University of Washington
Lampkin San Diego Invitational
Pan, Pereira Lead Dawgs To Victory In San Diego
March 11, 2015 | Men's Golf
SAN DIEGO, Calif. – No. 17 Washington charged from behind to win its first tournament of the season at the Lamkin San Diego Classic, played at the San Diego Country Club. The Dawgs finished with the best round of the day, an 8-under 280 to finish at 10-under and win by six strokes.
Washington entered the final round 12 shots off the lead, but mounted a charge right from the beginning of the day.
“We had a huge deficit, but we believed we could catch them,” said head coach Matt Thurmond. “This is a course you can score well on, but also one that can get away from you if things go poorly.”
The comeback would go as planned as the Dawgs played steady all day, while the final round leader, New Mexico, struggled and came back to the field. Washington ended up winning comfortably over second-place No. 24 North Carolina who finished at 4-under, while the Lobos settled for third at 1-under.
It was also a historic day individually for two Huskies as Cheng-Tsung Pan and Corey Pereira tied for the individual title. The win for Pan was the seventh of his career, which is an all-time Husky record, breaking that of Chris Williams who won six in a career that ended with the Ben Hogan Award.
“It means a lot to me,” said Pan. “I really want to see my name on the glass wall in the golf center. I think the most meaningful thing today is that my individual win contributed to a team win.”
For Pereira, it was the first win at Washington for the player that might be next in line of Husky greats.
“I am thrilled for Corey,” said Thurmond. “He has been in position a few times and not played well in the final round, so it was great to see him get over the hump.”
Pereira made five birdies on the day, including the 17th to match Pan who was playing ahead of him.
“It feels great to be able to grind through some tough times and overcome the mental wall of winning collegiately,” said Pereira. “It's a product of a lot of hard work paying off and that feels good.”
Pan had the low final, shooting a 5-under 67, while Pereira just one shot off pace at 4-under 68. Both finished at 8-under 208.
For Pan, it was the third win of the spring as he has finished outside of the top-three at only one tournament this season. His historic run has earned him the nation's No. 1 individual ranking, but his play even exceeds that number.
“He's just playing at such a high level right now,” said Thurmond. “To do what he has done week in and week out against our schedule, which was the fifth-toughest in the nation, is just incredible. After the round he wasn't even satisfied with the win because he wanted to get to 10-under.”
While Pan and Pereira went toe to toe for the individual win, Jonathan Sanders and Jordan Lu helped secure the team win.
Sanders joined Pan and Pereira in the top-10, finishing ninth at 1-under for the week. He played the final round at 2-under, making four birdies and two bogeys.
Meanwhile, Lu grinded through a round that the team needed with the fifth score being a big number. The freshman finished at 3-over 75 for the final round and placed tied for 33rd at 7-over for the tournament.
Kevin Kwon rounded out the Husky squad with a 9-over 81. He finished at 85th for the week.
Next up for the Huskies is the Oregon Duck Invitational on March 23 and 24. The Dawgs have three regular season tournaments remaining, before heading into postseason play beginning with the Pac-12 Championships hosted by Washington State. Tuesday's win should build the momentum that the talented Husky team needs heading towards the stretch run.
“It means the world to be able to celebrate with my teammates,” said Pereira. “We haven't won in over a year and half and were very hungry to get back in the winner's circle. I am so excited about the potential of this team and glad to be a part of it.”
Players Mentioned
