By Scott Long
Staff Writer
The Pepperdine men’s golf team returned Tuesday from an impressive fifth place finish at the Coca-Cola Tournament of Champions in Knoxville, Tenn.
The tournament fielded 15 strong teams, including first-place winner Vanderbilt and the Swedish National Team as the second place finisher.
“Although we did not play our best golf, it was a solid team finish to place in the top five among the competition we were up against,” junior Michael Putnam said. “The fact that we were able to hang with those teams despite our average play really shows what we are capable of.”
Putnam was the top finisher for the Waves on the links at the University of Tennessee, tying for 14th overall with a two-under par 72-hole score of 214.
Other top individual performances include sophomore Alex Coe, who tied for 19th overall, and sophomore Chris Elliot, who finished with a tie for the 23rd spot.
“Our whole team has definitely improved as the season has gone along,” Putnam said. “We are really starting to come together, and that was most evident in the team win we had two weeks ago at home.”
That highlight of the season came Oct. 6 and 7 at the Saticoy Country Club during the Club Glove Intercollegiate Tournament in nearby Camarillo. Pepperdine posted a dominating 11-shot victory at the tournament, finishing ahead of Arizona State, University of Tulsa, and Colorado State.
“It was a huge first place finish for us at Camarillo, and we showed what can happen when we have four or five guys playing well,” Putnam said. “There was a lot of pressure on us playing at home and expecting to win, and everyone handled it really well.”
Pepperdine’s last men’s golf contest for the fall is coming up this Nov. 3 and 4 at the Prestige tournament in Palm Springs.
As the Waves look toward a strong second half of play this spring, the team is shooting to end this semester on a high note with a big win in the desert.
October 23, 2003