the front nine. Hammer had three birdies and an eagle.

The Prestige annually features a loaded field and this year’s includes three of the top-10 teams (Pepperdine, No. 6 Texas Tech, No. 7 Texas) as well as No. 15 SMU and defending national champion Stanford.

The third and final round on Wednesday can be watched live on Golfweek’s livestream as part of College Golf Live’s 2020 Spring Series. Final round coverage runs from 1-6 p.m. ET.

Pepperdine continues hot spring, leads the Prestige after Day 1

The Pepperdine men’s golf team is 9-under after Day 1 and holds a three-shot lead at the Prestige at PGA West in La Quinta, California.

The Pepperdine men’s golf team continues its hot play this spring season, shooting a 9-under 275 to open a three-shot lead at the Prestige on the Greg Norman Course at PGA West in La Quinta, California, on Monday.

Pepperdine, the top-ranked team in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and the No. 2-ranked team in the latest Bushnell coaches poll, was led by Derek Hitchner, who shot a 2-under 70.

Texas Tech is 6 under, Texas is 5 under with UCLA and UC Davis (+1) tied for fourth, 10 shots back.

Iowa State and SMU (+2) are T-6, San Diego State is +3, LSU is +5 and Northwestern and Stanford at T-10 at +6.

Last week, Pepperdine rallied from 12 strokes back and went 18 under on the final day to win the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawaii. The win was the second of the spring for the Waves.

Now they’re looking at a third.

THE PRESTIGE: Team leaderboard | Individual scores

The Prestige annually features a loaded field and this year’s includes three of the top-10 teams (Pepperdine, No. 6 Texas Tech, No. 7 Texas) as well as No. 15 SMU and defending national champion Stanford.

The third and final rounds on Wednesday can be watched live on Golfweek’s livestream as part of College Golf Live’s 2020 Spring Series. Final round coverage runs from 1-6 p.m. ET.

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Event info, players to watch as college golf’s best compete at The Prestige

Everything you need to know for the 20th playing of men’s college golf’s The Prestige.

Three of the top-10 and six of the top-25 men’s college golf teams in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings will tee it up this week at the 20th playing of The Prestige, Feb. 17-19 in La Quinta, California.

The Greg Norman Course at PGA West plays host once again for the three-day event featuring a field of 16 teams highlighted by No. 1 Pepperdine, No. 6 Texas Tech, No. 7 Texas and No. 15 SMU. Defending national champion Stanford is also in the field, along with 2018 NCAA champion Oklahoma State and host-school UC Davis.

Golfweek will livestream the final-round coverage as part of College Golf Live’s 2020 Spring Series. You can catch the final round action at Golfweek.com/Prestige2020 on Feb. 19 from 1-6 p.m. ET.

PGA Champion, three-time NCAA champion and veteran golf commentator Steve Elkington will call the action alongside ESPN personality Ben Lyons, with analyst Will Haskett delivering onsite coverage.

Here’s everything you need to know for The Prestige.

Where

Greg Norman Course at PGA West, La Quinta, California. Par 71, 7,100 yards.

Schedule

Feb. 17-19. 18 holes each day, beginning at 10:30 a.m. ET off Nos. 1 and 10.

Field

Arkansas, Iowa State, LSU, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, Oregon State, Pepperdine, San Diego State, SMU, Stanford, Texas, Texas Tech, UC Davis, UCLA, Wyoming and University of Stirling (Scotland).

Players to watch

Sahith Theegala, senior, Pepperdine

Theegala, ranked No. 2 in the nation, has won twice this season, bringing his collegiate total to four. A fifth win this week at The Prestige would set a new program record. His 69.08 scoring average is tied for sixth best in the country.

Sandy Scott, senior, Texas Tech

The Scottish senior finished 10th in Hawaii at the Amer Ari Intercollegiate to start the Spring, his third top 10 on the season. He won the Red Raiders first event of the year at the Carmel Cup and is 18-12-0 against the top 50 players in the country. Ranked No. 3 by Golfweek/Sagain.

Noah Goodwin, junior, SMU

If it’s a par 5, chances are Goodwin’s making birdie. His 4.40 scoring average on the long holes is T-4 in the nation, and his 3-1 record vs. the top 23 (7-3 vs. the top 50) isn’t too shabby, either.

Pierceson Coody, sophomore, Texas

Former No. 1 Amateur Cole Hammer gets a lot of the headlines, and deservedly so. But Coody should get a fair share, as well. The sophomore has three top 10 – and two top five – finishes this season, including a fifth-place showing last week at the Amer Ari, where he shot 66-67 in the final two rounds. Ranked No. 6 in the country.

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