The Pac-10 has been one of the toughest conferences for men’s golf for a long time, and this year the field is much more open than it has been in the past. As many as seven teams have a legitimate shot at winning the tournament with only one clear front runner.
This year’s conference championships will be held at the Stanford University Golf Course from April 29 through May 1.
1. UCLA (No. 3 golfweek.com, No. 2 golfstat.com)
UCLA is the clear frontrunner. With three players in the top 30 the team is deep enough to run away with the tournament.
Superstar No. 3 freshman Patrick Cantlay has been dominant, putting on a display deserving of NCAA Player of the Year honors.
He has finished outside the top 10 only twice this season and has accounted for three of the five individual victories the team has collected. Cantlay has come on strong this semester, leading UCLA in scoring for four out of nine tournaments.
“He has done things on a golf course that I haven’t seen in my collegiate play or time spent coaching,” UCLA assistant coach Jason Sigler said. “It’s been exciting to watch him play.”
But Cantlay has showed some signs of slowing down, finishing with his worst two finishes in the last two tournaments, including a tied for 42nd finish at the beginning of April in the Insperity/Augusta State University Invitational in Augusta, Ga.
2. Stanford (No. 20 golfweek.com, No. 20 golfstat.com)
The Cardinal have not won the team title for 16 years but do have the advantage of playing at home. The team boasts the top player in the conference in No. 2 freshman Andrew Yun and also the Masters U.S. amateur runner-up in junior David Chung, who has finished in the top 10 only once this season.
Yun has been the most consistent player in men’s golf this year, finishing six times in the top five. Yun’s and Chung’s play will be very important as two of the team’s other competitors, sophomore Steven Kearney and senior Steve Ziegler, will be making their conference debuts.
It will be the first time Stanford has hosted the tournament since 2001.
3. Oregon (No. 22 golfweek.com, No. 22 golfstat.com)
The Ducks are hot, finishing in the top two in all of their last five tournaments. They also boast plenty of experience, with all six of their competitors being upperclassmen.
Senior Daniel Miernicki has to play great for the team to win the conference, but he has played strong all spring, recording two individual victories this semester.
Behind Miernicki is junior Andrew Vijarro, who has played consistent golf of late. He ranks in the top 10 in the nation in both fairways hit and pars.
“We are just preparing for it like it’s one of the tournaments we play every week, but deep down the kids know this is special, and they would to perform at their best,” Oregon coach Casey Martin said.
4. ASU (No. 28 golfweek.com, No. 23 golfstat.com)
Despite being one of only two teams in the Pac-10 to not win a tournament this year, the Sun Devils have the talent to win the best conference in the country.
Five different Sun Devils have placed in the top 10 in tournaments this year. They just can’t seem to do it all at the same time.
Depth will help ASU, but the desire might be what carries the team to victory, with all six of its players being in the final year of eligibility.
“Postseason has always been when we play our best. Traditionally that’s when we get the most out of our players,” ASU coach Randy Lein said. “No matter what has transpired the last six months, we come out and play our best golf, and we win.”
5. California (No. 18 golfweek.com, No. 19 golfstat.com)
The team has been terribly inconsistent throughout the year, tying the school record for most wins in a season with three but also finishing a disappointing ninth in their last tournament.
The Golden Bears rely on three very capable players to lead their team in senior Stephen Hale, sophomore Max Homa and senior Eric Mina.
Mina will have some extra motivation, as he is the reigning conference champion.
“It’s going to be a tremendous championship,” California coach Steve Desimone said. “We have some great depth and we have shown that throughout the year.”
6. USC (No. 24 golfweek.com, No. 17 golfstat.com)
USC is coming off a great month with two finishes in the top two, including a win at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in Tempe, Ariz., on April 10.
Unfortunately, the Trojans have been really inconsistent all year, including a 12th place finish at the Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters, which is considered one of the most prestigious tournaments of the year.
Also, unlike the top four teams, USC does not have a proven leader or a clear six man, which this tournament will require.
“We were having a pretty disappointing season up until two months ago,” USC coach Chris Zambri said. “We want to win the tournament. I think we are playing the second-best golf in the conference right now.”
7. Washington (No. 30 golfweek.com, No. 31 golfstat.com)
The two-time champions will have a hard time repeating, as they have been playing their worst golf of the season.
Finishing outside the top 10 in their last two events has pushed the team to underdog status.
Sophomore Chris Williams has been the best player for the Huskies all year. He led the team in scoring in four out of the last five events and has six top-10 finishes overall.
“We have a new team,” Washington coach Matt Thurmond said, “but we want to be in the hunt going into the final round. If we can put ourselves in that position, we are confident in our ability to rise to the occasion.”
8. Oregon State
The Beavers have not been in contention much all season. The gap between them and the top seven teams in the conference has increased as the year has progressed, especially after a poor ninth-place finish in the Wyoming Cowboy Classic on April 5.
The one bright spot is the play of sophomore Alex Moore, who finished tied for second in the Oregon Duck Invitational on March 22. Moore shot the lowest round in Oregon State history, a 9-under-par 63 in that tournament.
9. UA
Senior Tarquin MacManus has carried the team all season, recording five top-10 finishes, including a victory at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic.
While the team did win the Anteater Invitational in Newport Beach, Calif., on Feb. 8, it seems unlikely the Wildcats will finish outside the bottom three in the conference.
10. Washington State
WSU has not played many teams in the conference, but the Cougars do have a win in their home tournament, the Palouse Collegiate, back in September and have recorded the fourth-best score average in the conference.
Unfortunately, their weak schedule seems to show they are not ready to compete with the top seven teams in the Pac-10 just yet.
Reach the reporter at jjmckelv@asu.edu
