University Southern California Trojans
Monday, February 19
Indian Wells, CA
All Day
USC
vs
The Prestige at PGA West
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
Kaito Onishi
Photo by: Tod Fierner
Trojans, Led By NCAA No. 1 Justin Suh, Heads To PGA West
February 16, 2018 | Men's Golf, Features
USC looking for second win of the season.
The No. 14 USC men's golf team, led by Golfweek's No. 1 ranked player and three-time winner this year, Justin Suh, continues the spring season at The Prestige at PGA West, Monday through Wednesday (Feb. 19-21), in La Quinta, Calif.
The Prestige at PGA West
USC has won the event, which dates to 2000, once, in 2013. No Trojan has won the individual title. Play will begin each day at 7:30 a.m. with tee times off holes 1 and 10.
The field this year includes, in addition to host UC Davis and USC, Stanford, East Tennessee State, LSU, Pepperdine, San Diego State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oregon, San Francisco, Washington, Oklahoma State and Stirling.
USC's lineup will include juniors Justin Suh and Sam Kim, sophomores Cheng Jin and Kyle Suppa and freshman Kaito Onishi. Freshman Issei Tanabe will also play as an individual.
Trojan Notes
USC, under 12th-year head coach Chris Zambri, has been led this year by Suh, a three-time winner in five events this season who is averaging a remarkable 67.80 strokes in 15 rounds, leading to five top 9 finishes. He captured his second career collegiate title at the Trinity Forest Invitational at 10-under 203 (67-69-67) and won his third at the Saint Mary's Invitational with a dominating 13-under 200 (67-66-67) – that included 15 birdies and an eagle – to close fall play. He won his third event of the season at the Amer Ari Invitational to open spring play, taking the title at 13-under 837 (69-66-68) while birdieing four of the final six holes, including 17 and 18
Suh also tied for second at the Nike Golf Collegiate Invite at 12-under 201 (67-71-63). The final round was USC's best since Rico Hoey carded the same score at the Amer Ari Invitational last season. The last Trojan round lower belongs to Sam Smith, a 62 in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Pullman Regional. Suh's previous best was a 65 at the 2017 Pac-12 Championships.
Suh opened the season by tying for ninth in the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invite at even 210 (70-69-71).
Suh, the seventh-ranked amateur in the world, has 12 rounds in the 60s this season in 15 rounds, including an active streak of seven in a row. He now has 11 straight top 20 finishes dating back to last season, nine of which have been inside the top 9 and 10 in the top 11.
Suh was ranked No. 2 in the first 2018 rankings for the Arnold Palmer cup and is among 27 collegiate golfers on the watch list for the 2018 Ben Hogan Award. He is 22-6 vs. the Top 25 this year, 46-7 vs. the top 50 and 84-9 vs. the top 100.
Onishi (70.87) and Suppa (71.672) are second and third, respectively, in stroke average on the team. Onishi has almost matched Suh stroke for stroke in the last two events that saw him tie for second at the Saint Mary's Invitational at 8-under 205 (73-63-69) -- his middle round tying Suh for low on the team – and then tying for fourth at the Amer Ari Invitational at 11-under 205 (69-66-68). Onishi has a streak of five straight rounds under 70.
Suppa turned in a season best at Saint Mary's as he tied for sixth at 6-under 207 (75-68-64), his final round 7-under tying his collegiate best. He tied for 20th at the Trinity Forest Invitational at 1-over 214 (72-70-72) among three top 33 finishes this year. His four rounds in the 60s are third most on the team.
USC entered the season figuring to lean on two-year returning starter Suh, who earned All-American honors his first two years in school, and sophomore Cheng Jin, starting for the second year in a row. Jin is fourth on the team in stroke average at 72.75
Also returning from last year is Suppa, who saw spot action as a 2017 freshman reserve, Slater (who sat out last year), and redshirt sophomore Ing Ratanavadi, another reserve.
