Western Intercollegiate Golf Tournament at Pasatiempo
Each year, Pasatiempo Golf Club and San Jose State University host some of the nation’s top collegiate golf teams in the Western Intercollegiate Golf Tournament (The Western). The Western is one of the longest running tournaments in college golf, and the roll call of young college stars who have played the Western reads like a golf hall of fame: Ken Venturi, Bob Rosburg, Gene Littler, Johnny Miller, Dave Stockton, Al Geiberger, Tom Watson, Bobby Clampett, Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth and Scottie Scheffler as Longhorns and Arron Oberholser, to name a few.
2015 Results from the Santa Cruz Sentinel: Former University of Texas star golfer Jordan Spieth, the newly crowned Masters champion, won many titles as an amateur, but he never won the Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Club.
Spieth tied for fifth at the tournament as a freshman before turning professional after the 2012 season.
Enter the next wave of Longhorns talent: freshman Scottie Scheffler, a three-time University Interscholastic League Class 4A state champion in Texas. Scheffler fired a 9-under 201 at the 69th annual Western Intercollegiate to earn his first collegiate win Sunday. His final-round 67 helped the Longhorns shoot 340 in the third round — a modern era record for the final round — on the way to winning the team title with a 1,052 total.
“That means a lot,” Scheffler said of the team win, “probably more than the individual win. It’s good to get some momentum heading to the postseason now.”
Oregon took second with a 1,066 total and Stanford was third in the prestigious 14-team event at
Read more at the SantaCruzSentinel.com or watch this video from the Santa Cruz Sentinel.
Golfweek's video coverage of the 69th annual Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Club:
The Western was originally conceived by the Northern California Golf Association (NCGA) as a means to give all the college players around the bay area an opportunity to play and gain some tournament experience during the spring break. The timing of the tournament, the annual spring break, was selected to fill a void that existed in the collegiate golf schedules at that time. In 1947, the NCGA staged the first Western Collegiate on the Pasatiempo Golf Course.
Given the loose criteria for the schools to be included, area junior colleges, business colleges, four year colleges and whatever, were invited to compete and there was no limitations on the number of players that could be entered from any one institution. Schools could enter one individual player if they so desired. The tournament format was match play from 1947 until 1958, when it became a medal play championship over 72 holes. In the same year the team championship was initiated based on 36 holes, with the four best scores of each team counting on each of the first two days.
Ten years later, in 1968, the team format was changed to a 54 hole event whereby the four best 54 hole scores of each team were combined for a team score. The medal play, which previously had been based on a 72 holes, was changed to a 54 hole format. Today, the tournament remains a 54 hole team event and a 54 hole medal event.
Over time the original concept of the tournament has undergone a gradual but significant change. What used to be a casual fun-filled week has turned into a conventional college tournament format that produces the true champions amongst the best intercollegiate golf teams from all over the country. Still, in keeping with its history, the tournament retains an element of openness and fun — each year, there is an opening day “practice round” tournament where any amateur golfer can participate and test their game against the top collegiate golfers, playing the championship course side by side with the collegians in a best ball format. For information about playing in this fun event, sign up for Pasatiempo’s mailing list below.
| Year | Team Champion | Medalist |
| 2015 | Texas | Scottie Scheffler, Texas |
| 2014 | Stanford | Cameron Wilson, Stanford |
| 2013 | Cal | Pedro Figueredo, UCLA |
| 2012 | Texas | Patrick Rodgers, Stanford |
| 2011 | UCLA | Timothy Madigan, New Mexico State |
| 2010 | Oregon | Eugene Wong, Oregon |
| 2009 | Oregon | Diego Velasquez, Oregon State |
| 2008 | Saint Mary’s | Jack Newman, Michigan State |
| 2007 | Purdue | John Streibich, Xavier |
| 2006 | Duke | Rob Grube, Stanford |
| 2005 | Oregon | J.J. Scurich, Cal Poly |
| 2004 | Colorado | Kane Webber, Colorado |
| 2003 | UCLA | Steve Conway, UCLA |
| 2002 | Washington | Conner Robbins, Washington |
| 2001 | Oregon | Lars Johansson, San Diego State |
| 2000 | Fresno State | Jason Allred, Pepperdine |
| 1999 | Washington | Joel Kribel, Stanford |
| 1998 | UC Santa Barbara | Naoya Takemoto, UCSB |
| 1997 | Ohio State | Joel Kribel, Stanford |
| 1996 | Stanford | Arron Oberholser, San Jose State |
| 1995 | USC | Ryan Hietala, UTEP |
| 1994 | San Jose State | Ted Snavely, Oregon |
| 1993 | Oregon | Cam Martin, Oregon |
| 1992 | San Jose State | Todd Fischer, USF |
| 1991 | UNLV | Doug DuChateau, Oregon |
| 1990 | Fresno State | Mike Foster, San Jose State |
| 1989 | Fresno State | Rafael Ponce, BYU |
| 1988 | San Jose State | Bruce Brockbank, BYU |
| 1987 | Fresno State | Rich Greenwood, UCLA |
| 1986 | USC | Sam Randolph, USC |
| 1985 | San Jose State | Duffy Waldorf, UCLA |
| 1984 | San Jose State | Grant Barnes, San Jose State |
| 1983 | UCLA & Fresno State | Kris Moe, San Diego State |
| 1982 | USC | Rich Fehr, BYU |
| 1981 | BYU | Jay Don Blake, Utah State |
| 1980 | USC | Bobby Clampett, BYU |
| 1979 | San Jose State | Scott Watkins, Arizona State |
| 1978 | BYU | Mark O’Meara, Long Beach State |
| 1977 | Arizona State | Lee Mikles, Arizona State |
| 1976 | BYU | Mike Brannan, BYU |
| 1975 | BYU | Mark Lye, San Jose State |
| 1974 | Arizona State | Peter Jacobsen, Oregon |
| 1973 | USC | Don Baker, USC |
| 1972 | Arizona State | Howard Twitty, Arizona State |
| 1971 | BYU | Rich Simms, CS Los Angeles |
| 1970 | BYU | Bob Clark, CS Los Angeles |
| 1969 | Arizona State | Gary Sanders, USC |
| 1968 | BYU | Johnny Miller, BYU |
| 1967 | San Jose State | Jerry Heard, Fresno State |
| 1966 | USC | Arne Dokka, CS Los Angeles |
| 1965 | San Jose State | Arne Dokka, CS Los Angeles |
| 1964 | Fresno State | Ross Randall, San Jose State |
| 1963 | San Jose State | John Lotz, San Jose State |
| 1962 | Stanford | John Lotz, San Jose State |
| 1961 | Fresno State | John Lotz, San Jose State |
| 1960 | San Diego State | Ron O’Connor, San Diego State |
| 1959 | Fresno State | Joel Spinola, Fresno State |
| 1958 | Fresno State | Dale Lingenbrink, Seattle |
| 1957 | San Jose State | Stan Hobert, Arizona State |
| 1956 | Fresno State | Gordon McKenzie, Seattle |
| 1955 | Stanford | John McMullin, Modesto College |
| 1954 | Stanford | Charles Van Linge, Stanford |
| 1953 | Stanford | Ken Venturi, San Jose State |
| 1952 | Stanford | Fred Brown, Stanford |
| 1951 | Stanford | Ken Venturi, San Jose State |
| 1950 | California | George Bruno, San Jose State |
| 1949 | San Jose State | Al Nelson, Saint Mary’s |
| 1948 | San Jose State | Al Nelson, Saint Mary’s |
| 1947 | Stanford | Morgan Fottrell, San Jose State |