Monday, September 13
Albuquerque, N.M.
Pepperdine University
at
Dick McGuire Invitational
Photo by: Ron Hall
Women's Golf Begins Season at McGuire Invitational
9/10/2021 8:40:00 AM | Women's Golf
MALIBU, California — The 2021-22 women's golf season kicks off with the Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational in New Mexico. A young Pepperdine team looks to take another big step forward back toward national prominence this season.
EVENT INFO — The Dick McGuire Invitational will be held at the par-72, 6,317-yard UNM Championship Golf Course, located in Albuquerque, N.M. It's a two-day event with 36 holes on Monday and the final 18 on Tuesday (Sept.13-14). There will be live scoring on Golfstat.
FIELD — In addition to Pepperdine, the 16-team field includes host New Mexico, BYU, California, Colorado, Colorado State, Denver, Fresno State, Iowa, Kansas, New Mexico State, Oregon State, San Diego State, San Jose State, Texas State and UNLV.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — The Waves' lineup consists of freshman Lauren Gomez (Murrieta, Calif.), sophomore Lion Higo (Gold Coast, Australia), junior Reese Guzman (Kahului, Hawai'i), graduate student Megan Dennis (Bedfordshire, United Kingdom) and sophomore Kaleiya Romero (San Jose, Calif.). Freshman Milla Sagel (Bielefeld, Germany) will compete as an individual.
EVENT HISTORY — This is Pepperdine's 19th trip to the Dick McGuire Invitational. The Waves have won three times (2005, 2009, 2013) and have come in second place in each of their last three visits.
ROSTER — Pepperdine has five golfers back from last season (one graduate student, one senior, one junior and two sophomores) and has added three freshmen. Megan Dennis utilized a COVID-19 redshirt year to come back for an extra year of competition.
2020-21 RECAP — The Waves only played in the spring during the COVID-19-shortened season. Among the returners, Reese Guzman, Lion Higo and Kaleiya Romero received All-WCC first team honors. Romero was also a WGCA All-American Scholar. Pepperdine fell in a playoff at the WCC Championships, then outplayed its #13 seed at the NCAA Stanford Regional, finishing eighth.
GIBBS — Under the direction of Laurie Gibbs, who is now in her 29th season as head coach, Pepperdine has earned a place as one of the nation's top golf programs. Gibbs has been honored 13 times as the WCC's Coach of the Year, was tabbed the West Region Coach of the Year on two occasions and was selected the 2004-05 National Coach of the Year by Golfweek magazine. Gibbs was inducted into the WGCA Coaches Hall of Fame in December 2015. The Waves have won 52 tournaments in her career.
GOLF HISTORY — The Waves have qualified for 12 of the last 22 NCAA Championships, and have recorded eight top-10 finishes and four top-five showings, including a program-best second-place result in 2003. The Waves have won West Coast Conference championships in 18 of the 24 tournaments ever held, including a streak of 14 titles that ran from 2002 to 2015. Fourteen different players have earned All-American honors a total of 30 times. LPGA Tour players have included Katherine (Hull) Kirk, Lindsey Wright, Tamie Durdin, Nadina (Taylor) Light, Misun Cho, Carolina Llano, Danielle Kang, Taylore Karle and Grace Na. Hull was the 2003 National Player of the Year and was inducted into the WGCA Hall of Fame in 2012. Kang won back-to-back U.S. Amateur Championships in 2010 and 2011 and was a U.S. Olympian in 2021.
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 10 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 26 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 #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
EVENT INFO — The Dick McGuire Invitational will be held at the par-72, 6,317-yard UNM Championship Golf Course, located in Albuquerque, N.M. It's a two-day event with 36 holes on Monday and the final 18 on Tuesday (Sept.13-14). There will be live scoring on Golfstat.
FIELD — In addition to Pepperdine, the 16-team field includes host New Mexico, BYU, California, Colorado, Colorado State, Denver, Fresno State, Iowa, Kansas, New Mexico State, Oregon State, San Diego State, San Jose State, Texas State and UNLV.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — The Waves' lineup consists of freshman Lauren Gomez (Murrieta, Calif.), sophomore Lion Higo (Gold Coast, Australia), junior Reese Guzman (Kahului, Hawai'i), graduate student Megan Dennis (Bedfordshire, United Kingdom) and sophomore Kaleiya Romero (San Jose, Calif.). Freshman Milla Sagel (Bielefeld, Germany) will compete as an individual.
EVENT HISTORY — This is Pepperdine's 19th trip to the Dick McGuire Invitational. The Waves have won three times (2005, 2009, 2013) and have come in second place in each of their last three visits.
ROSTER — Pepperdine has five golfers back from last season (one graduate student, one senior, one junior and two sophomores) and has added three freshmen. Megan Dennis utilized a COVID-19 redshirt year to come back for an extra year of competition.
2020-21 RECAP — The Waves only played in the spring during the COVID-19-shortened season. Among the returners, Reese Guzman, Lion Higo and Kaleiya Romero received All-WCC first team honors. Romero was also a WGCA All-American Scholar. Pepperdine fell in a playoff at the WCC Championships, then outplayed its #13 seed at the NCAA Stanford Regional, finishing eighth.
GIBBS — Under the direction of Laurie Gibbs, who is now in her 29th season as head coach, Pepperdine has earned a place as one of the nation's top golf programs. Gibbs has been honored 13 times as the WCC's Coach of the Year, was tabbed the West Region Coach of the Year on two occasions and was selected the 2004-05 National Coach of the Year by Golfweek magazine. Gibbs was inducted into the WGCA Coaches Hall of Fame in December 2015. The Waves have won 52 tournaments in her career.
GOLF HISTORY — The Waves have qualified for 12 of the last 22 NCAA Championships, and have recorded eight top-10 finishes and four top-five showings, including a program-best second-place result in 2003. The Waves have won West Coast Conference championships in 18 of the 24 tournaments ever held, including a streak of 14 titles that ran from 2002 to 2015. Fourteen different players have earned All-American honors a total of 30 times. LPGA Tour players have included Katherine (Hull) Kirk, Lindsey Wright, Tamie Durdin, Nadina (Taylor) Light, Misun Cho, Carolina Llano, Danielle Kang, Taylore Karle and Grace Na. Hull was the 2003 National Player of the Year and was inducted into the WGCA Hall of Fame in 2012. Kang won back-to-back U.S. Amateur Championships in 2010 and 2011 and was a U.S. Olympian in 2021.
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 10 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 26 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 #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
Players Mentioned
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