Arizona hangs on to win its own National Invitational Tournament
3/18/2023 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for National Invitational , Tucson National Golf Resort
Wildcats fend off hard-charging Pepperdine while Arizona's Zach Pollo and USC's Jackson Rivera share medalist honors
The Arizona Wildcats came from four shots back and fended off a red-hot Pepperdine team to capture their own National Invitational Tournament on Saturday at Omni Tucson National.
The Wildcats, ranked 17th nationally by Golfweek/Sagarin, finished the 54-hole event at 24-under par while the Waves finished one back after turning in a sizzling 18-under 270 in the final round to jump seven spots up the leaderboard into solo second.
Three other teams -- Arizona State (-22), Illinois (-21) and Oklahoma State (-21) -- finished within three shots of the lead.
Arizona's Zach Pollo and USC's Jackson Rivera shared medalist honors at 13-under 203 while Pepperdine's William Mouw finished three back at 10-under.
Pollo entered the final round with a one-stroke lead over Oklahoma's Matthew Troutman following a brilliant 7-under 65 in his second round on Friday while Rivera was just one off the pace.
A shaky inward nine dropped Troutman off the pace, leaving Pollo and Rivera to decide the individual title.
Rivera took a one-shot lead with a birdie on 15 but fell back into a tie with Pollo after making a bogey on the par-4, 469-yard finishing hole.
Pepperdine simply ran out of holes. The Waves began the day 14-strokes off the lead but Mouw (66), Sam Choi (67), Luke Gifford (68) and Roberto Nieves (69) all caught fire at the same time to lead a furious comeback which ended up falling one stroke short.
The Wildcats, ranked 17th nationally by Golfweek/Sagarin, finished the 54-hole event at 24-under par while the Waves finished one back after turning in a sizzling 18-under 270 in the final round to jump seven spots up the leaderboard into solo second.
Three other teams -- Arizona State (-22), Illinois (-21) and Oklahoma State (-21) -- finished within three shots of the lead.
Pollo entered the final round with a one-stroke lead over Oklahoma's Matthew Troutman following a brilliant 7-under 65 in his second round on Friday while Rivera was just one off the pace.
A shaky inward nine dropped Troutman off the pace, leaving Pollo and Rivera to decide the individual title.
Rivera took a one-shot lead with a birdie on 15 but fell back into a tie with Pollo after making a bogey on the par-4, 469-yard finishing hole.
Pepperdine simply ran out of holes. The Waves began the day 14-strokes off the lead but Mouw (66), Sam Choi (67), Luke Gifford (68) and Roberto Nieves (69) all caught fire at the same time to lead a furious comeback which ended up falling one stroke short.
Results: National Invitational
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Rancho Sante Fe, CA | 700 | 69-67-67=203 | |
| T1 | Rocklin, CA | 700 | 70-65-68=203 | |
| 3 | Chino, CA | 400 | 70-70-66=206 | |
| T4 | Richmond, TX | 400 | 71-70-66=207 | |
| T4 | Aurora, CO | 400 | 70-69-68=207 |
About the National Invitational
54 hole men's college tournament hosted by the University of Arizona. Team (best four scores of five players each day) and individual competitions.
Most Popular Articles
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Guide: Sites, Scores, and Who Advanced
Dec 5, 2025Second Stage is complete and Final Stage awaits at Sawgrass — follow every Q-School leaderboard and the players still chasing
2025 LPGA TOUR Q-Series: Final Qualifying Stage FINAL SCORING
Dec 8, 2025Helen Briem earns medalist honors, 31 players headed to the LPGA next year
2025 PGA TOUR Q-School Final Stage: Ewart Leads Five New TOUR Card Winners
Dec 14, 2025A.J. Ewart topped Final Stage at TPC Sawgrass, leading five players who secured PGA TOUR membership for 2026.
Australian Open at Royal Melbourne: Preview, amateur bios, and how to watch
Nov 30, 2025Rory McIlroy headlines one of the championship's top fields in years - at least four amateurs will have their chance at glory
Inside Gil Hanse’s Restoration of Baltusrol’s Upper Course: A Return to Tillinghast’s
Dec 11, 2025Renowned architect Gil Hanse reveals how he brought Baltusrol’s Upper Course back to life by honoring A.W. Tillinghast’s original