SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – The Pepperdine men's golf team's quest for a third national title will continue as the Waves qualified for match play for the third-consecutive year after a fourth-place finish in stroke play at the NCAA Championships on Monday.
Three Waves finished in the top-15, led by
Sam Choi who shot 1-under to tie for seventh and become the seventh Wave in program history to finish in the top-10 of stroke play at the NCAA Championships.
Luke Gifford and
Derek Hitchner kept even with par to finish tied for 11
th. Including the trio this season, Pepperdine has had 14 players finish in the top-20 of stroke play at the NCAA Championships all-time.
The Waves, ranked #8 by Golfstat and seeded #8 in the tournament, finished fourth after shooting a four-day total of 1,120 (281-287-269-283) at the par-70 Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club. They finished 13 shots clear of ninth place.
The Waves are making their third-straight and third-ever appearance in NCAA match play. Pepperdine has posted a 4-1 record in match play at the NCAA finals the last three years. The two-time national champions have advanced to the NCAA finals for a third consecutive time and 13
th time overall.
PLAYER SCORES
- Graduate Sam Choi (Anaheim, Calif./New Mexico) tied for seventh after finishing stroke play with a four-round total of 279 (70-72-67-70). He posted 12 birdies throughout, including two in the final round today.
- Graduate Luke Gifford (Boca Raton, Fla./South Florida) had a remarkable week, finishing tied for 11th with a score of 280 (70-71-67-72). He finished stroke play with 13 birdies, including three in today's round, starting 2-under with birdies on holes one and two and finishing with a final birdie on the 18th.
- Graduate Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School) also finished 11th after posting a 280 (73-73-65-69). After posting a pair of 73's in the first two rounds, he finished subpar in the final two to move up into the top-11. He led the Waves and was second among all players with 20 birdies through four rounds, including three in the round today. He had six birdies in each the first and third rounds as well.
- Senior William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS) finished tied for 40th with a four-day score of 286 (73-71-70-72). He was good for 10 birdies this week, including three in the fourth round.
- Graduate Roberto Nieves (Miami, Fla./Delaware) finished stroke play tied for 52nd with a 288 (68-75-72-73). He birdied the sixth hole today and finished with 10 birdies overall.
UP NEXT:
Pepperdine will meet #5 seed Georgia Tech in the quarterfinals on Tuesday morning. The two teams will square off at 7:10 a.m. on the 10
th tee. The winner will move on to face either North Carolina or Arizona State in the semifinals, which are scheduled to begin at 1:35 p.m. on Tuesday.
The other half of the bracket, Florida faces Virginia and Illinois meets Florida State.
Golf Channel will have live coverage of the quarterfinals from 9-11:30 a.m. and of the semifinals from 2-6 p.m.
QUOTABLE:
THE NUMBERS
Team Scores (8 advancing teams): 1. North Carolina 1,114; T2. Florida 1,118; T2. Illinois 1,118; 4. Pepperdine 1,120; T5. Georgia Tech 1,126; T5. Florida State 1,126; 7. Virginia 1,131; T8*. Arizona State 1,132( *advanced in playoff).
Team Scores (8 non-advancing teams): T8. Stanford 1,132; 10. Auburn 1,138; T11. Vanderbilt 1,141; T11. Alabama 1,141; 13. Texas A&M 1,144; 14. Georgia 1,149; 15. Ohio State 1,160.
Top Individuals: 1. Fred Biondi (Florida) 273; T2. Jackson Buchanan (Illinois) 274; T2. Ross Steelman (Georgia Tech) 274; T4. Barclay Brown (Stanford) 275; T4.
Dylan Menante (UNC) 275; 6. Ben James (Virginia) 276;
T7. Sam Choi (Pepperdine) 279; T7. Brett Roberts (Florida State) 279; T7. Tommy Kuhl (Illinois) 279; T7. A. Dumont de Chassar (Illinois) 279.
