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Confidence is growing, records are being shattered and the Waves are now proudly sitting in the No. 1 spot in the nation.
This past month the Pepperdine women’s golf team has been busy winning tournaments and recognition across the country. It captured team titles at the prestigious Arizona Wildcat Invitational Feb. 24-26 and the San Jose State Spartan Invitational March 4-5.
At the 14-team San Jose State Spartan Invitational the Waves took first in their third consecutive tournament. Behind the unbeatable play of Senior All-American Katherine Hull, the Waves broke many NCAA records on their ride to the top.
“Unbelievable,” Head Coach Laurie Gibbs said. “Nothing these girls do surprise me anymore. They have so much ability and they are so prepared. They came off a good win the tournament before and kept the momentum going to win this one.”
In the opening round Hull bettered her own NCAA record set last season by one, with a round of 63. No. 1 ranked Hull claimed individual medalist honors for the second time this spring. She completed the tournament with a final score 16-under par 200, breaking the former NCAA record by three.
“I didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself after the Arizona tournament,” Hull said. “I had not hit the ball well and I didn’t know how I’d do when I had to compete again. I think San Jose was God’s way of saying ‘you’ve got a gift, I’m not going to leave you out.’ He was definitely on my side.”
Hull shot 17 birdies and two eagles over the two-day event.
“I want to keep my scoring average under par,” Hull said. “I’d love to win the next four tournaments.”
Senior All-American Lindsey Wright, ranked No. 3, took second place with an impressive eight-under par 208. She posted rounds of 65, 72 and 71.
No. 24 ranked rookie Carolina Llano continues to shine for Pepperdine, finishing in a tie for seventh with a five-over par 221. Freshman Courtney Clark and sophomore Rachel Kyono shot totals of 223.
Clark’s 71 on the last day of play was a personal best. Four Waves recorded under-par scores in the same round for the first time in the program’s history.
“It’s pretty awesome when you have to throw out a two-over par score because it’s your lowest one,” Kyono said.
Pepperdine scored a team total of an 18-under par 846 by recording rounds of 13-under par 275, 292 and nine-under par 279. The Waves were 13 shots ahead of second place UCLA.
Both the first round score of 275 and the final score are new NCAA records.
“This showed we aren’t just some fluke,” Wright said. “We’re a force to be reckoned with.”
Also in golf action, Pepperdine had four players finish in the top 10 as the Waves took first in the three-day Arizona Wildcat Invitational. The 18-team event took place at the Arizona National Golf Course in Tucson.
“This tournament meant confirmation,” Gibbs said. “We knew we were prepared and we knew it was an important tournament. We knew we were one of the best teams in the country, but we had to prove it to everyone else – we did. We showed we can win, and we can win by a lot.”
Pepperdine dominated the field of top-caliber teams, taking a commanding 14-stroke lead over second place and No. 6 ranked University of Southern California.
“Our team did awesome,” Hull said. “We really proved how much depth we have with this win. Our scores really showed that too. We didn’t just barely win, we cleaned them up.”
Their lead was the largest recorded margin of victory at the tournament since 1995. Arizona State took third with 895 points and No. 11 ranked Tennessee took fourth.
Pepperdine recorded rounds of 294, 292 and 290 behind solid play from all golfers.
Llano led the Waves, placing fourth at four-over par 217 in her second collegiate appearance. She shot rounds of 71, 71 and 75.
“The tournament set-up here is completely different from back home in Colombia,” Llano said. “All the courses are new to me, but my coach and teammates help me, tell me things I need to know to feel prepared. They have made it easy for me.”
Gibbs agrees that Llano is easily making the transition to collegiate golf.
“Carolina played very well this tournament,” Gibbs said. “She was tied for the lead going into the final round and this is only one of her first tournaments of this season.”
Wright was sixth with 219 and Kyono shot an even-par 71 to take eighth. Hull overcame a 76 round on day one to finish the tournament in a six-way tie for ninth.
“Arizona was important for us because Lindsey and Katherine didn’t have their best tournaments,” Kyono said. “We aren’t totally dependent on them. It took the three, four and five spots to win. It’s exciting to all contribute.”
The Waves compete in the UCLA Bruin Invitational at the Robinson Ranch Country Club in Santa Clarita March 24-25.
“I’m excited, Wright said. “We’ve won UCLA in previous years and we’ll win it again.”
Teammates agree.
“We’re number one in the nation right now,” Kyono said. “We can do anything.”
Submitted March 13, 2003
MALIBU, CA
