Monday, January 24
Westlake Village, Calif.
Pepperdine University
vs
Southwestern Invitational
William Mouw
Photo by: Roger Horne
Men's Golf Begins Spring With Own Southwestern Invitational
1/21/2022 2:25:00 PM | Men's Golf
MALIBU, California — The defending NCAA champion and #2-ranked Pepperdine men's golf team begins the spring season with its own Southwestern Invitational presented by Topgolf. The three-day event will be televised by the Golf Channel.
EVENT INFO — The Southwestern Invitational will be held at the par-72, 6,992-yard North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif. There will be 18 holes of golf each day between Monday and Wednesday (Jan. 24-26). Play is scheduled to begin at 7:46 a.m. PT each day. Live scoring will be available via Golfstat.
All three days, Golf Channel will air College Central from 1-1:30 p.m. PT, followed by live coverage of the Southwestern from 1:30-4:30 p.m. PT.
This year's event is open to the public.
FIELD — In addition to #2 Pepperdine, the 12-team field includes (in order of Golfweek/Sagarin ranking): #3 Arizona State, #7 Texas, #10 Wake Forest, #16 Georgia, #20 Washington, #38 SMU, #59 San Diego State, #68 UCLA, #79 San Jose State, #93 USC and #122 UNLV.
EVENT HISTORY — This is the 43rd edition of the Southwestern Invitational. The tournament began in 1978 with USC as the host. The two schools co-hosted in 2013 and 2014, and then the Waves took over sole hosting duties in 2016. Arizona State has won its a record eight times. Pepperdine has three victories (2006, 2017, 2020). Sahith Theegala (2017, 2020) is one of three two-time individual winners. Michael Walton (1995) and Jason Gore (1997) were also victorious. Last season, the Waves took fifth place, while Joshua McCarthy was second.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — Pepperdine's lineup will be set later this weekend.
RANKINGS — The Waves were picked as the nation's #1 team in the preseason in the Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll, and in Golf Channel's season preview. The Waves are currently #2 by Golfweek/Sagarin, #5 in the coaches poll and #6 by Golfstat.
Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Highsmith 2nd, Vrzich 20th, Derek Hitchner 34th, Menante 78th.
Golfstat rankings: Highsmith 35th, Vrzich 46th, Hitchner 72nd.
PGA Tour University rankings: Highsmith 10th, Vrzich 15th, Hitchner 34th.
World Amateur Golf Ranking: Highsmith 11th, Menante 17th, Vrzich 30th, Mouw 64th, Hitchner 81st.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS — The Waves won the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate in October by four shots with a score of 42-under, the first-best score in program history. Joe Highsmith won his second college title with a 19-under 197, good for the third-best score in team history ... The Waves competed at the prestigious East Lake Cup for the second straight year. They won the single round of stroke play, lost to Oklahoma in the opening round of match play, but defeated Arizona State for third place.
2021-22 HONORS — Dylan Menante and William Mouw were named to the Haskins Award preseason watch list ... The Waves took up five of the 10 spots on the preseason All-WCC team with Menante, Mouw, Joe Highsmith, Derek Hitchner and Joey Vrzich ... The Waves are the unanimous favorite to win the WCC title again in the preseason vote of the coaches.
RECORDS WATCH — Five current Waves rank among Pepperdine's top nine on the all-time scoring list — Joey Vrzich at #1 (70.45), Dylan Menante at #3 (71.02), William Mouw at #4 (71.12), Joe Highsmith at #5 (71.27) and Derek Hitchner at #9 (71.97) ... Highsmith is seventh in career below-par rounds (50).
ROSTER — It's a smaller squad than years past, with only six Waves on the roster. But four of them are returning All-Americans who were in the lineup for the national championship. The breakdown is three seniors, two juniors and one freshman. Joey Vrzich utilized a COVID-19 redshirt year to play a fifth season of college golf.
2020-21 RECAP — Despite finishing the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season as the nation's #1 team, many people wrote off the Waves last season after the graduation of National Player of the Year Sahith Theegala. But the Waves maintained their elite status, winning a program-record six tournaments, including the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Country Club. The Waves finished third in stroke play to advance to match play for the first time, where they beat the top three ranked teams in the country in Florida State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. A total of six Waves earned All-American honors, led by Joey Vrzich (second team) and WCC Player of the Year Dylan Menante (third team). Pepperdine also won the WCC title for the 21st time with a record score of 49-under.
