Friday, April 28
Stanford, Calif.
All Day
USC
vs
Pac-12 Championships
Players Mentioned
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USC Men's Golf At Stanford For Pac-12 Championship
April 27, 2023 | Men's Golf
The USC men's golf team, with a trio of medalist honors to its credit this season, is set for the 2023 Pac-12 Championship, Friday through Sunday (April 28-30), at the Stanford (Calif.) G.C.
2023 Pac-12 Championships Information
The 2022 Pac-12 Championships, in its traditional six play, five count format, kicks off Friday with 36 holes with pairings beginning at 7 a.m. and a second round slated for a 12:30 p.m. start. Saturday's third round starts at 10 a.m. and the final round Sunday starts at 7:30 a.m.
USC is paired with Washington and California on Friday, their first group off at 7:30 a.m. Results will be available at Golfstat.com.
USC's starting lineup in the six-play, five-count format will feature seniors Jack Boulger and Parker Sisk, junior Krando Nishiba, sophomores Jackson Rivera and Gavin Aurilia and freshman Mahanth Chirravuri.
USC HISTORY AT THE PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Trojans have won a conference-best 20 Pac-12 titles, most recently winning the 2018 crown – its first since 2011 -- while hosting at Rolling Hills C.C. Justin Suh claimed the Trojans' first individual crown since the same year – both he and the Trojans winning by four strokes. The Trojan squad won at 31-under 1389 (347-340-351-351) while Suh won his USC record fifth title of the season at 16-under 268 (68-64-65-71) … At the 2022 Pac-12 Championships, USC finished seventh.
USC's previous two wins were a 2011 playoff win and a dominating 36-stroke win in 2007. USC came close in 2008 to back-to-back wins (like they did in 2001 and 2002), but fell in a playoff to ASU ... USC finished third in 2012 and tied for third in 2017. Troy claimed the crown 15 times between 1962 and 1986 ... USC boasts 22 individual champions including Suh in 2018 as well current PGA player Martin Trainer in 2011, who outlasted Oregon State's Alex Moore during a seven-hole playoff for the win. Jamie Lovemark won in 2007, which ended a drought that dated back to Sam Randolph's tie for first in 1983 ... USC has also earned nine Pac-12 Golfer of the Year honors, including Suh in 2018 and its previous winner, Matt Giles in 2009, as well as Lovemark's 2007 distinction and Kevin Stadler's in 2002 ... Sherman Finger's three wins in 1964-65-66 are tied for the Pac-12's most individual conference titles (with ASU's Paul Casey in 1998-99-2000)… Jamie Lovemark's 2007 title-winning 269 is USC's lowest 72-hole score at the Pac-12s, which led the Trojans to their lowest team score ever at the Pac-12s, a 51-under 1389 (358-342-345-344).
SEASON SUMMARY
The Trojans, in their third year under Head Coach J.T. Higgins and assistant coach Matt Walton, posted a pair of medalist performances in their first weekend and notched their third win recently.
Sophomore Jackson Rivera won the Husky Invitational by four strokes while senior Jack Boulger won the Husky Individual Invitational by six — both the first titles of their collegiate careers — while the USC men's team finished second at the Gold Mountain G.C. in Bremerton, Wash., to kick off the 2022-23 season. USC combined for a three-round 7-over 871 (293-281-297), finishing three strokes back of first-place Washington State and two ahead of third-place and host Washington.
Rivera never wavered during the final round and maintained at least a two-stroke lead throughout Tuesday and finished at 8-under 208 (67-70-71), closing with a birdie on 18. Boulger won going away on Gold Mountain's Cascade Course at 12-under 201 (68-67-66), posting his best three rounds in Cardinal and Gold.
On March 18, Rivera earned co-champion honors at the Arizona N.I.T. at Tucson Omni National at 13-under 203 (69-67-67), tying for first with Wildcat Zach Pollo. For Rivera, the 13-under showing tied for the 12th-lowest 54-hole total in almost three decades of Trojan golf. It also marked his first collegiate effort registering all three rounds in the 60s in one event. He earned Pac-12 Co-Golfer of the Week for his efforts.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Freshman Mahanth Chirravuri leads USC in stroke average (72.18), is tied in round of par or better (15) and is second on the team with six rounds in the 60s and eight rounds under par. He also has been USC's best tournament-finisher a team-high-tying five times and has a team-best seven top 25 finishes. His 28.5 counting rounds are second best on the team.
Rivera leads USC in rounds under par (12) and rounds in the 60s (eight) and is second in stroke average (72.27). He has a team-best 29.5 counting rounds and is tied for first in rounds of par or better (15).
