This Week in WAC Men's Golf - March 17
This Week in WAC Men's Golf - March 17
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TICKETSMARTER WAC MEN'S GOLFER OF THE WEEK ANNOUNCED
Grand Canyon's Matthew Braley has been named TicketSmarter Western Athletic Conference Men's Golfer of the Week for March 9 through March 15.
Braley, a junior from Broken Arrow, Okla., led the Lopes to a win at their own GCU Invitational by placing third individually with an 8-under-par 205. He opened the tournament with a pair of 5-under-par rounds of 66 to move to the top of the leaderboard. A 2-over-par 73 in the third round was strong enough to secure Braley the top-3 finish and allow GCU to clinch the team title with an 18-under-par 834 to win by four-strokes over Fresno State.
Other nominees: UT Rio Grande Valley's Taj Sutherland tied for 10th at the GCU Invitational, shooting a 3-under-par 210.
ON THE TEE
Seven teams will travel to three tournaments this week around the WAC. Abilene Christian, Lamar, NM State and Sam Houston will all be at the All-American Intercollegiate in Houston. Seattle U heads down I-5 for the Oregon Duck Invitational in Eugene while Stephen F. Austin will head to Kerrville, Texas for The Big Texan, hosted by UT Rio Grande Valley.
BY THE NUMBERS
Sam Houston's Chad Sewell leads the WAC in stroke average at 70.7 per round. NM State's Aidan Thomas is second at 71.8 strokes per round and CBU's Eeli Kujanpaa is third at 72.1. As a team, SHSU is the leader at 288.4 strokes per round. Utah Valley is second at 290.8 and NM State is third at 291.0.
UPPING THE COMPETITION
The WAC will be in a unique situation this season with two teams having earned automatic qualifications to NCAA Regionals in May. NM State will be the defending WAC champions, having won the 2021 Championship by just one stroke at Boulder Creek GC. Sam Houston also earned an automatic selection after winning the Southland Conference Championship by 10 strokes over Lamar. The Bearkats then placed fourth at the NCAA Stillwater Regional to earn a spot at the NCAA Championship in Scottsdale, where SHSU tied for ninth in the team standings.
IT'S BIGGER IN TEXAS (AND UTAH)
On Jan. 14, the WAC announced the addition of five new schools in the upcoming years. Abilene Christian, Lamar, Sam Houston, Stephen F. Austin and Southern Utah were all offered and accepted membership invitations. With the addition, the WAC now has six schools in Texas, more than any other conference in the country, and will have three schools in Utah, also a national best. The four Texas schools joined the league on July 1, 2021 and Southern Utah will follow 365 days later, officially joining the WAC on July 1, 2022. More recently, Tarleton announced this fall its intention to revive men's golf, beginning in fall of 2022.
WAC CHAMPIONSHIP BACK IN NEVADA
For the second straight season, the 2022 WAC Men's Golf Championship will be played at Boulder Creek Golf Club in Boulder City, Nev. Made up of three nine-hole courses, the course is considered by many to be one of the top municipal golf courses in the country. Scenic vistas, cool creeks, colorful wildflowers, and smooth beach bunkers add to the lure of this unique golf course.