For the fourth time in six years, Stanford captured the Pac-12 Men's Golf Championships, coming from behind on Wednesday at cold and breezy Eugene Country Club. It marks the 11th conference title for the program.
Trailing Cal by four strokes starting the fourth and final round, the Cardinal surged in front early on the front nine and never relinquished the lead. Stanford closed with a 4-over-par 359 in tough conditions to conclude at 7-under 1,413. UCLA earned second at 1,420 and Cal was third at 1,421.
"I think the wind surprised everyone today, but we did a good job all week keeping the big numbers off the card," said Conrad Ray, the Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "We had a couple but dodged the bullet and made the birdie putts when it mattered."
Previously, Stanford secured conference crowns in 1960, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1992, 1994, 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Wednesday's win was the third-straight by the No. 15 Cardinal, following triumphs at The Goodwin and Western Intercollegiate. The last time Stanford won three-consecutive tournaments was in 2013-14, when it claimed The Goodwin, Western Intercollegiate, Pac-12 Championships and NCAA Regional.
Once again, Stanford received contributions from throughout the lineup, with four-of-six players earning top-10 finishes. Senior Isaiah Salinda closed with an even-par 71 and placed fifth at 3-under 281, while senior Brandon Wu (73) and freshman Daulet Tulebayev (72) tied for seventh at 1-under 283. Junior David Snyder (71) finished at even-par 284 to secure a share of 10th. Sophomore Nate Menon (73) tied for 23rd at 6-over 290 and junior Henry Shimp (75) tied for 37th at 10-over 294.
Wednesday's five counting players recorded 10 birdies during the last seven holes. Tuleubayev reeled off three in a row and Snyder finished birdie-birdie. Salinda and Wu birdied No. 17 and Menon birdied two of his last six.
"All week we kind of made our birdies on the back nine and did that again today," Ray said. "Everyone contributed in a good way and I was happy for the guys to pull it out."
Salinda (51) and Snyder (50) finished first and second in the field in pars made, while Tuleubayev ranked first in par-5 scoring (4.33) and led the Cardinal with 16 birdies.
View final standings and Stanford final round scoring - click on image to enlarge
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| Final standings and Stanford 4th round scoring - click to enlarge |
Stanford is now a combined 25-under par during its current three-tournament win streak and 35-under in its last four starts. In the last three events, the team has posted the top final-round score.
"Momentum is a real thing in team golf and I think our guys are feeling that," said Ray. "Our guys are motivated to see where we can ride this thing. We have great young team and they are hungry to go win."
The Cardinal will host an NCAA Regional at Stanford Golf Course, May 13-15. Participants for all regional sites will be announced next Wednesday at 6 p.m. PT on the Golf Channel.
THIRD ROUND RESULTS: 3 teams at the top with Stanford in 3rd, only 4 shots back
A strong finish Tuesday enabled Stanford to keep its Pac-12 Championships hopes alive entering Wednesday's final round at Eugene Country Club.
The Cardinal scrapped for a 6-under-par score of 349 and stands third at 11-under 1,054 after 54 holes.
Cal combined for a 12-under 343 and took the lead at 15-under 1,050, followed by UCLA (348) at 1,053.
No. 15 Stanford is coming off consecutive victories at The Goodwin and Western Intercollegiate.
"Proud of our guys for hanging in there today on a difficult setup and following a big afternoon yesterday," said Conrad Ray, the Knowles Family Director of Men's Golf. "We are in a good position to make a move, especially considering we are counting five scores out of six. We'll get some rest tonight and I feel confident our guys will be ready to make a run tomorrow."
Falling back early on Tuesday, the Cardinal once again flourished on the back nine. Junior David Snyder rebounded from a triple-bogey on the front nine with three-straight birdies and racked up seven on the day to post a team-best 3-under 68.
Sophomore Nate Menon birdied three-of-his-last six holes to contribute a 71, while seniors Brandon Wu and Isaiah Salinda continued their sensational play.
Playing late in the day, Wu birdied the par-4 17th and 18th holes to record a 70 and is tied for sixth at 3-under 210. He has shot par or better in 10 of his last 12 rounds, has broken par nine times, and is an accumulative 16-under.
Salinda toured his last 15 holes in 3-under to finish with a 69 and is tied for eighth with freshman Daulet Tuleubayev (74) at 2-under 211.
Salinda has also sizzled. He has registered par or better in nine of his last 12 rounds, bettering par seven times and is an accumulative 13-under.
