Host Pepperdine rolls to team title in Southwestern Invitational; San Diego State's Takis the individual champion

 

   It’s been five years since Pepperdine captured the national championship with a tremendous performance at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., erasing the disappointment from the spring of 2020 when the Saheeth Theegala-led Waves were ranked No. 1 when the onset of the coronavirus pandemic forced the abrupt end of a promising season.

   Michael Beard is still the head coach at Pepperdine and the Waves are still one of the top teams on the West Coast, a point they drove home with a dominant 17-shot victory as the host team in the Southwestern Invitational, which wrapped up Wednesday at the North Ranch Country Club’s Lakes and Oaks nines in Westlake Village, Calif.

   Much as the Sea Best Intercollegiate got the spring half of the wraparound 2025-2026 season under way for the women in Florida last week, the Southwestern fulfilled its role as a spring starter for the men in a field filled with a lot of the West Coast’s top teams.

   When a high of 23 degrees almost feels warm here in the Northeast, just thinking about good players playing golf somewhere warm has a way of inspiring thoughts of spring.

   With three players finishing inside the top six, led by Brady Siravo, a senior from Sacramento, Calif. and No. 74 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) who was the runnerup in the individual standings, Pepperdine, a perennial West Coast Conference power, took the lead in the opening round and never relinquished it in capturing the Southwestern title in convincing fashion.

   Pepperdine’s opening round of 7-under 281 gave it the lead and the Waves backed it up with a 9-under 279 in Tuesday’s second round, the low team round of the tournament, before closing with a 5-over 293 in more difficult conditions for an 11-under 853 total.

   Pepperdine is No. 15 in the latest Scoreboard, powered by clipped, rankings.

   Pepperdine earned a trip to the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. last spring by finishing in fifth place as a four seed in the Amherst Regional. The Waves made it to the last day of qualifying for match play, but were unable to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.

   San Diego State, the reigning four-time Mountain West Conference champion, was Pepperdine’s closest pursuer, earning runnerup honors with a 6-over 870 total.

   The Aztecs were led by individual champion Henry Takis, a sophomore from Australia and No. 59 in the WAGR who earned his first collegiate victory with a 7-under 209 total.

   Takis added a 4-under 68 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 69 to take a one-shot lead over Pepperdine’s Siravo into the final round. Takis matched par in difficult conditions in the final round with a 72 to finish two shots clear of Siravo.

   San Diego State, No. 29 in the Scoreboard rankings, opened with a 1-over 289 and added a 1-under 287 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 6-over 294 to end up 17 shots behind Pepperdine.

   The Aztecs failed to advance to the NCAA Championship as a three seed in the Tallahassee Regional last spring.

   Siravo added a 4-under 68 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 70 to creep within a shot of Takis going into the final round. Siravo closed with a 1-over 73 to earn runnerup honors with a 5-under 211 total.

   Siravo’s teammate, Willy Walsh, a junior from San Mateo, Calif., finished in a tie for fourth place with UNLV’s Ryan Abuan, a junior from Temecula, Calif., each landing on 2-under 214.

  Walsh added a 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 71 before finishing up with a 1-over 73.

   The third Pepperdine player among the top six was Byungho Lee, a sophomore from South Korea who finished in a tie for sixth place with San Diego’s You Seong Choi, a junior from Hacienda Heights, Calif., and Washington’s Emil Borrestuen Herstad, a freshman from Norway, each ending up with a 1-under 215 total.

   After opening with a 1-under 71, Lee contributed a 4-under 68 to Pepperdine’s second-round surge before closing with a 4-over 76.

   UNLV, behind Abuan, who transferred to Vegas after playing at San Diego a year ago, finished a shot behind San Diego State in third place with a 7-over 871 total.

   The Rebels, another Mountain West entry and probably a little underrated at No. 61 in the Scoreboard rankings, opened with a solid 2-under 286, struggled a little in Tuesday’s second round with a 298 and finished up with a 1-under 287.

   Abuan closed with a solid 4-under 68 to climb into a tie for fourth place with Pepperdine’s Walsh in the individual standings at 2-under. Abuan had matched par in the opening round with a 72 before adding a 2-over 74 in Tuesday’s second round.

   UNLV reached the NCAA Championship by finishing in third place as a six seed in the Urbana Regional last spring, but was unable to earn a spot in the match-play bracket at La Costa.

   Washington, part of the Big Ten’s new West Wing, was another nine shots behind UNLV in fourth place with a 16-over 880 total.