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 Southwestern Invitational will be held at the par-72, 6,992-yard North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif. There will be 18 holes of golf each day between Monday and Wednesday (Jan. 24-26). Play is scheduled to begin at 7:46 a.m. PT each day. Live scoring will be available via Golfstat.
All three days, Golf Channel will air College Central from 1-1:30 p.m. PT, followed by live coverage of the Southwestern from 1:30-4:30 p.m. PT.
This year's event is open to the public.
FIELD — In addition to #2 Pepperdine, the 12-team field includes (in order of Golfweek/Sagarin ranking): #3 Arizona State, #7 Texas, #10 Wake Forest, #16 Georgia, #20 Washington, #38 SMU, #59 San Diego State, #68 UCLA, #79 San Jose State, #93 USC and #122 UNLV.
EVENT HISTORY — This is the 43rd edition of the Southwestern Invitational. The tournament began in 1978 with USC as the host. The two schools co-hosted in 2013 and 2014, and then the Waves took over sole hosting duties in 2016. Arizona State has won its a record eight times. Pepperdine has three victories (2006, 2017, 2020). Sahith Theegala (2017, 2020) is one of three two-time individual winners. Michael Walton (1995) and Jason Gore (1997) were also victorious. Last season, the Waves took fifth place, while Joshua McCarthy was second.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — Pepperdine's lineup will be set later this weekend.
RANKINGS — The Waves were picked as the nation's #1 team in the preseason in the Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll, and in Golf Channel's season preview. The Waves are currently #2 by Golfweek/Sagarin, #5 in the coaches poll and #6 by Golfstat.
Golfweek/Sagarin rankings: Highsmith 2nd, Vrzich 20th, Derek Hitchner 34th, Menante 78th.
Golfstat rankings: Highsmith 35th, Vrzich 46th, Hitchner 72nd.
PGA Tour University rankings: Highsmith 10th, Vrzich 15th, Hitchner 34th.
World Amateur Golf Ranking: Highsmith 11th, Menante 17th, Vrzich 30th, Mouw 64th, Hitchner 81st.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS — The Waves won the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate in October by four shots with a score of 42-under, the first-best score in program history. Joe Highsmith won his second college title with a 19-under 197, good for the third-best score in team history ... The Waves competed at the prestigious East Lake Cup for the second straight year. They won the single round of stroke play, lost to Oklahoma in the opening round of match play, but defeated Arizona State for third place.
2021-22 HONORS — Dylan Menante and William Mouw were named to the Haskins Award preseason watch list ... The Waves took up five of the 10 spots on the preseason All-WCC team with Menante, Mouw, Joe Highsmith, Derek Hitchner and Joey Vrzich ... The Waves are the unanimous favorite to win the WCC title again in the preseason vote of the coaches.
RECORDS WATCH — Five current Waves rank among Pepperdine's top nine on the all-time scoring list — Joey Vrzich at #1 (70.45), Dylan Menante at #3 (71.02), William Mouw at #4 (71.12), Joe Highsmith at #5 (71.27) and Derek Hitchner at #9 (71.97) ... Highsmith is seventh in career below-par rounds (50).
ROSTER — It's a smaller squad than years past, with only six Waves on the roster. But four of them are returning All-Americans who were in the lineup for the national championship. The breakdown is three seniors, two juniors and one freshman. Joey Vrzich utilized a COVID-19 redshirt year to play a fifth season of college golf.
2020-21 RECAP — Despite finishing the COVID-19-shortened 2019-20 season as the nation's #1 team, many people wrote off the Waves last season after the graduation of National Player of the Year Sahith Theegala. But the Waves maintained their elite status, winning a program-record six tournaments, including the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Country Club. The Waves finished third in stroke play to advance to match play for the first time, where they beat the top three ranked teams in the country in Florida State, Oklahoma State and Oklahoma. A total of six Waves earned All-American honors, led by Joey Vrzich (second team) and WCC Player of the Year Dylan Menante (third team). Pepperdine also won the WCC title for the 21st time with a record score of 49-under.
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.
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