No. 18 Men’s Golf preview: Southwestern Invitational

When: Monday, Jan. 30 – Wednesday, Feb. 1

Format: 18 holes of stroke play on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday

Where: North Ranch Country Club (Westlake Village, Calif.)

Course Info: Par-72; 7,017 yards

Television: Golf Channel will present dwell protection on all three days (3:30-6:30 p.m. CT)

Live Scoring: https://results.golfstat.com/public/leaderboards/gsnav.cfm?pg=team&tid=26548

Defending National Champs: Texas claimed its fourth NCAA group title in program historical past final yr with a dramatic 3-2 victory over tourney host Arizona State within the championship match (Scottsdale, Ariz.). The Longhorns have captured NCAA group championships in 1971, 1972, 2012 and 2022.

15 Straight: UT’s streak of 15 consecutive NCAA (*18*) appearances is the longest present streak in NCAA Division I males’s golf. Here’s a have a look at the longest energetic NCAA (*18*) appearances coming into the 2022-23 season.

Advancing to Match Play: Not solely has Texas been a constant power in advancing to the NCAA Championships, the Longhorns have produced strong outcomes whereas on the nationwide championship. In the final 10 alternatives (relationship again to the 2012 NCAA Championships), UT has superior to the Match Play quarterfinals stage (closing eight groups) a complete of SEVEN instances. Texas is the one faculty to advance to Match Play no less than SEVEN instances within the final 10 alternatives (2020 tourney was canceled attributable to COVID-19).

The Fields Factor: Now in his twenty sixth season as head coach at Texas, John Fields has guided the Longhorns to twenty NCAA (*18*) appearances in his 24 alternatives (no NCAA tourney in 2020 attributable to COVID-19). Under Fields’ management, UT has posted 10 top-five finishes on the NCAA (*18*), together with NCAA group titles in 2012 and 2022 and runner-up showings in 2016 and 2019. Prior to his time at Texas, Fields led the University of New Mexico to 9 NCAA (*18*) appearances in 10 seasons (1988-97). Fields was named Golfweek’s Men’s National Coach of the Year final season for the third time throughout his time in Austin (2012, 2016 and 2022). He additionally has claimed Big 12 Coach of the Year accolades 9 instances throughout his 25-year tenure at Texas (2002, 2003, 2004, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2022).

Team Rankings: Texas is No. 18 within the newest Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches ballot (Nov. 18). 

The Tourney Field: The 12-team discipline on the Southwestern Invitational contains (rankings replicate Bushnell/Golfweek Division I Coaches ballot): No. 5 Arizona State, No. 15 Pepperdine (host), No. 18 TEXAS, No. 20 San Diego State, No. 24 Georgia, Oregon, San Jose State, UCLA, UNLV, USC, Wake Forest and Washington.

The Texas Lineup: UT might be represented by the next 5 gamers on the Southwestern Invitational:

1. Travis Vick (Sr., 71.10 avg.)
2. Keaton Vo (Fr., 73.40 avg.)
3. Brian Stark (Gr., first event as a Longhorn)
4. Jacob Sosa (Fr., 73.67 avg.)
5. Christiaan Maas (Fr., 70.30 avg.)

Inside the Texas Lineup

Travis Vick: No. 7 in present World Amateur Golf Rankings (Jan. 25) … No. 6 within the present PGA TOUR University class of 2023 rankings (Jan. 26) … named to the 2023 Ben Hogan Award watch record (Jan. 27) … three-time All-American … low novice on the 2022 U.S. Open (70-69-76-73=288, +8) … semifinalist on the 2022 Western Amateur … one among 12 males’s gamers who competed for the American squad on the 2022 Arnold Palmer Cup (July 1-3 in Vandoeuvres, Switzerland) … posted a 3-1-1 particular person report on the Big 12 Match Play (*18*) (Oct. 17-19) … earned a 3&2 win in opposition to Texas Tech’s Ludvig Aberg (present No. 1 in WAGR) at Big 12 Match Play … positioned ninth at The Stephens Cup (Oct. 10-12) at 6-under-par 210 (69-72-69) … claimed a 1-up victory over Stanford’s Michael Thorbjornsen (present No. 2 in WAGR) throughout the third-place match at The Stephens Cup … earned second-team All-America honors throughout his junior season in 2022 (Golfweek, GCAA) … posted a team-best 70.84 stroke common and registered three top-five, six top-10 and 9 top-20 particular person finishes in 12 stroke-play occasions throughout the 2021-22 season … went 2-1 throughout the 2022 NCAA Match Play, together with a 4&3 win over Reid Davenport (Vanderbilt) within the semifinals and registered the clinching 1-up victory in opposition to Arizona State’s Cameron Sisk within the closing … collegiate-best second-place particular person end on the 2022 NCAA Norman Regional (May 16-18) at 10-under-par 206 (67-67-72) … semifinalist on the 2021 U.S. Amateur … 2021 honorable point out All-American (Golfweek, GCAA) … 2020 honorable point out All-American (Golfweek).