   The Huskies, No. 41 in the Scoreboard rankings, struggled in the opening round with a 300, bounced back with a sparkling 6-under 282 in Tuesday’s second round, but struggled again in the final round with a 298.

   Borrestuen Herstad led the way for Washington as he sandwiched a 3-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of 1-over 73s to get a share of sixth place with Pepperdine’s Lee and San Diego’s Seong Choi at 1-under.

   San Diego, one of Pepperdine’s rivals in the WCC, and Southern California, another member of the Big Ten’s West Wing, shared fifth place in the 13-team field, each ending up two shots behind Washington with an 18-over 882 total.

   The Toreros, No. 60 in the Scoreboard rankings, bounced back from an opening round of 6-over 294 with a solid 3-under 285 in Tuesday’s second round before struggling to a 303 in the final round.

   Seong Choi led the way for San Diego as he added a 1-under 71 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 70 before closing with a 2-over 74 to join the trio tied for sixth place at 1-under.

   San Diego survived brutal weather conditions to finish in fourth place as a seven seed in the Reno Regional and earn a trip to the NCAA Championship last spring. The Toreros failed to advance to the match-play bracket at La Costa.

   Southern Cal, No. 26 in the Scoreboard rankings, bounced back from an opening round of 8-over 296 with a sparkling 8-under 280 in Tuesday’s second round, but struggled in the final round with a 306.

   The Trojans failed to advance to the NCAA Championship as a nine seed in the Tallahassee Regional last spring.

   Backing up Pepperdine’s top trio was Mahanth Chirravuri, a senior from Chandler, Ariz. and No. 18 in the WAGR who finished among the trio tied for 11^th place with a 1-over 217 total. Chirravuri sandwiched a 1-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of even-par 72s.

   Rounding out the Pepperdine lineup was Luke Daviotis, a freshman from Sacramento, Calif. who finished in the trio tied for 17^th place with a 4-over 220 total. Daviotis contributed a 3-under 69 to the strong start for the Waves and added a 4-over 76 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 75.

   Beard, Pepperdine’s head coach, used the opportunity of his home event to get his entire roster on the course at North Ranch and got some decent showings.

   Oscar Bach, a freshman from Norway, matched par in the final round with a 72 to finish among the group tied for 32^nd place with a 9-over 275 total. Bach struggled a little in the opening round with a 6-over 78 before adding a 75 in Tuesday’s second round.

   Luke Bailey, a sophomore from Encinitas, Calif., finished in the trio tied for 36^th place with a 226 total as he opened with a 2-over 74 and added a 77 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 75.

   Carson Kim, a junior from Yorba Linda, Calif., finished among the group tied for 42^nd place with a 228 total as he matched par in the opening round with a 72 and then added back-to-back 6-over 78s in the final two rounds.

   Rounding out the Pepperdine contingent was Joshua Koo, a senior from Cerritos, Calif. who finished alone in 73^rd place with a 247 total. After opening with a 5-over 77, Koo struggled to an 88 in Tuesday’s second round before finishing up with an 82.

   It was a slow start to the spring campaign for UCLA, which captured the Big Ten team title at Baltimore Country Club’s Five Farms East Course in its first year in the conference.

   The Bruins, No. 21 in the Scoreboard rankings, finished in a tie for eighth place in the Southwestern team standings with former Pac-12 rival Utah, now representing the Big 12 Conference and No. 20 in the Scoreboard rankings, each landing on 36-over 900.

   UCLA did get a nice individual performance from Baylor Larrabee, a sophomore from Ferndale, Wash. who finished in third place, two shots behind Pepperdine’s Siravo with a 3-under 213 total.

   Larrabee was only two shots behind San Diego State’s Takis, the eventual winner, going into the final round after Larrabee added a 3-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 70. He closed with a 2-over 74.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the individual standings were UNLV’s Trevor Lewis, a senior from Prescott, Ariz., and Southern Cal’s Nicolas Dominguez, a junior from Mexico, as they finished in a tie for ninth place, each ending up with an even-par 216 total.

   Lewis gave the Rebels a second top-10 finisher as he opened with a 5-under 67, matching the low individual round of the tournament, and added a 3-over 75 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 74.

   Dominguez opened with a 1-under 71, matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 72 and finished up with a 1-over 73.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Union League's Palmer honored by PGA of America as its Golf Executive of the Year

 

   The Union League turned some heads in the Philadelphia golf community when it took over the operation of Torresdale Golf Club, the classic Donald Ross design that was one of just two private golf courses inside the city limits, Bala Golf Club being the other, in 2014.

   But that was just the beginning for the Union League’s impact on the Philadelphia region’s golf scene.

