University Southern California Trojans
USC
Copper Cup
No. 24 USC Men's Golf Begins Spring Season at the Copper Cup
January 18, 2026 | Men's Golf
This week is the Trojans' first of six regular-season tournaments, including four in the state of California
LOS ANGELES — Coming off one of the most successful fall campaigns in recent memory, the No. 24 USC men's golf team will begin its spring season next Monday, Jan. 19 at the Copper Cup in Laguna Niguel, Calif.
The Copper Cup is a four-team, Ryder Cup-style event that includes USC, No. 21 UCLA, No. 30 Arizona and No. 7 Arizona State. The team match will be played for a total of 12 points, with the winning team needing to score at least 6.5 points. Morning rounds will be played in pairs with four points up for grabs, while the afternoon rounds will be played in a head-to-head format with eight points at stake. The pairings will be submitted the night before play begins.
USC will square off against the Bruins in a rivalry match on Monday, Jan. 19, starting at 8 a.m. PT. From there, USC will face either Arizona or ASU on Tuesday, Jan. 20, starting at 8 a.m. PT.
This event marks USC's first match play event of the year and the first of seven regular-season tournaments as the Trojans aim for their first NCAA Championship Finals appearance since 2019. USC is no stranger to the Copper Cup: The Trojans last competed in this event during the 2023-24 season.
After the Copper Cup, the Trojans will play five regular-season tournaments — four of which will be in the state of California — before beginning the postseason at the Big Ten Championships from May 1-3. From there, USC will compete at the NCAA Regionals from May 18-20. Should they advance, the Trojans will play at the NCAA Championship Finals from May 29-June 3 at The Club at La Costa, located in Carlsbad, Calif.
During the fall season, the Trojans won two tournaments and finished the fall No. 24 in the Scoreboard national rankings. USC kicked off the season by winning the Whirlwind Invitational with a 52-under par 812, which was not only the Trojans' second-best tournament score in tournament history, but also the lowest finish since 2005. Individually, senior Antonio Safa set the program's 54-hole school record with a 17-under par 199, which earned him Big Ten Golfer of the Week honors.
USC's second tournament win came at the Trinity Forest Invitational with a 32-under par 832, bolstered by the strongest closing round of the tournament. Individually, sophomore Jaden Dumdumaya tied for third thanks to firing the second-lowest round in program history with a 9-under par 63 in the final round. He earned Big Ten Golfer of the Week for his efforts.
All told, the Trojans had four top-three finishes during the fall season. USC kicked off the season with three top-3 finishes for the first time since 2012, plus this fall was the first time the Trojans opened a season with two wins in three events.
HEAR FROM THE LINEUP:
Junior Nicolas Dominguez: "UCLA, Arizona and ASU are really good schools, and we're there to be the best we can be and compete. At the end of the day, it's a team dynamic and we have to support each other. It'll be different, but I think it will be fun and it will be a good challenge for us."
Sophomore Jaden Dumdumaya: "It'll be all about strategy, execution being smart and having that grit that people talk about on Tour. Tiger Woods talks about trying to play mean and aggressive, and one thing I'll try to do is play aggressive."
Sophomore Jack Buchanan: "We're excited to tee it up against UCLA on Monday, hopefully get to the championship game and eventually win the Copper Cup just to prove to ourselves that when we play in the national championship, we know how to play match play against some of the top teams in the country. Hopefully we do make the national championships and be well-prepared for it."
Sophomore Kai Komulainen: "Success for us would be winning. But if we can keep doing what we did last semester, play with a lot of confidence and play as hard as we can while having a good attitude, that would be successful for us as a team and for myself individually."
Freshman Raghav Gulati: "Wins for us at the Copper Cup will show that we can compete with the best in the country and that we are a rising program. Playing well here will give us a lot of confidence."
The full spring schedule is as follows:
Copper Cup (Jan. 19-20)
Host: Arizona State
Location: El Niguel CC (Laguna Niguel, Calif.)
Notes: The Trojans will open 2026 in Orange County at the Copper Cup. The Copper Cup will be a four-team match play competition between USC, UCLA, Arizona State and Arizona.
Southwestern Invitational (Jan. 27-29)
Host: Pepperdine
Location: North Ranch CC (Westlake Village, Calif.)
Notes: This will be the eighth straight season that USC has competed in the Southwestern Invitational. The Trojans finished sixth out of 14 teams (including seven Top 25 programs) in last year's event, with Antonio Safa finishing 13th individually.
The Desimone Invitational (March 9-10)
Host: California
Location: Lake Merced GC (Daly City, Calif.)
Notes: Cal is hosting its inaugural Desimone Invitational this season, with the event named after the Golden Bears' legendary coach Steve Desimone. The Trojans will be one of 15 teams participating in the event, which will feature several former Pac-12 foes.
Valspar Intercollegiate (March 23-24)
Host: Houston
Location: Floridian National GC (Palm City, Fla.)
Notes: The Valspar Intercollegiate has been played at Floridian National since 2014. USC last competed in the event in 2022.
The Cowboy Classic (March 31-April 1)
Host: Wyoming
Location: AK-Chin Southern Dunes GC (Maricopa, Ariz.)
Notes: This will be the third straight season that USC has played in The Cowboy Classic at Southern Dunes GC. The Trojans picked up a Top 10 finish in a 22-team field last season, shooting a 10-under-par 854 to place eighth.
Western Intercollegiate (April 13-15)
Host: San Jose State
Location: Pasatiempo GC (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
Notes: The 14-team tournament hosted by San Jose State will wrap up the regular season for USC. The Trojans last competed in the event in 2023, when it was also at Pasatiempo.
Big Ten Championship (May 1-3)
Host: Big Ten
Location: Pumpkin Ridge GC (North Plains, Ore.)
Notes: This year's Big Ten Championship will be on the west coast at Pumpkin Ridge GC just outside of Portland. USC played in its first-ever Big Ten Championship last season, with the 2025 event held at Baltimore CC.
NCAA Regionals (May 18-20)
Host: NCAA
Location: TBD
Notes: USC will aim for back-to-back team NCAA Regional appearances this season. Last year, the Trojans finished sixth at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, which was the team's best finish since 2019. The six locations for this season are Athens, Ga.; Bermuda Run, N.C.; Bryan, Texas; Columbus, Ohio; Corvallis, Ore. and Marana, Ariz.
NCAA Championship Finals (May 29-June 3)
Host: NCAA
Location: The Club at La Costa (Carlsbad, Calif.)
Notes: This year, the Trojans aim for their 59th NCAA Championship Finals appearance and the program's first appearance since 2019. The NCAA Final Rounds will be held at The Club at La Costa in Carlsbad, Calif., May 29-June 3.
Players Mentioned
