UNLV Men’s Golf Opens Spring Season at Southwestern Invitational, Home to Past Winner Tiger Woods

The UNLV men’s golf team is set to kick off its spring season at the prestigious Southwestern Invitational from January 27-29, 2025. Hosted by Pepperdine University, the tournament will take place at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California. The 54-hole event features 18-hole rounds across three days on the par-72, 7,617-yard course.

We’re back in action with our spring season opener at the Southwestern Invitational starting tomorrow‼️ https://t.co/9LhisEXyQG
— UNLV Men's Golf (@UNLVGolf) January 27, 2025

The Rebels will compete in a highly competitive 14-team field, which includes seven programs ranked in the top 25 nationally. Among the ranked teams are No. 5 Texas, No. 10 UCLA, No. 11 Arizona, and host No. 19 Pepperdine. Other notable programs in the field include San Diego State, USC, Vanderbilt, and Duke. Individual players to watch include Gordon Sargent of Vanderbilt, currently ranked No. 3 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings, and Ian Gilligan of Florida, ranked No. 5.

Representing UNLV are seniors Caden Fioroni, Trevor Lewis, and Ben Sawaia, junior Wyatt Plattner, and sophomore Zach Little. The Rebels begin play in the first round on Monday at 9 a.m. PT.

The Southwestern Invitational, now in its 46th year, has grown into one of collegiate golf’s marquee events. It originated in 1978 at North Ranch Country Club and was co-hosted by USC and Pepperdine before the Waves took over hosting duties in 2016. Notable past champions include Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay, and Sahith Theegala, with Arizona State holding the record for the most team victories at nine.