Snyder is even-par through three rounds and shares 16th, while Menon is tied for 31st at 4-over and junior Henry Shimp (71) is knotted for 39th at 6-over.
Collin Morikawa of Cal leads the individual race at 11-under 202, one stroke in front of Kyler Dunkle of Utah.
The Cardinal begins the final round at 9:06 a.m. and will play with Cal and UCLA. Stanford has captured 10 Pac-12 titles, the last in 2016.
Third round standings and Stanford scorecards - click on image to enlarge
FIRST AND SECOND ROUND RESULTS: Stanford stays hot and is tied for the lead
Stanford continued its outstanding play Monday on the first day of the Pac-12 Golf Men's Championships at Eugene Country Club.
Entering with a two-tournament winning streak, the No. 15 Cardinal played the morning round in 4-over 359, then improved 13 shots in the afternoon with a first-day best 9-under 346 to finish at 5-under 705 to share the lead with UCLA.
Freshman Daulet Tuleubayev produced the best showing of his young Cardinal career. After starting with a season-low 4-under-par 67 in the morning – a round that included seven birdies – he added an eagle-aided 70 in the afternoon and is tied for fourth at 5-under 137. Tuleubayev's eagle came at the par-5 sixth.
Stanford devoured the back nine to begin the second round. The Cardinal combined for 16 birdies and overtook Cal and UCLA for first. Seniors Brandon Wu and Isaiah Salinda shot 4-under 33's and junior Henry Shimp and sophomore Nate Menon added 35's.
Salinda, coming off his first collegiate victory last week at the Western Intercollegiate, fired a 66 Monday afternoon, collecting seven birdies. Menon contributed a career-best 67 and was 4-under his last 11 holes.
Wu and Tuleubayev added 70's, junior Henry Shimp shot 73 and junior David Snyder had 74.
Wu, who earned his first college title last month at The Goodwin, is tied for eighth at 2-under 140. Salinda is tied for 12th at 142, followed by Snyder at 145 (t-32), Menon at 146 (t-35) and Shimp at 148 (t-49).
Round One and Two Scoring and Standings - click on image to enlarge
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| Stanford round 1 scorecards - click to enlarge |
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| Stanford round 2 scoring and team standings |
Justin Suh of USC and Kyler Dunkle of Utah share the individual lead at 8-under 134.
The third round is Tuesday and starts at 9 a.m., and the final round is Wednesday.
BACKGROUND: Stanford comes in hot off two straight wins
Coming off consecutive team wins for the first time since 2016, No. 17 Stanford looks to continue its strong play at the Pac-12 Championships, Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore., hosted by Oregon.
On Wednesday, the Cardinal captured the 73rd Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, Calif. by six shots over Cal. Two weeks earlier, Stanford successfully defended its home turf by coasting to an 18-shot victory over USC at The Goodwin.
In its last two starts, Stanford is an accumulative 18-under par (-8 Goodwin/-10 Western). In each event, the Cardinal finished strong by posting the best closing-round team total. Stanford shot 6-under in the Goodwin and 10-under at the Western.
The Cardinal recorded a tournament-best 75 birdies at the Western Intercollegiate, registering 33 in the last round. Isaiah Salinda pocketed 16 in the 54-hole event to rank second in the field.
Stanford produced the individual medalist in both tournaments, as seniors Brandon Wuand Salinda collected their first collegiate wins – both in playoffs.
At The Goodwin, Wu and junior teammate David Snyder deadlocked at 4-under 206, with Wu prevailing on the first extra hole. At the Western, Salinda birdied the final hole of regulation to tie Sean Yu of San Jose State and defeated him on the fifth playoff hole.
Pac-12 Championships
Monday-Wednesday, April 22-24
Eugene Country Club • Eugene, Ore.
7,044 yards • Par-71 (34-37)
The Coverage
• Pac-12 Networks will show live coverage of the finishing holes on Wednesday at 2 p.m.
The Field
• All 12 Pac-12 schools will compete, headed by No. 2 Arizona State, No. 6 USC, No. 12 Cal and No. 17 Stanford.
The Format
• Four rounds of medal play. Each school will play two rounds on Monday starting off the first and 10th tees at 7:15 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. On Tuesday, tee times start at 9 a.m. off the No. 1 tee. On Wednesday, final round pairings will be decided by order of finish after 54 holes beginning at 8 a.m. off No. 1 and No. 10.
• Six players will compete for each school, with the top five counting each day toward the team score. An individual champion will also be crowned.
The Forecast
• The weather will be cloudy on Monday and Tuesday, with high temperatures in the low 70s. On Wednesday, it will be partly cloudy with a high of 67. Light winds are expected each day.
