By Angela Sumner
Staff Writer
Last weekend in Myrtle Beach, S.C, was not all fun and games for Pepperdine’s men’s golf team as it lost in the last round of the Hooters Match Play Championship to No. 16-ranked Purdue University, 4-1.
Match play, different from the usual stoke play tournament, is when the player is not playing the entire field. Instead, players go one-on-one with other players from the opposing team. Whoever wins the hole gets one point, unlike stroke play where every stroke counts. In match play, a player who lost one hole has the potential to come back on the next, and win the match.
The tournament started out slow for the Waves with a loss to the University of Arizona, 3-2. The victories go to junior Randy Creighton, who defeated Andy Connell 2-1, and sophomore Michael Putnam, who defeated Chris Nallen 3-2.
The Waves quickly jumped back to recover with a victory over No. 4-ranked University of Minnesota, the defending champions, 5-0.
In the final round Pepperdine faced Purdue. Purdue defeated all but one of the Waves, Creighton, who defeated Ryan Masuda, 4-3.
Since this tournament did not count against them, the players say it was not much of an upset. They have bigger tournaments on their minds.
“Our final goal as a team is standing tall at the NCAA Championships,” Head Coach John Geiberger said. “We would like to go to Nationals and win our conference.”
The team has set some of their own goals as well.
“From this season I have found that I can play with the top collegiate players,” freshman Chris Elliott said, honored as the West Coast Conference Player of the Month.
“I will work very hard for the spring season in hopes of winning some tournaments.”
Sophomore Brian O’Flaherty attests to that.
“My goal for the team is to win tournaments, and to finish stronger individually,” O’Flaherty said.
“Ultimately I would like to see the team at Nationals.”
The team continues to practice with the intent of making their dreams become reality.
“We generally get out of class at about 1:30 and head straight to the course,” freshman Alex Coe said.
An average practice for the Waves consists of hitting balls or playing. Coe said it was a time to work on certain aspects of the game, getting done around six in the evening.
“The game of golf is extremely tough both mentally and physically, more mentally,” Coe said.
It has to be. With the constant competition between nine players on the team, practice will be the deciding factor on who gets to play in the tournaments.
“The fall season is a chance to really see who has worked hard over the summer,” Geiberger said. “Finding who is going to be the top five to go to Nationals is the big question.”
The Waves say they will keep this question in mind as they move into the spring season. Their next tournament will be Feb. 4 in Tucson, Ariz., at the PING Arizona Intercollegiate at the Arizona Golf Club.
November 14, 2002