Wake Forest University
Southwestern Invitational
Brennan Captures Fifth Collegiate Title at Southwestern Invitational
2/1/2023 10:24:00 PM | Men's Golf
The junior joins elite company as he is just the seventh player in program history to reach five career victories, tying Jay Haas, Lanny Wadkins and Cameron Young for fourth on the all-time program list
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. – Wake Forest men's golf junior Michael Brennan joined exclusive company, capturing his fifth collegiate title at the Southwestern Invitational individual title Wednesday at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif.
The Leesburg, Va. native battled two early bogies, recovering to finish the last 14 holes 5-under-par to give himself the clubhouse lead. After waiting for two hours in the clubhouse, Brennan held onto the lead to capture his fifth title of his career. He won by one stroke over Texas' Keaton Vo. As a team, Wake Forest finished tied for eighth at 21-over-par.
For the second consecutive day, Brennan carded the low score on the course, posting a 69 (-3) to overcome a three-stroke deficit coming into the day. He was also down three strokes going into the turn and was flawless on the back nine Wednesday, carding birdies on the 15th, 16th and 18th.
This marks the fifth time in Brennan's career he has captured an individual title putting him alongside Jay Haas, Lanny Wadkins and Cameron Young to have five titles to their name at Wake Forest. Only three Demon Deacons have more than five titles in their collegiate career: Bill Haas (10), Gary Hallberg (9) and Curtis Strange (8).
Wake Forest Golfers to Win Five Collegiate Events
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Jay Haas
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Lanny Wadkins
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Cameron Young
Brennan was equaled by teammate Marshall Meisel Wednesday as the sophomore posted a 3-under. It tied for the lowest round in the field on the final day and helped him make a climb well up the individual leaderboard.
Meisel was the largest climbing player in the tournament in the third round, jumping up 22 spots to tied for 30th, the second-highest Deac on the individual leaderboard.
Also finishing in the second spot for the Deacs, sophomore Scotty Kennon ended his tournament tied for 28th finish with his score counting in all three rounds of the tournament.
The Path to Five Titles
Wake Forest men's golf junior Michael Brennan joined elite company with his fifth title of his collegiate career. This is tied for the fourth most individual titles in program history and he is tied with Demon Deacon greats Jay Haas, Lanny Wadkins and Cameron Young. He grabbed a pair of titles in each of his first two years at Wake Forest. The journey on how he got to No. 5:
No. 1 | Kiawah Invitational | Oak Point Kiawah Island | Feb. 16, 2021
In his third collegiate tournament, Brennan put on a historic performance at one of the East Coast's most cherished golf communities, totaling a career-best 16-under with rounds of 67, 68 and 65, defeating the field by five strokes while helping the Demon Deacons to the team title by nine strokes.
No. 2 | Wake Forest Invite at No. 2 | Pinehurst No. 2 | March 2, 2021
One tournament later at Pinehurst No. 2, the host of PGA four-major championships among many other major tournaments. With the help of a strong finish over the last two days, Brennan claimed his second tournament title in a row, winning by a stroke.
No. 3 | Old Town Club Collegiate Invitational | Old Town Club | Spet. 28, 2021
After a record-setting opening round that tied Michael Brennan (62, -8) for the second lowest round in school history, Brennan along with senior Alex Fitzpatrick took a share of the lead heading into the final day at nine-under-par. Both players traded the lead throughout the day and ended up both carding final rounds of 67 (-3) to share the title.
No. 4 | Colonial Collegiate | Colonial Country Club | Oct. 25, 2021
For the second consecutive week and tournament, Wake Forest sophomore Michael Brennan claimed the individual title, winning by six strokes at the Colonial Collegiate in Fort Worth, Texas. It was the second consecutive tournament he shot below 200 over three rounds, carding a 199 at the same course that hosts the PGA Tours' Charles Schwab Challenge.
From Michael Brennan
Did you have a number in mind coming into today that you wanted to get to?
I was trying to get to 10-under. I thought that if I got to 10 obviously Jacob (Sosa) had played great the first few days. If he played great, then he was going to win. I knew the weather was going to be tough. 10-under was my number in mind this morning. Unfortunately, I fell a little bit short, but glad it was enough.
Enduring a lot of conditions throughout the last few days, what did you learn about yourself as a player?
You just have to stay tough and that there are enough holes left. I bogeyed one in three this morning to start off and it was not a great start. I felt like I kind of had to press a little bit in the middle of the round and I didn't make any birdies. I made a lot of pars. I didn't make my first birdie after the seventh hole until I got to 15 and then rattled a few off at the end. So, I just realized that you have to stay patient and then even when you think that holes are coming to an end that you still have life.
Day One Scores:
Team
|
Rank |
Team |
Round One |
Round Two |
Round Three |
Total |
|
1 |
Texas |
270 |
290 |
290 |
850 (-14) |
|
2 |
Pepperdine |
290 |
288 |
285 |
863 (-1) |
|
3 |
Arizona State |
275 |
304 |
289 |
868 (+4) |
|
4 |
Oregon |
284 |
293 |
295 |
872 (+8) |
|
T5 |
Washington |
290 |
295 |
295 |
880 (+16) |
|
T5 |
UCLA |
295 |
294 |
291 |
880 (+16) |
|
7 |
Georgia |
288 |
296 |
299 |
883 (+19) |
|
T8 |
Wake Forest |
292 |
302 |
291 |
885 (+21) |
|
T8 |
San Diego State |
288 |
301 |
296 |
885 (+21) |
|
10 |
USC |
300 |
310 |
289 |
899 (+35) |
|
11 |
UNLV |
297 |
302 |
303 |
902 (+38) |
|
12 |
San Jose State |
298 |
306 |
304 |
908 (+44) |
Wake Forest Team
|
Player |
Rank |
Round One |
Round Two |
Round Three |
Total |
|
1 |
70 |
68 |
69 |
207 (-9) |
|
|
T28 |
70 |
77 |
76 |
223 (+7) |
|
|
T28 |
76 |
78 |
69 |
223 (+7) |
|
|
T54 |
76 |
79 |
78 |
233 (+17) |
|
|
T57 |
77 |
80 |
77 |
234 (+18) |
Up Next
The Demon Deacons return to the east coast next week to take part in The Battle at Briar's Creek. Play at Golf Club of Briar's Creek in John's Island, S.C. begins on Monday and concludes on Tuesday. The entire team is expected to participate in the tournament.
Players Mentioned
