WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. — UC Davis junior
Thomas Hutchison posted his fifth top-25 finish in five starts this season, closing out the 2020 Southwestern Invitational with a 1-over 217 to finish in a tie for 14th on Tuesday afternoon at the North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif.
As a team, the Aggies finished 11th with a 54-hole total of 903, just one shot back of North Texas and three shots clear of Augusta University. Host Pepperdine shot a final round 279 to finish at 14-under for the tournament and claim the title, easily outpacing second-place Arizona State and USC, which finished at 3-over.
The Waves' Sahith Theegala won individual medalist honors following a final round 66, finishing at 12-under for the tournament to edge the Trojans' day one leader Leon D'Souza, who finished one shot back.
Hutchison, who started the final round in fourth place once all the teams completed their second round that was suspended due to darkness, was even on the back nine thanks to three birdies in the first six holes, but struggled on the front despite an eagle on the par-5 sixth hole — one that he had birdied in each of the first two rounds.
The San Jose, Calif., native — who led the tournament in par 5 scoring at 12-under and paced the event with three of UC Davis' five eagles over the 54 holes — ended the day with a 4-over 76.
Freshman
Lucas Carper ended his tournament with a 1-over 73 to put him in a tie for 23rd — his third top-25 finish of the season in five starts. After ending the back nine at even par, Carper posted birdies on six and eight to offset a double bogey on the first hole en route to his 1-over finish.
Classmate
Jacob Westberg finished in a tie for 50th, freshman MIchael Shaw posted his second straight round of 79 in his collegiate debut to finish 69th, and freshman
Mark Stephens rounded out the Aggies' scoring group in 71st place.
The Aggies return to action on Feb. 6-8 for the three-day Amer Ari Invitational at the Waikoloa Kings Golf Course in Waikoloa Hawai'i.
41st ANNUAL SOUTHWESTERN INVITATIONAL
North Ranch Country Club (Westlake Village, Calif.)
Par 72 • 6,992 Yards
TEAM SCORES (FINAL)
1. Pepperdine, 284-287-279—850 (-14)
t2. Arizona State, 293-291-283—867 (+3)
t2. USC, 299-289-279—867 (+3)
4. California, 302-288-282—872 (+8)
5. Stanford, 296-295-285—876 (+12)
6. LSU, 292-304-285–881 (+17)
7. UCLA, 298-296-293—887 (+23)
t8. San Jose State, 302-289-299—890 (+26)
t8. BYU, 301-299-290—890 (+26)
10. North Texas, 295-313-294—902 (+38)
11. UC DAVIS, 304-295-304—903 (+39)
12. Augusta University, 313-297-296—906 (+42)
INDIVIDUAL SCORES (FINAL)
(Leaders plus UC Davis scores)
1. Sahith Theegala, Pepperdine, 70-68-66—204 (-12)
t14.
Thomas Hutchison, UC Davis, 71-70-76—217 (+1)
t23.
Lucas Carper, UC Davis, 76-71-73–220 (+4)
t50.
Jacob Westberg, UC Davis, 77-75-76—228 (+12)
69.
Michael Shaw, UC Davis, 85-79-79 (+27)
71.
Mark Stephens, UC Davis, 80-87-84—251 (+35)
ABOUT UC DAVIS
Providing a small-town community feel while providing a world-class academic experience, UC Davis is home to more than 37,000 students and centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley. The No. 5-ranked public university in the nation according to the Wall Street Journal and Times Higher Education, and among the top 15 public universities nationwide according to U.S. News and World Report, UC Davis offers nearly 100 graduate programs and more than 100 academic majors across four colleges and six professional schools, ranking among the world and nation's best in numerous disciplines, including veterinary science, agriculture, and plant and animal programs.
AGGIE EVO
Launched in 2017-18, the Aggie EVO System is UC Davis Athletics' investment in the primary mission of preparing student-athletes for a successful "launch" after graduation. Thanks to a collaboration of alumni, university resources, corporate partners, coaches and Student-Athlete Outcomes staff, all Aggies are guided over four years to acquire the skills, knowledge, opportunities and tools to better know and navigate the "World of Work" after graduating from UC Davis. Follow the Aggie EVO system on Twitter and Instagram at @AggieEVO.