Aurilia has 10 rounds of par or better while Boulger has nine and eight under par. Boulger is third on the team in stroke average (73.30).
MORE TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Chirravuri led USC at the Inverness Intercollegiate with a tie for 20th at 6-over. Chirravuri and Rivera topped USC at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational at 6-over, tied for 47th.
Chirravuri topped USC at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate with a tie for 20th at 2-under 214, the second time he'd been USC's top finisher while also co-leading once with Rivera. Sophomore Gavin Aurilia topped USC's efforts in the fall finale at the Cal Poly Invitational, tying for 23rd at 1-over 217 as USC tied for eighth overall.
Chirravuri led USC in its first two spring events, tying for 23rd at the Southwestern Invitational and tying for 19th at the John A. Burns Invitational. Krando Nishiba and Aurilia topped the Trojans' efforts in the Desert Mountain Collegiate, tying for 15th.
Rivera tied for 16th at The Goodwin to follow up on his win at the Arizona N.I.T., giving him a trio of top 16 results this season.
BRIEF OVERVIEW
The Trojans return six golfers from last year's squad, led by Rivera, who was All-West Region as well as All-Pac-12 second team during a freshman season that saw him start all 12 tournaments, leading the team in stroke average (71.70), rounds in the 60s (nine), rounds under par (20) and rounds of par or better (23).
He posted a team-best three top 10 finishes, six top 18s and seven top 21s and was USC's top finisher in eight of 11 events. Two of his top 10 results came in the postseason. He tied for sixth at the Pac-12 Championships at par 284 (73-68-74-69) and followed that with a tie for 10th at the NCAA Stockton Regional at 7-under 209 (68-71-70).
Also back are graduate senior Jack Boulger, senior Parker Sisk, juniors Krando Nishiba and Shane Ffrench and sophomore Gavin Aurilia. The Trojans welcome a pair of freshmen in Mahanth Chirravuri from Arizona and Rocky Chapman from the U.K.
Aurilia started nine times last year, Ffrench eight times, Nishiba seven times, Boulger six times and Sisk twice.
Chirravuri was a 2020 Rolex/AJGA All-American honorable mention selection and won the Arizona state title in 2020 at 10-under while helping his school to state team titles in 2019, 2020 and 2021, finishing third individually in 2021. Chapman is a talented up-and-coming golfer from England who will compete for starting time.
2023 Pac-12 Championships Information
The 2022 Pac-12 Championships, in its traditional six play, five count format, kicks off Friday with 36 holes with pairings beginning at 7 a.m. and a second round slated for a 12:30 p.m. start. Saturday's third round starts at 10 a.m. and the final round Sunday starts at 7:30 a.m.
USC is paired with Washington and California on Friday, their first group off at 7:30 a.m. Results will be available at Golfstat.com.
USC's starting lineup in the six-play, five-count format will feature seniors Jack Boulger and Parker Sisk, junior Krando Nishiba, sophomores Jackson Rivera and Gavin Aurilia and freshman Mahanth Chirravuri.
USC HISTORY AT THE PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS
The Trojans have won a conference-best 20 Pac-12 titles, most recently winning the 2018 crown – its first since 2011 -- while hosting at Rolling Hills C.C. Justin Suh claimed the Trojans' first individual crown since the same year – both he and the Trojans winning by four strokes. The Trojan squad won at 31-under 1389 (347-340-351-351) while Suh won his USC record fifth title of the season at 16-under 268 (68-64-65-71) … At the 2022 Pac-12 Championships, USC finished seventh.
USC's previous two wins were a 2011 playoff win and a dominating 36-stroke win in 2007. USC came close in 2008 to back-to-back wins (like they did in 2001 and 2002), but fell in a playoff to ASU ... USC finished third in 2012 and tied for third in 2017. Troy claimed the crown 15 times between 1962 and 1986 ... USC boasts 22 individual champions including Suh in 2018 as well current PGA player Martin Trainer in 2011, who outlasted Oregon State's Alex Moore during a seven-hole playoff for the win. Jamie Lovemark won in 2007, which ended a drought that dated back to Sam Randolph's tie for first in 1983 ... USC has also earned nine Pac-12 Golfer of the Year honors, including Suh in 2018 and its previous winner, Matt Giles in 2009, as well as Lovemark's 2007 distinction and Kevin Stadler's in 2002 ... Sherman Finger's three wins in 1964-65-66 are tied for the Pac-12's most individual conference titles (with ASU's Paul Casey in 1998-99-2000)… Jamie Lovemark's 2007 title-winning 269 is USC's lowest 72-hole score at the Pac-12s, which led the Trojans to their lowest team score ever at the Pac-12s, a 51-under 1389 (358-342-345-344).