The Trojans welcome four newcomers, including freshmen Onishi, Owen Calvin-Smith and Issei Tanaba as well as junior Sam Kim, who comes to USC after two years at New Mexico. Kim has averaged 73.08 strokes in 12 rounds this year.
The Prestige at PGA West
USC has won the event, which dates to 2000, once, in 2013. No Trojan has won the individual title. Play will begin each day at 7:30 a.m. with tee times off holes 1 and 10.
The field this year includes, in addition to host UC Davis and USC, Stanford, East Tennessee State, LSU, Pepperdine, San Diego State, Northwestern, Notre Dame, Oregon, San Francisco, Washington, Oklahoma State and Stirling.
USC's lineup will include juniors Justin Suh and Sam Kim, sophomores Cheng Jin and Kyle Suppa and freshman Kaito Onishi. Freshman Issei Tanabe will also play as an individual.
Trojan Notes
USC, under 12th-year head coach Chris Zambri, has been led this year by Suh, a three-time winner in five events this season who is averaging a remarkable 67.80 strokes in 15 rounds, leading to five top 9 finishes. He captured his second career collegiate title at the Trinity Forest Invitational at 10-under 203 (67-69-67) and won his third at the Saint Mary's Invitational with a dominating 13-under 200 (67-66-67) – that included 15 birdies and an eagle – to close fall play. He won his third event of the season at the Amer Ari Invitational to open spring play, taking the title at 13-under 837 (69-66-68) while birdieing four of the final six holes, including 17 and 18
Suh also tied for second at the Nike Golf Collegiate Invite at 12-under 201 (67-71-63). The final round was USC's best since Rico Hoey carded the same score at the Amer Ari Invitational last season. The last Trojan round lower belongs to Sam Smith, a 62 in the second round of the 2013 NCAA Pullman Regional. Suh's previous best was a 65 at the 2017 Pac-12 Championships.
Suh opened the season by tying for ninth in the OFCC/Fighting Illini Invite at even 210 (70-69-71).
Suh, the seventh-ranked amateur in the world, has 12 rounds in the 60s this season in 15 rounds, including an active streak of seven in a row. He now has 11 straight top 20 finishes dating back to last season, nine of which have been inside the top 9 and 10 in the top 11.
Suh was ranked No. 2 in the first 2018 rankings for the Arnold Palmer cup and is among 27 collegiate golfers on the watch list for the 2018 Ben Hogan Award. He is 22-6 vs. the Top 25 this year, 46-7 vs. the top 50 and 84-9 vs. the top 100.
Onishi (70.87) and Suppa (71.672) are second and third, respectively, in stroke average on the team. Onishi has almost matched Suh stroke for stroke in the last two events that saw him tie for second at the Saint Mary's Invitational at 8-under 205 (73-63-69) -- his middle round tying Suh for low on the team – and then tying for fourth at the Amer Ari Invitational at 11-under 205 (69-66-68). Onishi has a streak of five straight rounds under 70.
Suppa turned in a season best at Saint Mary's as he tied for sixth at 6-under 207 (75-68-64), his final round 7-under tying his collegiate best. He tied for 20th at the Trinity Forest Invitational at 1-over 214 (72-70-72) among three top 33 finishes this year. His four rounds in the 60s are third most on the team.
USC entered the season figuring to lean on two-year returning starter Suh, who earned All-American honors his first two years in school, and sophomore Cheng Jin, starting for the second year in a row. Jin is fourth on the team in stroke average at 72.75
Also returning from last year is Suppa, who saw spot action as a 2017 freshman reserve, Slater (who sat out last year), and redshirt sophomore Ing Ratanavadi, another reserve.
The Trojans welcome four newcomers, including freshmen Onishi, Owen Calvin-Smith and Issei Tanaba as well as junior Sam Kim, who comes to USC after two years at New Mexico. Kim has averaged 73.08 strokes in 12 rounds this year.
Monday, September 16
