Tuesday, January 28
Westlake Village, Calif.
All Day
USC
vs
Southwestern Invitational
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
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/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
Leon D'Souza finished second at the Southwestern Invitational, his best effort as a Trojan.
Photo by: Jeff Golden
D'Souza Second, USC Ties For Second At Southwestern Invitational
January 28, 2020 | Men's Golf, Features
Junior finishes one shot out of first.
Junior Leon D'Souza matched a season-best round (67) that led to a season-best finish, taking second place at 11-under while leading USC to a tie for second on the final day of the Southwestern Invitational on Tuesday (Jan. 28) at North Ranch C.C. in Westlake Village, Calif.
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USC, playing without junior Kaito Onishi due to an injury, closed with a 9-under final round to tie No. 10 Arizona State at 3-over 867 (299-289-279), another season-best effort. Host No. 6 Pepperdine won the event at 14-under 850.
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D'Souza, who entered the tournament with four rounds in the 60s, now leads the squad with six (in nine outings) after carding a 54-hole 11-under 205 (70-68-67) that was one shot out of first.
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The junior college transfer began the day with a two-stroke lead, but was caught by Pepperdine's Sahith Theegala after the second-round (cut short Monday by darkness) was completed.
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The two battled for medalist honors throughout the afternoon. Theegala took a two-stroke lead at the turn after a 5-under front, but D'Souza tied it with birdies on 10 and 12. The pair were still tied after birdies on 16, but D'Souza's bogey on 17 was the difference.
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D'Souza was one of three Trojans under par today, joined in red by Yuxin Lin's 3-under 69 and Issei Tanabe's 1-under 71 while senior Kyle Suppa finished at par.
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"This was an important week for us and the guys stepped up," USC Coach Chris Zambri said. "We lost Kaito to an injury prior to the first round. With that, Leon put the team on his back and put up a perfect tournament. He really announced his presence in Div. I golf in a huge way this week."
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Lin, a freshman, tied for 14th at 1-over 217 (78-70-69), his third top 15 finish in three stroke play events. The 69 was his fifth round in the 60s this year. He turned at par but was 3-under on the back with a birdie and an eagle on the par 5 12th hole.
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Tanabe tied for 29th at 6-over 222 (73-78-71), knocking in five birdies today, including three in a row late. Freshman Tyler Guo, playing individually, tied for 41st at 9-over 225 (79-77-69), his final round a season-best.
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Sophomore Cameron Henry tied for 50th at 12-over 228 (78-73-77) while Suppa was 64th at 20-over 236 (83-81-72). He had a stretch of five straight birdies at one point.
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USC, playing without junior Kaito Onishi due to an injury, closed with a 9-under final round to tie No. 10 Arizona State at 3-over 867 (299-289-279), another season-best effort. Host No. 6 Pepperdine won the event at 14-under 850.
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D'Souza, who entered the tournament with four rounds in the 60s, now leads the squad with six (in nine outings) after carding a 54-hole 11-under 205 (70-68-67) that was one shot out of first.
Â
The junior college transfer began the day with a two-stroke lead, but was caught by Pepperdine's Sahith Theegala after the second-round (cut short Monday by darkness) was completed.
Â
The two battled for medalist honors throughout the afternoon. Theegala took a two-stroke lead at the turn after a 5-under front, but D'Souza tied it with birdies on 10 and 12. The pair were still tied after birdies on 16, but D'Souza's bogey on 17 was the difference.
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D'Souza was one of three Trojans under par today, joined in red by Yuxin Lin's 3-under 69 and Issei Tanabe's 1-under 71 while senior Kyle Suppa finished at par.
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"This was an important week for us and the guys stepped up," USC Coach Chris Zambri said. "We lost Kaito to an injury prior to the first round. With that, Leon put the team on his back and put up a perfect tournament. He really announced his presence in Div. I golf in a huge way this week."
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Lin, a freshman, tied for 14th at 1-over 217 (78-70-69), his third top 15 finish in three stroke play events. The 69 was his fifth round in the 60s this year. He turned at par but was 3-under on the back with a birdie and an eagle on the par 5 12th hole.
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Tanabe tied for 29th at 6-over 222 (73-78-71), knocking in five birdies today, including three in a row late. Freshman Tyler Guo, playing individually, tied for 41st at 9-over 225 (79-77-69), his final round a season-best.
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Sophomore Cameron Henry tied for 50th at 12-over 228 (78-73-77) while Suppa was 64th at 20-over 236 (83-81-72). He had a stretch of five straight birdies at one point.
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