   In this decade, the Union League has turned its golf footprint into a little golf empire, taking over The ACE Club and turning it into The Union League Liberty Hill in Lafayette Hill, Montgomery County, and then, quite literally, moving the earth to turn Sand Barrens Golf Club into Union League National in Cape May Court House, N.J., just a few miles away from the Jersey shore.

   In the middle of all of it has been Sean Palmer, officially the chief executive officer for The Union League of Philadelphia.

   It’s a big title for a big job, but at his heart, Palmer is a club professional. Last week at the 73^rd PGA Show in Orlando, Fla., the PGA of America announced that Palmer would receive its Golf Executive of the Year Award for 2026.

   Palmer and his fellow PGA of America honorees will be recognized at the 110^th PGA of America Annual Meeting in Las Vegas, Nev. in November.

   The Golf Executive of the Year Award recognizes a PGA of America member with outstanding service in an executive management position who displays leadership, vision, courage, moral character and who has a substantial record of service to the Association and the game.

   A caddy as a youngster, Palmer now oversees more than 1,400 employees and seven properties at one of the nation’s largest and most respected private clubs.

   Palmer graduated from Penn State’s Professional Golf Management program and learned from industry leaders at top clubs before The Union League tabbed him as the head pro at Torresdale, its first property, in 2014.

   Palmer was starting at ground zero at Torresdale with no golf members or staff. In the ensuing 12 years, Palmer has led the creation of three golf properties, growing the golf membership to 1,200 and annual golf revenue to more than $22 million.

   In the last decade, Palmer has overseen more than $64 million in capital property projects and played a lead role in the acquisition and development of additional golf properties.

   The transformation that resulted in the creation of Cape May National was particularly ambitious with tons of earth brought in to facilitate the redesign of architects Dana Fry and Jason Straka.

   The Union League membership has grown from 3,700 to 4,700 and annual revenue has increased from $34 million to $117 million.

   As chief operating officer, Palmer manages all Union League operations, including golf, hospitality and business functions with a focus on innovation, culture and team development.

   Palmer leads Union League University, a staff training and internship program that has become a model that other clubs have followed.

   Union League University provides golf interns and employees across all departments with a structured curriculum, mentorship and career development opportunities. More than 25 assistant pros, caddie masters and retail associates have advanced to leadership roles under Palmer’s guidance.

   Palmer has made community engagement a priority as he has led The Union League’s support of PGA HOPE (Helping Our Patriots Everywhere), hosted the 2022 PGA Works Collegiate Championship and raised more than $1.4 million for HBCU golf programs.

   The club is also a proud partner in The First Tee of Philadelphia, providing facilities, fundraising support and enrichment programs for youth.

   Palmer also created the UL Caddie Scholarship Program and has expanded access to golf for juniors, women and families by removing traditional barriers and offering innovative membership and instruction models.

   Palmer serves on four Philadelphia Section committees and is active in the PGA REACH mentorship program. He is a frequent speaker at industry conferences and has served on the Penn State PGM Alumni Board for nine years, including a stint as president.

   Palmer earned the Philadelphia Section’s highest honor when he was named its Golf Professional of the Year in 2021. He also earned the Philly Section’s Professional Development Award in 2024 and was the Assistant Golf Professional of the Year in 2014.

   He received Penn State’s Frank B. Guadagnolo Award for Mentoring Excellence in 2021 and the Lions Alumnus of the Year Award in 2019.

   Palmer will be among 13 PGA professionals who will be honored at the PGA of America Annual Meeting in Las Vegas.

   Another of the top honorees will be Brian Crowell, president of Bally’s Golf and general manager of Bally’s Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx, N.Y. who will receive the Golf Professional of the Year Award.

   Bernie Najar, the director of instruction at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md., will receive the Teacher & Coach of the Year Award.

 

 

 

 

 

Florida edges Duke to capture team title in Sea Best Intercollegiate, but the Blue Devils' Malixi puts on a show to take individual crown

 

   It was the unofficial opening of the spring portion of the wraparound 2025-2026 college golf season and, despite getting a little taste of winter, Florida and Duke put on a pretty good show with the defending champion Gators edging the Blue Devils by a shot to capture the title in the Sea Best Intercollegiate, which wrapped up Tuesday at the San Jose Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla.

   The bitter cold that is here to stay for a while up here in the Northeast, stretched its tentacles all the way to North Florida Tuesday. When I checked the temperature in Jacksonville in the middle of the afternoon it was in the mid-40s, so I’m sure it was probably in the high 30s when the field teed off Tuesday morning.

