Upcoming Event: Men's Golf at William H. Tucker Intercollegiate on September 19, 2025
M Golf
at William H. Tucker Intercollegiate
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Friday, April 28
Boulder City, Nev. | Boulder Creek Golf Club
Grand Canyon
vs
WAC Championship
Photo by: David Kadlubowski
Lopes capture WAC Championship title
4/30/2023 6:19:00 PM | Men's Golf
GCU sets conference tournament's scoring record, earns NCAA regional spot
BOULDER CITY, Nev. – From the first tee box Friday morning to the 18th green Sunday afternoon, Grand Canyon's motto was clear: History can be made.
With a par putt on the 18th green to cap the victory, history was made, as GCU captured its first-ever WAC Championship trophy while tying the tournament's 54-hole scoring record in the process.
GCU shot 34 under par (830) to defeat runner-up New Mexico State by five strokes at the Boulder Creek Golf Club and earn an NCAA regional berth.
Sunday's third round began with GCU and New Mexico State tied at 27 under. After the players' first 20 combined holes, the Lopes were even par for the day and two strokes back from the Aggies. Then history ensued.
With 14 birdies and an eagle over the remaining 70 holes of play, GCU distanced itself from the field and headed to the 18th hole with a commanding seven-stroke lead.
Lopes fifth-year senior Parker Reddig shot a final-round 66 with six birdies, including four on the back nine to pace the Lopes' lead. Reddig finished the tournament at 10 under par for sole possession of fourth place after a team-leading 15 birdies over the course of three days. Reddig's scorecard on holes 10-13 read birdie-par-birdie-birdie with another birdie on 16 as his 6-under score tied for the 69-player field's second lowest on Sunday.
"This is just awesome and unbelievable," GCU head coach Mark Mueller said. "Parker was amazing today, and the guys played so well with him coming down the stretch. Parker, with six birdies and no bogeys, is just incredible and I am really happy for the guys."
Lopes junior Tommaso Zorzetto shot 1 over for the day with perhaps the most clutch moment of the tournament. Zorzetto sank a 10-foot putt on hole No. 5 for eagle, putting the Lopes even with New Mexico State as momentum shifted to the Lopes. GCU had four eagles for the tournament, the second most among the field. Zorzetto tied for 26th with an overall score of 2 under.
GCU junior Nicky Kling shot 1 under Sunday and tallied a critical birdie on No. 16. He made three birdies for his final round and tied for 14th overall at 5 under par.
Lopes senior Matthew Braley, who played in the second to last group, registered a bogey-free round with two birdies. The Oklahoma native returned for a fifth season and his experience, leadership and talent proved critical to capturing the program's first WAC Championship title.
Braley birdied the second and 13th holes, and after an 18th-hole hazard drop due to gusts of wind reaching 35 miles per hour, stuck his third shot within 5 feet of the hole. Braley tied for 11th at 6 under by making his par putt and, to the delight of the crowd, left junior teammate Sam Murphy to seal the win.
"I still have the chills," Braley said. "It's been something I have been waiting to do for five years. It means so much to me and to be able to do it with this group of guys is special."
Mueller added, "You can't say enough about Braley. He's been our leader the past three years. I just knew he was going to shoot par or better today. He had a huge up and down for par on No. 18 and has been our rock the past couple seasons. I am so happy it ended the way it did for him."
M
urphy entered the tournament as the team's No. 3 and played Sunday in the final pairing. Murphy's confidence grew over the course of the round, battling back from two bogeys in the first four holes with three birdies and 11 pars over the final 14 holes to shoot 2 under Sunday and 8 under overall to tie for sixth. Murphy's second shot on 18 got within 25 feet of the flag with his par putt 5 feet out. The Galway, Ireland, native made the putt and clinched the trophy for the program.
"It was really fun being in that No. 1 group today," Murphy said. "I knew as soon as we finished yesterday, I would have a chance at a winning putt and am so delighted to make that winning putt with the boys watching.
