Western Intercollegiate
Pasatiempo Golf Club (Par-70 • 6,615 yards)
Santa Cruz, Calif.
Saturday-Sunday, April 8-9
Live Results • GoStanford.com
Lineup • Maverick McNealy, Franklin Huang, Brandon Wu, Viraat Badhwar, Isaiah Salinda, Bradley Knox, Jeffrey Swegle (Ind.)
The Lowdown
• Stanford looks to defend its team title at the Western Intercollegiate (April 8-9) in Santa Cruz, California. Held at the renowned Pasatiempo Golf Club, the Western Intercollegiate is one of the longest-running men's golf championships in the United States. The tournament is hosted by San Jose State.
• Maverick McNealy set a Western Intercollegiate record in 2016 with a 16-under 194, breaking the 54-hole tournament's best mark by five strokes. Runner-up Aaron Wise's 14-under 196 would have been a tournament record, yet Wise lost by two strokes to McNealy. Trailing Oregon's Wise by one shot entering the final round, McNealy played hole Nos. 6-10 in 5-under to pull ahead. He wrapped up with a 6-under 64 for his 10th collegiate victory. The individual title helped Stanford post its first team victory on the season. The Cardinal shot 9-under 1,041 in the play-six-count-five format.
• Along with defending individual champion McNealy, the former champions list includes such notable players as Johnny Miller, Peter Jacobsen, Mark O'Meara, Duffy Waldorf, Bobby Clampett and Patrick Rodgers.
The Course
• Pasatiempo Golf Club is regarded for its breathtaking scenery and deep-rooted golf history. Bobby Jones was one of the first players to hit from the first tee when the course opened in 1929. The course was designed by the famous English architect Alister MacKenzie, who claimed Pasatiempo was his best layout, ahead of even Cypress Point and Augusta National.
The Field
• The 15-team field includes No. 8 Stanford, Arizona, No. 20 Arizona State, Cal, Hawaii, No. 10 Oregon, Pepperdine, San Diego State, San Jose State, No. 15 Texas, UC Irvine, UCLA, No. 2 USC, UTEP and Washington.
The Format
• The 54-hole tournament spans two days (36 holes on Saturday, 18 holes on Sunday). Team scores will be calculated by a play-six, score-five format.
It Was a Good Win
• Stanford punctuated a wire-to-wire lead by holding off No. 1 USC to claim the team title at The Goodwin, its first win on the season and 15th overall in the 49th edition of the event. Stanford (276-288-273) was 3-under overall, nine shots better than second-place USC.
Doubled Down
• Stanford finished tied for fourth among 15 teams at the Southern Highlands Collegiate. The Cardinal fell two spots from its standing after 36 holes. The three-day event at Southern Highlands Golf Course yielded scores of 281-294-298 for the Cardinal, nine strokes over par and matching the output of Pepperdine. Ten of the nation's top-25 teams competed in the event.
Fourth in La Quinta
• Isaiah Salinda and Franklin Huang shelved top-10 individual finishes while Stanford placed fourth at The Prestige at PGA West with rounds of 281-289-291 (+9). Salinda and Huang tied for sixth at 3-under overall. It was the best-ever collegiate finish for Salinda (69-71-70).
Island Living
• Stanford opened the spring season with a sixth-place finish at the Amer Ari Invitational contested at the Waikoloa Kings' Course. The Cardinal went 21-under after rounds of 278-282-283 on the par-72, 7,074-yard track. Maverick McNealy (68-66-68) went under par in each of his three rounds for a 14-under that yielded a fourth-place finish.
Cardinal Does Napa
• Stanford lost to USC in the final match of the Gifford Collegiate Championship at Silverado Resort and Spa. The Cardinal and USC each won two matches and halved the remaining two, but the Trojans won the tie-breaker (most holes) by a 7-6 margin.
Late Charge Yields Bronze
• Stanford (293-286-278) teamed to go 7-under for third place at the three-day, 54-hole Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate. Brandon Wu (-6) tied for fourth among individuals after rounds of 73-68-69.
McNealy Ties Record
• In his 2016-17 season debut at the Nike Collegiate Invitational, Maverick McNealy earned his 11th career victory, matching the Stanford record shared by PGA Tour professionals Tiger Woods and Patrick Rodgers. McNealy (68-66-68) was the only player with three consecutive rounds under par at Colonial Country Club, two shots better than Oregon's Wyndham Clark. He helped the Cardinal tie for sixth with USC among the 15-team field.
Swinging In Scotland
• Before the season began, Stanford players trekked across the pond to Scotland to master their craft on some of the world's best courses. The courses played included: Balcomie Links, Carnoustie Golf Links, New Course in St. Andrews, Kingsbarns Golf Links, Cruden Bay Golf Club, Trump International Golf Links, Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, Nairn Golf Club, Castle Stuart Golf Links and Royal Dornoch Golf Club.
