USC wins Southern Highlands, Parker Coody gets PGA Tour spot

March 3, 2020 | by AmateurGolf.com Staff

Parker Coody after his big playoff win (College Golf Live screenshot)

The USC Trojans hang on for a team win, but Yuxin Lin falls in a playoff to Parker Coody of Texas who gets the big prize

USC won the Southern Highlands Collegiate, holding off the University of Texas by two shots at Southern Highlands Golf Club in Las Vegas.

USC went wire-to-wire, but it was close throughout. Freshman Yuxin Lin of China shot a pair of 67s to pace the Trojans and take a five-shot lead into the final round. But Lin struggled in the final round, and gave an opening for the field to catch him.

It took a sterling effort from Parker Coody of Texas, who started the day seven shots behind Lin, to get there.

Playing with Lin, Coody shaved two shots off the lead on the front nine but still trailed by five shots. The key hole for Coody was the par-4 11th, where Coody's tee shot got stuck in a tree, but somehow managed to save par from 35 feet.

Coody then went on to birdie four of his last six holes, including on the final hole, to force a playoff with Lin. On the first playoff hole, Lin was bunkered, blasted over the green and made bogey, allowing Coody a par and the win.

The prize was an exemption in the PGA Tour's Shriners Hospitals for Children Open at TPC Summerlin in Las Vegas. Last year, UNLV's Jack Trent won at Southern Highlands and took full advantage of his exemption, finishing T29 at the Shriners.

Golfweek and College Golf Live livestreamed the final round action.

@parker_coody is your 2020 Southern Highlands Collegiate Champion!!! He earns an exemption into the PGA Tour's @shrinersopen pic.twitter.com/nVWkUDAWSu
— College Golf Live (@collegegolflive) March 4, 2020

Final hole. Parker Coody needs to get up and down for birdie to give himself a chance at playoff. He'll have 4 feet left to convert @texasmgolf pic.twitter.com/wdpvUhFUaQ
— College Golf Live (@collegegolflive) March 4, 2020

In the team competition, Texas finished second, two shots back, with Texas Tech a close third, another shot back. Florida was fourth, with No. 1 Pepperdine and UCLA tied for fifth.

UCLA's Devon Bling, a runner-up to Viktor Hovland in the 2018 U.S. Amateur, finished third individually at seven under, just one shot out of the Coody-Lin playoff.

Results: Southern Highlands Collegiate

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Parker Coody	Plano, TX	800	73-68-67=208
2	Yuxin Lin	, China	500	67-67-74=208
3	Devon Bling	Ridgecrest, CA	400	68-73-68=209
T4	Sahith Theegala	Chino Hills, CA	400	76-65-69=210
T4	McClure Meissner	San Antonio, TX	400	71-69-70=210