Keaton Vo: Has competed in every of UT’s first 5 tournaments … posted a 4-0-1 particular person report on the Big 12 Match Play (*18*) (Oct. 17-19) … medalist on the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur with a 36-hole rating of 9-under-par 134 (69-65) … 2022 Texas Class 5A state particular person champion and led Anderson High School to the group championship … tabbed the No. 1 recruit within the state of Texas and No. 7 nationally by the AJGA within the class of 2022 … three-time Rolex Junior All-American … member of the West Team on the 2020 Wyndham Cup … registered seven top-10 finishes on the AJGA Tour, together with a tie for second on the 2021 Jackie Burke Invitational … received particular person titles on the 2020 George Hannon Junior Invitational and the 2019 AJGA Junior All-Star Invitational at Lake Oconee.

Brian Stark: Makes his debut in a Longhorn uniform this week … graduate switch who spent his earlier three seasons at Oklahoma State … No. 6 within the present PGA TOUR University class of 2023 rankings (Jan. 26) … earned third-team All-America honors as a junior in 2022 from each the GCAA and Golfweek … two-time GCAA All-America Scholar (as a sophomore and junior) … claimed All-Big 12 and Academic All-Big 12 honors as a junior … tied for fifteenth on the 2022 NCAA (*18*) at 6-over-par 286 … had a season-best tie for third place at The Carmel Cup at 5-under-par 211 (73-70-68) in 2021-22 … additionally positioned thirteenth on the Big 12 (*18*) and tied for seventh on the NCAA Columbus Regional in his junior yr … first-team Academic All-Big 12 choice as a sophomore in 2020-21 … superior to the quarterfinals of match play on the 2021 U.S. Amateur.

Jacob Sosa: In his collegiate debut, tied for thirty first on the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational (Sept. 16-18) at 6-over-par 216 (74-72-70) … led Austin Westlake High School to 3 consecutive Texas Class 6A state group titles (no tourney in 2020 attributable to COVID) … posted particular person finishes of third, runner-up and tied for fifth throughout his three state championship tournaments … tabbed the No. 3 recruit within the state of Texas and No. 14 nationally by the AJGA within the class of 2022 … first-team Rolex Junior All-American in 2021 … member of the West Team on the 2021 Wyndham Cup … positioned third on the 2020 Texas State Amateur and earned the win on the 2019 Texas State Junior (*18*).

Christiaan Maas: No. 25 in present World Amateur Golf Rankings … named to the 2023 Ben Hogan Award watch record (Jan. 27) … member of the Golf RSA (South Africa) National squad … tied for seventeenth on the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill (*18*) (Dec. 8-11) in Melalane, South Africa with a 9-under-par 279 (71-70-70-68) … performed alongside Ernie Els within the opening two rounds on the Alfred Dunhill (*18*) … additionally made the minimize and tied for thirty fifth on the DP World Tour’s Investec South African Open (*18*) (Dec. 1-4) in Johannesburg at 5-under-par 283 (69-65-72-77) … tallied a 3-2 particular person report on the Big 12 Match Play (*18*) (Oct. 17-19) … in his second collegiate event, tied for third on the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational (Oct. 3-4) with a 6-under-par 204 (70-67-67) … completed twelfth at The Stephens Cup (Oct. 10-12) at 4-under-par 212 (69-71-72) … in his collegiate debut, tied for twentieth on the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invitational (Sept. 16-18) at 4-over-par 214 (72-72-70) … competed for South Africa within the prestigious 2022 World Amateur Team (*18*) (Aug. 31-Sept. 3) in Paris … superior to Match Play on the 2022 U.S. Amateur … tied for eleventh in stroke play on the 2022 U.S. Junior Amateur … claimed a five-shot victory (65-70-67-68=270, -14) to win the distinguished Brabazon Trophy at Saunton Golf Club in England in May 2022 … posted six wins throughout the 2021 season, together with the Cape Province Open and the South African Amateur (*18*) … 2020 and 2021 Silver Salver Champion.