MORGAN HILL, Calif. – The Pepperdine men's golf team will push for a third national title at the 2023 NCAA Championships, as the Waves qualified after finishing fifth at the NCAA Morgan Hill Regional on Wednesday.
The top five teams advanced and it came down to the wire for the Waves as the team was three strokes ahead of California in sixth with the last few holes to go at the par-72 The Institute. Pepperdine stayed strong in the end, though, and finished with an 11-over 875 (284-298-293).
Sam Choi led the Waves, finishing at par to tie for seventh.
The squad began the day in fourth and seven shots ahead of the cut line. They shot 5-over in the third round, while Cal shot 1-over to make a run at it. The top-six was tight from start to finish as Pepperdine finished only two strokes behind Baylor in fourth and four behind Florida State in third.
The two-time national champions have advanced to the NCAA finals for the fourth-consecutive time and for the 13
th time in program history.
PLAYER SCORES
- Graduate Sam Choi (Anaheim, Calif./New Mexico) finished tied for seventh with a three-round score of 216 (72-71-73). He marked eight birdies throughout the weekend, including three in the final round, as well as an eagle in the second round. He remained flawless in his final nine holes and birdied the second.
- Senior William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS) tied for 16th with a 219 (69-76-74). He was good for four birdies in the third round and 11 overall.
- Graduate Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School) ended the regional tied for 25th with a 221 (72-77-72). He had six birdies, including the second and third holes in the final round, and stayed even par through the final five holes.
- Graduate Luke Gifford (Boca Raton, Fla./South Florida) tied for 37th with a three-day score of 223 (71-78-74). He marked four birdies, including a pair in the first half of the final round.
- Freshman Brady Siravo (Sacramento, Calif./Jesuit HS) tied for 45th with a 226 (75-74-77). He tallied five birdies throughout the tournament and had three in the third round, including two of the three final holes of the day.
THE NUMBERS
Team Scores: 1. Mississippi State 863; 2. BYU 868; 3. Florida State 871; 4. Baylor 873;
5. Pepperdine 875; 6. California 878; 7. Missouri 887; T8. Arizona 889; T8. Louisville 889; 10. NC State 890; 11. Grand Canyon 895; 12. Charlotte 897; 13. Northern Colorado 927.
Top Individuals: 1. Luke Clanton (Florida State) 210; T2. Maximilian Steinlechner (NC State) 212; T2. Riley Lewis (LMU) 212; T4. Zach Jones (BYU) 215; T4. Ben Woodruff (Charlotte) 215; T4. Charlie Crockett (Missouri) 215;
T7. Sam Choi (Pepperdine) 216; T7. Sampson Zheng (Cal) 216; T7. Hunter Logan (Mississippi State); T7. Ford Clegg (Mississippi State) 217.
UP NEXT
The NCAA Championships are set for May 26-31 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