"I knew on hole 15 we were up and when I saw and heard the crowd after Braley's putt on No. 18, I just knew I had to hit the front end of the green. I am just so delighted to be a part of it."
The Lopes await their NCAA regional destination with the selection show airing Wednesday at 10 a.m. (Phoenix time) on Golf Channel. First-round regional action begins Monday, May 15, with the third and final round concluding Wednesday, May 17.
With a par putt on the 18th green to cap the victory, history was made, as GCU captured its first-ever WAC Championship trophy while tying the tournament's 54-hole scoring record in the process.
GCU shot 34 under par (830) to defeat runner-up New Mexico State by five strokes at the Boulder Creek Golf Club and earn an NCAA regional berth.Sunday's third round began with GCU and New Mexico State tied at 27 under. After the players' first 20 combined holes, the Lopes were even par for the day and two strokes back from the Aggies. Then history ensued.
With 14 birdies and an eagle over the remaining 70 holes of play, GCU distanced itself from the field and headed to the 18th hole with a commanding seven-stroke lead.
Lopes fifth-year senior Parker Reddig shot a final-round 66 with six birdies, including four on the back nine to pace the Lopes' lead. Reddig finished the tournament at 10 under par for sole possession of fourth place after a team-leading 15 birdies over the course of three days. Reddig's scorecard on holes 10-13 read birdie-par-birdie-birdie with another birdie on 16 as his 6-under score tied for the 69-player field's second lowest on Sunday."This is just awesome and unbelievable," GCU head coach Mark Mueller said. "Parker was amazing today, and the guys played so well with him coming down the stretch. Parker, with six birdies and no bogeys, is just incredible and I am really happy for the guys."
Lopes junior Tommaso Zorzetto shot 1 over for the day with perhaps the most clutch moment of the tournament. Zorzetto sank a 10-foot putt on hole No. 5 for eagle, putting the Lopes even with New Mexico State as momentum shifted to the Lopes. GCU had four eagles for the tournament, the second most among the field. Zorzetto tied for 26th with an overall score of 2 under.
GCU junior Nicky Kling shot 1 under Sunday and tallied a critical birdie on No. 16. He made three birdies for his final round and tied for 14th overall at 5 under par.
Lopes senior Matthew Braley, who played in the second to last group, registered a bogey-free round with two birdies. The Oklahoma native returned for a fifth season and his experience, leadership and talent proved critical to capturing the program's first WAC Championship title.Braley birdied the second and 13th holes, and after an 18th-hole hazard drop due to gusts of wind reaching 35 miles per hour, stuck his third shot within 5 feet of the hole. Braley tied for 11th at 6 under by making his par putt and, to the delight of the crowd, left junior teammate Sam Murphy to seal the win.
"I still have the chills," Braley said. "It's been something I have been waiting to do for five years. It means so much to me and to be able to do it with this group of guys is special."
Mueller added, "You can't say enough about Braley. He's been our leader the past three years. I just knew he was going to shoot par or better today. He had a huge up and down for par on No. 18 and has been our rock the past couple seasons. I am so happy it ended the way it did for him."
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urphy entered the tournament as the team's No. 3 and played Sunday in the final pairing. Murphy's confidence grew over the course of the round, battling back from two bogeys in the first four holes with three birdies and 11 pars over the final 14 holes to shoot 2 under Sunday and 8 under overall to tie for sixth. Murphy's second shot on 18 got within 25 feet of the flag with his par putt 5 feet out. The Galway, Ireland, native made the putt and clinched the trophy for the program."It was really fun being in that No. 1 group today," Murphy said. "I knew as soon as we finished yesterday, I would have a chance at a winning putt and am so delighted to make that winning putt with the boys watching.
"I knew on hole 15 we were up and when I saw and heard the crowd after Braley's putt on No. 18, I just knew I had to hit the front end of the green. I am just so delighted to be a part of it."
The Lopes await their NCAA regional destination with the selection show airing Wednesday at 10 a.m. (Phoenix time) on Golf Channel. First-round regional action begins Monday, May 15, with the third and final round concluding Wednesday, May 17.
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