Pepperdine University
Branch Law Firm/Dick McGuire Invitational
Kylee Choi Earns Individual Title as No. 13 Women’s Golf Finishes Second at Dick McGuire Invitational
9/15/2026 3:11:00 PM | Women's Golf
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Pepperdine women's golf sophomore Kylee Choi earned her first collegiate tournament victory at the Dick McGuire Invitational as the Waves finished in second place as a team among the field of 13.
The Waves finished the tournament at 9-under par (283-283-289) as a team, finishing one stroke behind UNLV (-10) from UNM Championship Golf Course in Albuquerque. The second round concluded this morning before the final round after being suspended due to lightning on Monday.
Pepperdine shot one-over par during the final round, led by under par rounds from Irene Kim (70) and Kylee Choi (71). Kim also secured her first career top-five finish, landing in a tie for third individually.
"I'm very proud of how the players competed throughout the tournament and played in the rainy weather to finish one back after a very busy last month," said head coach Laurie Gibbs. "Kylee played awesome all 54 holes to record a dominant win. Coach K did a great job in her first tournament for the Waves. A couple days in Malibu before going to Vail for the Golfweek Red Sky!"
Kylee Choi finished the tournament with her third consecutive below par round to earn her first collegiate win. Choi logged a 71 in the final round to finish the tournament at 10-under (68-67-71), four strokes ahead of the runner-up finish. She becomes the seventh Wave to earn a victory at the Dick McGuire Invitational, and first since Lauren Gomez in 2024.
Irene Kim finished in a tie for third individually at 4-under (72-70-70) for the tournament, registering her best collegiate finish to date. After beginning her final round at 2-over through nine holes, Kim fired in four straight birdies on holes 12-15 to surge up the leaderboard and secure the top-five finish.
Grace Anderson remained consistent throughout the week to finish in a tie for 16th individually at 3-over (73-72-74). Anderson closed the tournament with a 2-over 74 in the final round, finishing with her second birdie of the day on the final hole. The top-20 finish marked the sixth of her collegiate career.
Eunseo Choi concluded the tournament at six-over (70-78-74) to finish in a tie for 28th. Choi carded a 74 in the final round, going even par on the front nine before a 38 on the back nine.
Katelyn Kong finished tied for 36th at 8-over (76-74-74) across the three rounds. Kong logged three birdies on the day to finish with a second straight round of 2-over today.
Competing individually, Kaya Daluwatte concluded her first collegiate event in a tie for 28th at 6-over (75-76-71). Daluwatte was under par on the day with a 1-under 71, carding five birdies to go along with four bogeys.
Team Leaderboard
1. UNLV (-10)
2. Pepperdine (-9)
3. New Mexico (-3)
4. Montana State (+12)
5. CSU Fullerton (+23)
6. Sacramento State (+25)
7. Northern Arizona (+27)
8. Fresno State (+29)
T9. Nevada (+31)
T9. UTEP (+31)
11. UC Irvine (+32)
12. Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (+56)
13. CSU Northridge (+71)
Pepperdine Leaderboard
1. Kylee Choi (-10)
T3. Irene Kim (-4)
T16. Grace Anderson (+3)
T28. Eunseo Choi (+6)
T28. Kaya Daluwatte (+6) - IND
T37. Katelyn Kong (+8)
The Waves have now finished in the top-two ten times at the Dick McGuire Invitational in 22 appearances. Full results for the tournament can be viewed here.
The Waves will return next week (Sept. 21-23) at the Golfweek Red Sky Classic from Red Sky Ranch and Golf Club in Wolcott, Colo.
ABOUT PEPPERDINE WOMEN'S GOLF
Pepperdine women's golf has consistently been one of the top collegiate programs in the country under head coach Laurie Gibbs, exemplified by the current streak of 27 straight seasons with an NCAA Regional appearance. Having advanced to the NCAA Championships on 15 of those occasions, the Waves also boast 22 WCC Championships since 1998. Since the year 2000, 18 athletes have garnered All-American honors with a total of 36 selections.
FOLLOW
To stay up-to-date on the latest Pepperdine women's golf news, follow the Waves on social media @PepperdineWGOLF.