SEASON SUMMARY
The Trojans, in their third year under Head Coach J.T. Higgins and assistant coach Matt Walton, posted a pair of medalist performances in their first weekend and notched their third win recently.
Sophomore Jackson Rivera won the Husky Invitational by four strokes while senior Jack Boulger won the Husky Individual Invitational by six — both the first titles of their collegiate careers — while the USC men's team finished second at the Gold Mountain G.C. in Bremerton, Wash., to kick off the 2022-23 season. USC combined for a three-round 7-over 871 (293-281-297), finishing three strokes back of first-place Washington State and two ahead of third-place and host Washington.
Rivera never wavered during the final round and maintained at least a two-stroke lead throughout Tuesday and finished at 8-under 208 (67-70-71), closing with a birdie on 18. Boulger won going away on Gold Mountain's Cascade Course at 12-under 201 (68-67-66), posting his best three rounds in Cardinal and Gold.
On March 18, Rivera earned co-champion honors at the Arizona N.I.T. at Tucson Omni National at 13-under 203 (69-67-67), tying for first with Wildcat Zach Pollo. For Rivera, the 13-under showing tied for the 12th-lowest 54-hole total in almost three decades of Trojan golf. It also marked his first collegiate effort registering all three rounds in the 60s in one event. He earned Pac-12 Co-Golfer of the Week for his efforts.
INDIVIDUAL NOTES
Freshman Mahanth Chirravuri leads USC in stroke average (72.18), is tied in round of par or better (15) and is second on the team with six rounds in the 60s and eight rounds under par. He also has been USC's best tournament-finisher a team-high-tying five times and has a team-best seven top 25 finishes. His 28.5 counting rounds are second best on the team.
Rivera leads USC in rounds under par (12) and rounds in the 60s (eight) and is second in stroke average (72.27). He has a team-best 29.5 counting rounds and is tied for first in rounds of par or better (15).
Aurilia has 10 rounds of par or better while Boulger has nine and eight under par. Boulger is third on the team in stroke average (73.30).
MORE TEAM HIGHLIGHTS
Chirravuri led USC at the Inverness Intercollegiate with a tie for 20th at 6-over. Chirravuri and Rivera topped USC at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational at 6-over, tied for 47th.
Chirravuri topped USC at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate with a tie for 20th at 2-under 214, the second time he'd been USC's top finisher while also co-leading once with Rivera. Sophomore Gavin Aurilia topped USC's efforts in the fall finale at the Cal Poly Invitational, tying for 23rd at 1-over 217 as USC tied for eighth overall.
Chirravuri led USC in its first two spring events, tying for 23rd at the Southwestern Invitational and tying for 19th at the John A. Burns Invitational. Krando Nishiba and Aurilia topped the Trojans' efforts in the Desert Mountain Collegiate, tying for 15th.
Rivera tied for 16th at The Goodwin to follow up on his win at the Arizona N.I.T., giving him a trio of top 16 results this season.
BRIEF OVERVIEW
The Trojans return six golfers from last year's squad, led by Rivera, who was All-West Region as well as All-Pac-12 second team during a freshman season that saw him start all 12 tournaments, leading the team in stroke average (71.70), rounds in the 60s (nine), rounds under par (20) and rounds of par or better (23).
He posted a team-best three top 10 finishes, six top 18s and seven top 21s and was USC's top finisher in eight of 11 events. Two of his top 10 results came in the postseason. He tied for sixth at the Pac-12 Championships at par 284 (73-68-74-69) and followed that with a tie for 10th at the NCAA Stockton Regional at 7-under 209 (68-71-70).
Also back are graduate senior Jack Boulger, senior Parker Sisk, juniors Krando Nishiba and Shane Ffrench and sophomore Gavin Aurilia. The Trojans welcome a pair of freshmen in Mahanth Chirravuri from Arizona and Rocky Chapman from the U.K.
Aurilia started nine times last year, Ffrench eight times, Nishiba seven times, Boulger six times and Sisk twice.
Chirravuri was a 2020 Rolex/AJGA All-American honorable mention selection and won the Arizona state title in 2020 at 10-under while helping his school to state team titles in 2019, 2020 and 2021, finishing third individually in 2021. Chapman is a talented up-and-coming golfer from England who will compete for starting time.
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