ATLANTA, Georgia – Big wins by
Derek Hitchner and
Joe Highsmith and clutch play by
Dylan Menante at the end lifted the Pepperdine men's golf team past Texas Tech, 3-2, on Tuesday and into the championship of the prestigious East Lake Cup.
It was tied 2-2 with only Menante left on the course, and the sophomore won on holes 17 and 18 to post a 2-up victory, and put the Waves into Wednesday's championship against Oklahoma.
When the 2020 season was cut short in March, Pepperdine was the #1-ranked team in the Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll and in the Golfstat computer rankings, while Oklahoma was #1 in Golfweek/Sagarin. The Golf Channel will have live coverage.
The East Lake Cup brought together the top four teams in the final national rankings. There was a single round of stroke play on Monday before two days of match play.
SCORES
- Baard Skogen (Texas Tech) defeated RJ Manke (Pepperdine), 4&3
- Derek Hitchner (Pepperdine) defeated Garrett Martin (Texas Tech), 6&4
- Joe Highsmith (Pepperdine) defeated Markus Braadlie (Texas Tech), 4&3
- James Roller (Texas Tech) defeated William Mouw (Pepperdine), 2&1
- Dylan Menante (Pepperdine) defeated Andy Lopez (Texas Tech), 2-up
MATCH DETAILS
- After falling behind by three with five holes played, Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Prep) rallied to win on 6 and 7 to get back within one. It stayed at one until the 13th hole, when the Red Raiders' Skogen pulled away for their first point.
- Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School) had a dominant showing, only dropping one hole the entire way. He won the first two holes, then went up by three after the fourth hole. He was up four at the turn and ended it by winning 13 and 14.
- Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School) also led wire-to-wire in his match after winning the first two holes. He went 4-up after six holes. The lead dropped to two after the 13th hole, but Highsmith won on 14 and 15 to clinch the match and put the Waves up 2-1.
- Like his two previous teammates, Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS) got off to a great start by winning the first two holes. But the Red Raiders' Roller tied the match on 6 and maintained a two-hole lead for nearly the entirety of the back nine.
- Menante (Carlsbad, Calif./Sage Creek HS) only trailed once when Lopez went 1-up after the fourth hole. But Menante then won three consecutive holes to go 2-up after seven. The lead was one after the 10th hole, and the duo halved each of the next five holes. Lopez tied the match on 16, but Menante outplayed Lopez on 17 and 18 to give the Waves the overall victory.
QUOTABLE
Pepperdine Coach
Michael Beard said: "We haven't played much match play and we just tried to get the guys up this morning thinking, get that edge. Wherever you are mentally, just find that edge today so we can go out and be aggressive and see if we can get a win ... It's so neat that guys get to play here in a place where they play the TOUR Championship. Then, to win and be in that championship match is even more special. We're really excited about tomorrow and we'll get a game plan tonight and get ready to go."
Dylan Menante said: "It feels great. The last couple tournaments, I'm starting to play better and get my game in the right shape so it's time to help the team and represent the team, obviously, and carry us to victory."
Joe Highsmith said: "Pretty much from the start my swing felt really good and my mental game was on point. So I feel like I didn't do a very good job yesterday, but I learned a lot, so it was nice to come out strong early on today."
Derek Hitchner said: "Hitting the fairways is so critical and I feel like I've missed a couple here and there, but when I've been out of position, I've just kind of managed it well and been in a position to make pars and kind of limit the damage. Once I have opportunities, I really try to capitalize as much as I can. I attribute that to pretty good putting, it's been a huge aid for me this week."
UP NEXT
Wednesday's start times have been moved earlier due to expected inclement weather in Atlanta. The first pairing between the Waves and the Sooners will start on the first tee at 5:40 a.m. PT. The College Central pregame show will begin at 8 a.m. PT on Golf Channel, followed by live coverage from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. PT.
