Dylan Menante is going to have to get a bigger trophy case at the rate he’s going this spring.
The Pepperdine star backed up his win at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational two weeks ago with another victory at the Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo GC in Santa Cruz, California.
“This week was one of the toughest challenges of golf I’ve ever played,” Menante said after the final round. “[These two wins] set me up so greatly. So much confidence.”
This makes back-to-back individual champions for Pepperdine at this event, as Menante’s teammate, Joe Highsmith, hoisted the trophy at Pasatiempo in 2021.
Menante finished the three-round event at 1 under par, three shots clear of Texas’ Pierceson Coody, Colorado State’s Rasmus Hjelm and BYU’s Carson Lundell.
Pepperdine was looking to defend its team title as well, but couldn’t catch the Texas Longhorns, who finished one shot better than the 2021 national champions.
Along with Coody’s runner-up finish, the Longhorns also had Cole Hammer, Mason Nome and Travis Vick finish T-7.
It’s the second victory in a row for Texas, as they won the Augusta Haskins Award Invitational 10 days ago by 26 strokes.
If recent history is any indicator, Texas could have an even bigger win on the horizon. The past two national champions also won the Western Intercollegiate that same season, with Pepperdine taking the top spot at Grayhawk in 2021 and Stanford winning it all in 2019 at Blessings Golf Club.