Cardinal Contingent
• Stanford will be represented by Salinda, Wu, Snyder, junior Henry Shimp, freshman Daulet Tuleubayev and sophomore Nate Menon.
Statistically Speaking
• Wu has played in seven events (21 rounds) and averages a team-best 70.08. He has three top-10's and six top-25's, twice firing rounds of 65. Named one of 10 semifinalists for the Ben Hogan Award, Wu has been red-hot in his last four starts, posting a second, third, first and tie for 11th.
• Salinda has played in all eight events (24 rounds) and averages 71.25. He has three top-10's and six top-25s and registered a career-best 6-under-par 64 in the first round at Western Intercollegiate to help pave the way for his first collegiate win.
• Shimp has played in five events (15 rounds) and averages 71.27. He has one top-10 and three top-25's, shooting 68 three times. His best finish is a tie for ninth at the Southern Highlands Intercollegiate.
• Snyder has played in five events (15 rounds) and averages 71.67. He has one top-10 and thee top-25's, led by his runner-up finish at The Goodwin. His low score is 66.
• Menon has played in seven events (21 rounds) and averages 73.90. He has one top-25, tying for 21st at Nike Collegiate Invitational, and his low score is 70.
• Tuleubayev has played in five events (15 rounds) and averages 73.93. His top showing is a tie for 26th at the Western Intercollegiate and his low score is 70.
Trending Up
• Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, Stanford has finished outside the top-10 only once this season. The Cardinal is peaking at the right time, placing sixth, third, first and first in its last four starts.
Statistically Speaking
• Wu has played in seven events (21 rounds) and averages a team-best 70.08. He has three top-10's and six top-25's, twice firing rounds of 65. Named one of 10 semifinalists for the Ben Hogan Award, Wu has been red-hot in his last four starts, posting a second, third, first and tie for 11th.
• Salinda has played in all eight events (24 rounds) and averages 71.25. He has three top-10's and six top-25s and registered a career-best 6-under-par 64 at Western Intercollegiate to help pave the way for his first collegiate win.
• Shimp has played in five events (15 rounds) and averages 71.27. He has one top-10 and three top-25's, shooting 68 three times. His best finish is a tie for ninth at the Southern Highlands Intercollegiate.
• Snyder has played in five events (15 rounds) and averages 71.67. He has one top-10 and thee top-25's, led by his runner-up finish at The Goodwin. His low score is 66.
• Menon has played in seven events (21 rounds) and averages 73.90. He has one top-25, tying for 21st at Nike Collegiate Invitational, and his low score is 70.
• Tuleubayev has played in five events (15 rounds) and averages 73.93. His top showing was a tie for 26th at the Western Intercollegiate and his low score is 70
Playing one of the toughest schedules in the country, Stanford has finished outside the top-10 only once this season. The Cardinal is peaking at the right time, placing sixth, third, first and first in its last four starts.
One-Two Punch
• Wu ranks No. 11 and Salinda No. 49 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings. Wu is No. 11 and Salinda No. 33 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
The HistoryPlaying one of the toughest schedules in the country, Stanford has finished outside the top-10 only once this season. The Cardinal is peaking at the right time, placing sixth, third, first and first in its last four starts.
One-Two Punch
• Wu ranks No. 11 and Salinda No. 49 in the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings. Wu is No. 11 and Salinda No. 33 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking.
• Stanford has secured 10 Pac-12 titles, most recently in 2016. The others came in 1960, 1968, 1970, 1974, 1977, 1992, 1994, 2014 and 2015. The Cardinal has produced 14 Individual champions: Rod Choate (1960, 1962); Sandy Adelman (1969); Mike Peck (1977 and 1978); Jack Skilling (1980); Don Walsworth (1986); Christian Cevaer (1989 and 1992); Tiger Woods (1996); Jim Seki (2012); Andrew Yun (2012); Patrick Rodgers (2014); and Maverick McNealy(2015).
The Course
Long regarded as one of the premier courses in Oregon and often ranked among the top-100 in the U.S., Eugene Country Club was originally designed by two-time U.S. Amateur champion H.C. Egan in 1924. Located along the picturesque Willamette River, the course was redesigned by Robert Trent Jones in 1960, who reversed the nines, enlarged the greens and tees, and created more strategic bunkering. The course meanders through towering Douglas firs and has hosted many important tournaments, most recently the 2016 NCAA Men's and Women's Championships, and the 2018 U.S. Senior Amateur.
