Texas comes from behind to win Southwestern Invitational
1/29/2025 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for Southwestern Invitational, Sherwood Country Club
The Longhorns shot a final round 6-under 278 to win as a team, while Wells Williams of Vanderbilt won the individual title
After starting the round two shots back of the lead, Texas shot a 6-under 278 to win the 2025 Southwestern Invitational at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, Calif.
The Longhorns finished 8-under, barely edging out first-round leader San Diego State, who finished in solo second place at 7-under. Texas carded rounds of 289-277-278, while the Aztecs carded rounds of 276-290-279.
Vanderbilt was the only other team to shoot under par, finishing 4-under and in solo third place. Pepperdine finished in solo fourth place at even par, and Florida finished in solo fifth place at 5-over to round out the top five.
In the individual competition, Wells Williams of Vanderbilt finished 5-under to hold off the field and win by one shot.
Williams earned medalist honors for the second time in his collegiate career. He won the 2023 Cabo Collegiate during his freshman season. The West Point, Mississippi, native carded rounds of 68-71-69 to get to 5-under.
Williams is the second player from Vanderbilt to collect an individual title this season, as junior Ben Loomis won the Colonel Shootout on Sept. 8 to open his 2024-25 season.
Daniel Bennett of Texas, Justin Hastings of San Diego State, and Ian Gilligan of Florida all finished T2 at 4-under, just one shot back of Williams. Hastings recently won the 2025 Latin America Amateur to earn a spot in the 2025 Masters Tournament and 2025 U.S. Open Championship. Gilligan is currently ranked No. 5 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.
Ryan Downes of Vanderbilt, Pablo Ereno of UCLA, Christiaan Maas of Texas, and Zubair Firdaus of San Jose State all finished T5 at 3-under. 13 golfers finished under-par in the championship.
RELATED ARTICLES
Amateur Golf Podcast: 2025 Latin America Amateur Champion Justin Hastings
Justin Hastings holds on to win the Latin America Amateur Championship
This is the 46th edition of the Southwestern Invitational. According to Pepperdine University, The tournament began in 1978 at North Ranch Country Club with USC as the host. C.W. Johnson served as tournament director for more than 25 years. North Ranch also hosted the 1988 NCAA Championships.
Over the years, the Southwestern Invitational has also been known as the Southwestern Intercollegiate, the USC Collegiate Invitational, the North Ranch Intercollegiate, or the Cleveland Golf Classic. Pepperdine and USC co-hosted the event in 2013 and 2014, and the Waves then took over sole hosting duties beginning in 2016.
Arizona State holds the record for most victories, with nine. Host Pepperdine has marked three first-place finishes (2006, 2017, and 2020), with Sahith Theegala (2017, 2020) being one of four two-time winners.
The 2024 Southwestern Invitational foreshadowed one of the top amateur golf stories of the year: Ohio State's Neal Shipley's play. Shipley won the individual title, and Ohio State won the team title. Shipley went on to earn low amateur honors at the 2024 Masters Tournament and 2024 U.S. Open.
Results: Southwestern Invitational
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | West Point, MS | 700 | 68-71-69=208 | |
| 2 | , South Africa | 500 | 72-70-67=209 | |
| 2 | , Cayman Islands | 500 | 69-71-69=209 | |
| 2 | Reno, NV | 500 | 72-67-70=209 | |
| 5 | , Spain | 400 | 71-73-66=210 |
About the Southwestern Invitational
54-hole men's college tournament with team (best four scores of five players) and individual competitions. The Southwestern Invitational is the combination of two previously existing tournaments: the Southwestern Intercollegiate (started by USC in 19...
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