   Cold-weather gear was very much in evidence in the picture on the Florida website of the Gators celebrating their second straight title in the Sea Best and third straight tournament title for the season, dating back to last fall.

   Florida, runnerup in the Southeastern Conference a year ago and Atlantic Coast Conference power Duke didn’t seem too bothered by the chilly conditions. Florida moved up two spots from No. 8 to No. 6 in the latest Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings with its victory in the Sea Best Intercollegiate and Duke improved from No. 16 to No. 12 in the Scoreboard rankings with its runnerup finish.

   They were probably pretty psyched to be out competing in the golf course again after a long midseason pause.

   Duke’s Rianne Malixi, the freshman phenom from the Philippines who is No. 24 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), really went off Tuesday, closing with a brilliant 9-under-par 63 over the 5,948-yard, par-72 San Jose layout to overtake Florida’s Paula Francisco, a senior from Spain and No. 94 in the Women’s WAGR, for the individual title.

   Malixi’s heroics weren’t quite enough to enable the Blue Devils to get by Florida for the team crown.

   The Gators opened with a solid 11-under 277 and then added a 9-under 279 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round. That gave them a seven-shot edge on Duke going into Tuesday’s final round.

   Florida closed with an 8-under 280 and that was just enough to hold off the Dookies by a shot with a 28-under 836 total.

   It was the 39^th career team title for Emily Glaser, Florida’s veteran head coach.

   Florida reached the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. last spring by finishing in a tie for third place in the Charlottesville Regional. The Gators, however, failed to earn a spot in the match-play bracket at La Costa.

   Florida closed out its fall campaign with victories in the OU Intercollegiate at the demanding Prairie Dunes Golf Club in Hutchinson, Kan. and in The Ally at the Old Waverly Golf Club in West Point, Miss., site of the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship.

   Duke struggled a little in the opening round with a 2-over 290 while likely shaking off a little rust. The Blue Devils then ripped off a 15-under 273 in Monday afternoon’s second round, the low team round of the tournament, to get themselves in Florida’s rear-view mirror.

   Duke, behind Malixi’s tremendous 63, was nearly as good in the final round, closing with a 14-under 274 to finish a shot behind Florida with a 27-under 837 total.

   Malixi was unable to duplicate her sizzling summer of 2024 when she won the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif. and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. in 2025.

   I’m sure it was a busy year for the kid, who qualified for several major championships on the LPGA Tour by virtue of her victory in the U.S. Women’s Am in addition to having a bulls-eye on her back as the defending champion in the U.S. Girls’ Junior and the U.S. Women’s Am.

   Malixi’s freshman fall was disrupted when she represented the Philippines in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in Singapore in October, finishing second in the individual standings at Tenah Merah Country Club. I suspect she’s something of a rock star in her home country of the Philippines and really throughout golf-mad Asia.

   But after adding a 6-under 66 in Monday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 71, Malixi announced to the world of NCAA Division I women’s golf that she might be starting to settle in at Duke.

   Malixi’s final round started off relatively quietly as she made a birdie on the first hole before an eagle at the par-5 third. She stumbled briefly with back-to-back bogeys at the fourth and fifth holes and then got back to 2-under with a birdie at six.

   She proceeded to open the incoming nine with five straight birdies at the 10^th, 11^th, 12^th, 13^th and 14^th holes. After a par at the 15^th hole, Malixi went back-to-back with birdies at 16 and 17. It was a scintillating seven-birdie 29 on San Jose’s back nine that delivered her first college victory with a 16-under 200 total.

   Malixi’s 63 tied the program record for a par-72 course and her 200 total was a Duke record for 54 holes over a par-72 course. The seven-time NCAA champion Dookies have had some pretty good players over the years. Oh yeah, the back-nine 29, that was a Duke record as well.

   It was a rare NCAA Championship without Duke in the field last spring as the Blue Devils failed to advance out of the Norman Regional as a five seed.

   Francisco actually had the individual lead going into the final round as she added a sparkling 6-under 66 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round to her opening-round 69. Her final round of 5-under 67 left her two shots behind Malixi with a 14-under 202 total that probably would have easily earned her the individual title in any other year.

   It was 56 shots back to Stetson, No. 122 in the Scoreboard rankings, in third place in the Sea Best as the Hatters, who lost in a playoff to Florida Gulf Coast for the ASUN title last spring, finished up with a 29-over 893 total.

   Stetson opened with a 4-over 292 and added an 11-over 299 in the afternoon of Monday’s double round before closing with a 302.

