Monday, February 24
San Luis Obispo, Calif.
Pepperdine University
at
Bruin Wave Invitational
Alexa Melton
Photo by: Jeff Golden
Women's Golf Set for Bruin Wave Invitational
2/20/2020 1:24:00 PM | Women's Golf
MALIBU, California — For the 11th consecutive year, the Pepperdine and UCLA women's golf teams will co-host the Bruin Wave Invitational, annually one of the nation's most competitive events. Eleven of the 12 teams are ranked among the nation's top 100 and three of them are in the top 20.
EVENT INFO — The Bruin Wave Invitational will be held at the par-72, 6,103-yard San Luis Obispo Country Club. There will be two rounds on Monday and the third and final round will be Tuesday (Feb. 24-25). Tee times will begin at 7:15 a.m. on Monday, and the Waves will be paired with UCLA and Northwestern. Live scoring will be provided via Golfstat.
FIELD — The 12-team field includes co-hosts #39 Pepperdine and #14 UCLA in addition to #98 Cal Poly, CSUN, #42 Northwestern, #16 Oregon, #35 Oregon State, #44 San Diego State, #63 San Francisco, #2 USC, #48 Washington and #59 Washington State (Golfstat ranking shown).
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — The Waves' lineup consists of senior Momoka Kobori (Rangiora, New Zealand), freshman Alexa Melton (Covina, Calif./South Hills HS), junior Megan Dennis (Bedfordshire, United Kingdom/Florida Tech), freshman Reese Guzman (Kahului, Hawai'i/Maui HS) and sophomore Sifan He (Shanghai, China). Sophomore Kathrine Chan (Richmond, B.C./Canada) will compete as an individual.
EVENT HISTORY — This is the fifth straight year that the tournament has been held at San Luis Obispo Country Club. It's also been hosted by Robinson Ranch (2010-11) and El Caballero (2012-15). The Waves won the tournament in 2012. USC has won it four times, followed by UCLA twice, Stanford twice and Washington and Pepperdine once apiece.
RANKINGS — The Waves are #39 by Golfstat and #42 by Golfweek/Sagarin ... Momoka Kobori is ranked #28 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #38 by Golfstat ... Alexa Melton is #135 by Golfstat and #164 by Golfweek/Sagarin.
PRESEASON HYPE — The Waves came in at #25 on Golfweek's preseason rankings ... Golfweek also listed freshman Alexa Melton as a preseason All-American second team selection, and as one of the top 10 freshmen in the country. Kathrine Chan and Momoka Kobori made the preseason All-WCC team and the Waves were voted the league's favorite by the WCC's coaches.
ROSTER — The Waves, who won their 18th West Coast Conference title last season, look quite a bit different this year. Three seniors off a six-person roster have graduated, and three talented newcomers have taken their place. Senior Momoka Kobori is the only Wave that had already been with the program for multiple seasons. A pair of sophomores, Kathrine Chan and Sifan He, are the other returners. The Waves added junior transfer Megan Dennis, who won the NCAA Division II championship with Florida Tech in 2019 (but had to find a new home after the department dropped women's golf). Pepperdine also signed a pair of freshmen in Alexa Melton (a 2018 AJGA All-American second team selection) and Reese Guzman (who won four AJGA titles).
Kobori, a two-time All-WCC first team pick, ranks tied for seventh all-time on Pepperdine's career scoring list (74.21) and eighth on the below-par rounds list (21). She has played 99 career rounds.
DICK McGUIRE INVITATIONAL — Momoka Kobori won her first college title in the season's first event, shooting a 9-under 207 to win by two shots. She began the final round tied for 10th place and six shots back but posted an 8-under 64 (eight birdies, zero bogeys), tying the third-best single round in program history. Her 54-hole score of 9-under puts her a tie for sixth on the Waves' all-time list.
MORE HIGHLIGHTS — The Waves had a pair of second-place finishes among their four fall tournaments ... Momoka Kobori has had three top-10 finishes and four top-20 results, including her win, and has led the Waves at four of five tournaments.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 25 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #50 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
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EVENT INFO — The Bruin Wave Invitational will be held at the par-72, 6,103-yard San Luis Obispo Country Club. There will be two rounds on Monday and the third and final round will be Tuesday (Feb. 24-25). Tee times will begin at 7:15 a.m. on Monday, and the Waves will be paired with UCLA and Northwestern. Live scoring will be provided via Golfstat.
FIELD — The 12-team field includes co-hosts #39 Pepperdine and #14 UCLA in addition to #98 Cal Poly, CSUN, #42 Northwestern, #16 Oregon, #35 Oregon State, #44 San Diego State, #63 San Francisco, #2 USC, #48 Washington and #59 Washington State (Golfstat ranking shown).
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — The Waves' lineup consists of senior Momoka Kobori (Rangiora, New Zealand), freshman Alexa Melton (Covina, Calif./South Hills HS), junior Megan Dennis (Bedfordshire, United Kingdom/Florida Tech), freshman Reese Guzman (Kahului, Hawai'i/Maui HS) and sophomore Sifan He (Shanghai, China). Sophomore Kathrine Chan (Richmond, B.C./Canada) will compete as an individual.
EVENT HISTORY — This is the fifth straight year that the tournament has been held at San Luis Obispo Country Club. It's also been hosted by Robinson Ranch (2010-11) and El Caballero (2012-15). The Waves won the tournament in 2012. USC has won it four times, followed by UCLA twice, Stanford twice and Washington and Pepperdine once apiece.
RANKINGS — The Waves are #39 by Golfstat and #42 by Golfweek/Sagarin ... Momoka Kobori is ranked #28 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #38 by Golfstat ... Alexa Melton is #135 by Golfstat and #164 by Golfweek/Sagarin.
PRESEASON HYPE — The Waves came in at #25 on Golfweek's preseason rankings ... Golfweek also listed freshman Alexa Melton as a preseason All-American second team selection, and as one of the top 10 freshmen in the country. Kathrine Chan and Momoka Kobori made the preseason All-WCC team and the Waves were voted the league's favorite by the WCC's coaches.
ROSTER — The Waves, who won their 18th West Coast Conference title last season, look quite a bit different this year. Three seniors off a six-person roster have graduated, and three talented newcomers have taken their place. Senior Momoka Kobori is the only Wave that had already been with the program for multiple seasons. A pair of sophomores, Kathrine Chan and Sifan He, are the other returners. The Waves added junior transfer Megan Dennis, who won the NCAA Division II championship with Florida Tech in 2019 (but had to find a new home after the department dropped women's golf). Pepperdine also signed a pair of freshmen in Alexa Melton (a 2018 AJGA All-American second team selection) and Reese Guzman (who won four AJGA titles).
Kobori, a two-time All-WCC first team pick, ranks tied for seventh all-time on Pepperdine's career scoring list (74.21) and eighth on the below-par rounds list (21). She has played 99 career rounds.
DICK McGUIRE INVITATIONAL — Momoka Kobori won her first college title in the season's first event, shooting a 9-under 207 to win by two shots. She began the final round tied for 10th place and six shots back but posted an 8-under 64 (eight birdies, zero bogeys), tying the third-best single round in program history. Her 54-hole score of 9-under puts her a tie for sixth on the Waves' all-time list.
MORE HIGHLIGHTS — The Waves had a pair of second-place finishes among their four fall tournaments ... Momoka Kobori has had three top-10 finishes and four top-20 results, including her win, and has led the Waves at four of five tournaments.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY — Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 25 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #50 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
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