Individual winner Leo Oyo of SDSU won his first collegiate title
(Golfweek/Live Stream Interview photo)
The University of Texas won their first Prestige title at PGA West today. Paced by a 6-under 65 by Spencer Soosman in today's final round, Texas extended their five stroke 36-hole lead by firing 6-under today.
In the process, they held off No. 2 ranked Pepperdine by 6 shots.
Pierceson Coody (69); Cole Hammer (71) contributed for Texas, along with Parker Coody who posted 2-over 73 for the fourth counting score.
Leo Oyo of San Diego State wouldn't have believe you last year if you told him that he would be able to capture a collegiate title anywhere, let alone a course where he struggled. Yet that's exactly what he did, posting 11-under for the individual title.
Oyo's three eagles on the week alongside a triple bogey tell part of the story. But it was his short game, especially down the stretch, that tells the rest of it.
After two important up-and-downs on Nos. 14 and 15, Oyo's third eagle of the week came on the 16th today, giving him the outright individual lead at 11-under. A long two putt from the fringe on the difficult par-3 17th, followed by a classy up-and-down from the closely mown area over the green and short-sided on No. 18 ensured that Oyo would capture his first collegiate title.
But there's more to the story. Oyo was brought to tears by the turnaround in his game over the past year.
"This means so much -- I came in DFL here last year," said Oyo in a Golfweek live stream interview with Will Haskett.
In fact, a look back at 2019 scores show rounds of 80, 77, and 79 for Oyo, and a 77th place finish in a field of 82 players. At 23-over last year vs. 11-under this year, Oyo improved by a full 34 strokes, or more than eleven shots per round. (This year his rounds were 68, 68, 66.)
Spencer Soosman of Texas had four birdies on the front nine today en route to a 32, and had a bogey-free back nine of 3-under 33 to post 65, just one stroke off the low round of the tournament. It was the kind of round Texas needed to keep themselves separated from the pack.
The low round of the event was posted today by Austin Eckroat of Oklahoma State. While his team (minus last year's champ Viktor Hovland and the amazing Matthew Wolff) has fallen out of the top-25, credit Eckroat and his teammates with a gutsy performance, jumping into 5th place with today's 8-under total, the low team total of the day.
Oyo's performance, plus a solid 67 from teammate Puwit Anupansuebsai, put SDSU in third behind Pepperdine, with Texas Tech finishing fourth.
Finishing in second as an individual behind Oyo was Eckroat (10-under) with Soosman a shot back in third at 9-under.
ABOUT THE The Prestige at PGA West
54 hole men's college tournament played in
California's Coachella Valley which features an all-
star field of many of major college golf's top teams
and players. The Prestige is co-hosted
by eight time NCAA Champion Stanford University of
the Pac 12 Conference and UC Davis of the Big West
Conference.
There is a college/am
tournament fund raiser the day before the
tournament proper begins which is a great way to
see first hand how these players (many of whom will
go on to PGA Tour careers) go about their business.
View Complete Tournament Information