   Richmond, which won the Atlantic 10 team crown last spring in its first year in the league, was another 10 shots behind Stetson in fourth place with a 903 total.

   The Spiders, No. 149 in the Scoreboard rankings, opened with a 301 and added a 305 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with their best round of the tournament, a 9-over 297.

   Middle Tennessee State, a Conference USA representative, finished six shots behind Richmond in fifth place in the 11-team field with a 45-over 909 total.

   The Blue Raiders, No. 119 in the Scoreboard rankings, added a 303 in Monday afternoon’s second round to their opening-round 302 before closing with a 304.

   The Sea Best Intercollegiate was pretty much a dual match between the two perennial college powers in Florida and Duke.

   Backing up Francisco for the Gators was Siuue Wu, a sophomore from Hong Kong who finished five shots behind Francisco in the individual standings with a 9-under 207 total.

   Wu was the picture of consistency, rattling off three straight 3-under 69s.

   Graduate student Megan Propeck, a Leawood, Kan. native and No. 62 in the Women’s WAGR who was a solid performer in the ACC at Virginia before joining the Gators, finished in a tie for sixth place with Duke’s Andie Smith, a graduate student from Hobe Sound, Fla. and No. 47 in the Women’s WAGR, finished in a tie for sixth place, each landing on 4-under 212.

   Propeck, who claimed her first individual collegiate victory in the OU Intercollegiate at Prairie Dunes in her native Kansas in the fall, opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 1-over 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a solid 3-under 69.

   Katelyn Huber, a freshman from Gainesville, Fla., finished in ninth place with an even-par 216 total.

   Huber, coming off a fourth-place finish earlier this month in the South Atlantic Women’s Amateur Championship, better known by its shorthand name, The Sally, at Oceanside Country Club in Ormond Beach, Fla., got off to a solid start with a 3-under 69 and matched par in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 72 before struggling a little in the final round with a 3-over 75.

   Rounding out the Florida lineup was Elaine Widjaja, a sophomore from Indonesia who finished in 11^th place with a 3-over 219 total. Widjaja opened with a solid 2-under 70 and matched par in Monday afternoon’s second round with a 72 before struggling to a 5-over 77 in the final round.

   Florida’s depth was on display as there was no dropoff with the two players Glaser brought along to compete as individuals.

   Ines Archer, a junior from France, rounded out the top 10 in the individual standings as she finished alone in 10^th place, two shots behind Huber with a 2-over 218 total. Archer bounced back from an opening round of 4-over 76 with a 4-under 68 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 74.

   Sophie Stevens, a junior from Highland, Mich., finished a shot behind Widjaja in 12^th place with a 4-over 220 total. Stevens added a 1-over 73 in Monday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 75 before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Backing up Malixi for Duke was Katie Li, a junior from Basking Ridge, N.J. who finished alone in fourth place with a 6-under 216 total, three shots behind Florida’s Wu.

   I suspect Li has evolved into a leadership role at Duke. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Li posted back-to-back 3-under 69s to help the Blue Devils surge into contention.

   Anna Canado Espinal, a talented sophomore from Spain competing as an individual, finished a shot behind her teammate Li in fifth place with a 5-under 211 total for the Blue Devils.

   After opening with a 1-over 73, Canado Espinal ripped off a sparkling 6-under 66 in Monday afternoon’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Smith was another shot behind Canado Espinal for Duke in the tie for sixth place with Florida’s Propeck at 4-under 212.

   Smith, who reached the round of 16 in last summer’s U.S. Women’s Amateur at the Bandon Dunes Resort on Oregon’s rugged coastline before falling to Oregon’s Kiara Romero, the No. 1 player in the Women’s WAGR, added a 3-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round to her opening-round 71 before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Malixi isn’t the only talented freshman in the Duke lineup. Avery McCrery, the pride of Wilmington, Del. who played some of her scholastic career at the Tower Hill School, has been steady during her rookie season. She finished three shots behind Propeck and Smith in eighth place in the Sea Best with a 1-under 215 total.

   After struggling a little in the opening round with a 4-over 76, McCrery settled in nicely with a 3-under 69 in Monday afternoon’s second round and a solid 70 in the final round.

   McCrery wasn’t the only Delawarean in the field at the Sea Best Intercollegiate.

   Richmond’s Hannah Lydic, a senior who was a scholastic standout at Sussex Academy, finished in a tie for 25^th place with a 12-over 228 total.

   Lydic, who captured the individual crown to lead the Spiders to the team title in the A-10 Championship last spring, opened with a 3-over 75 at San Jose and added a 77 in Monday afternoon’s second round before closing with a 76.