William Mouw is a rising senior golfer for Pepperdine. William is a three-time All-American and is top-5 all-time for Pepperdine in career scoring average at 71.10 strokes per round. He was one of 12 amateurs who qualified for the U.S. Open earlier this month at The Country Club in Brookline, Massachusetts, though he would end up missing the cut.
 
Q: First off, walk me through your experience playing in the U.S. Open this month?

A: Wow, I mean, what an amazing experience. And leading up to it was almost as special, playing with Pepperdine and the NCAAs. That competition and the environment really drove me and prepared me for the qualifying for the U.S. Open first. And I really gathered some confidence in the NCAAs. That translated to qualifying for the U.S. Open, playing really well there and it got me really excited to make it. And it was super special to get to play with those guys. It was awesome — a dream come true.

Q: The qualifier in San Francisco flew a bit under the radar, but you ran away with it and beat the second-place finisher by a total of five strokes. How were you feeling in that tournament?

A: So, I really didn't have any expectations going into the tournament. But I knew I was playing well, I knew where my game was. So going in there with no expectations helped me to really enjoy the experience and the environment and to soak it all in before thinking about the U.S. Open.

Q: One of the best plays from the entire U.S. Open was your bunker shot on the 14th hole for eagle. How did it feel knocking that one down? 

A: Yeah, that was pretty cool. I mean, I've practiced those hundreds and hundreds of times before that shot was hit. A lot goes into it. So I knew that I had that shot if I needed it, and it was really cool seeing it go in.
 
Q: Where does that rank in terms of other clutch shots you've hit in your career?
 
A: It's definitely up there at the top (laughs). What made that one special was that there was maybe 1,000 people around the green. And it was cool to get them all involved and to get the energy up. It was awesome pulling that off -- not only for myself, but more importantly for the people. They were having a great time.

Q: What's your mindset in a tournament like that compared to the college tournaments for Pepperdine?

A: Honestly, my mindset is always the same. Going into that tournament was the same focus that I have for any tournament I play at Pepperdine as well. It's laser focus and determination while maintaining as much concentration on the game as possible.
 
Q: How do you think playing on such a high-caliber college team prepares you for an event like that?

A: Getting to play on such a high-level college team prepares you for moments like that. Competing day in and day out with your teammates who are all top-level players as well really gets you in the right mindset for competing with some of the best players around the world. The preparation from Pepperdine has been amazing.
 
Q: Other than level of play, what's the biggest difference in a tournament like that compared to what you're used to at the college level? 
 
A: I think the biggest difference for me is the amount of people. There's more cameras in your face, there's blimps, airplanes flying over and everybody's watching. So being an individual and having to stay in your own bubble and concentrate is probably the biggest difference. There's no substitute for experience, so having an experience like that in front of a crowd is just impeccable and will help me as a player.
 
Q: One of your playing partners at the U.S. Open was Pepperdine alum Andrew Putnam. What was that like?

A: Playing with Andrew was great. It was really cool that I was able to get paired with a fellow Wave. I don't know if the pairing was totally random but we were able to talk a lot about Pepperdine and our experiences. He's just a really genuine, down-to-earth guy and an even better player — I was happy to get paired with a guy like that for the U.S. Open.

Q: What's next for you the rest of the summer?

A: I've got four more tournaments this summer. I've got the Trans-Miss Amateur Toruament, the Pacific Coast Amateur, the Western Amateur and the U.S. Amateur. So back to work for me and I'm sure I'll enjoy the process.
 
Q: What can we expect from the rest of the team heading into the 2022-23 season?

A: I'm very excited about this year's roster. This is a great group of guys. They're like-minded individuals and I think that's what's going to drive this year -- a group that's already really solid but ready to get better. It's obviously a new team dynamic, but I know some of the transfers coming in, they're real quality guys. There's no doubt in my mind that we're going to be able to contend for the national championship again.