SMU men’s and women’s golf head into elite tournaments with stars Will Sides, Ben Steinmann and Mackenzie Lee leading the Mustangs.
DALLAS - SMU golf is heading into a massive week on both coasts.
The SMU men’s golf team returns to the Pauma Valley Invitational in California, one of the strongest early-spring fields in college golf. Meanwhile, SMU women’s golf travels to South Carolina for the Briars Creek Invitational, another stacked tournament featuring multiple nationally ranked teams.
For the Mustangs, it’s a chance to prove their rising programs can compete with the sport’s elite.
The Pauma Valley Invitational, played March 16-18 at Pauma Valley Country Club, features 17 teams, nine of which are ranked nationally in the top 20. Programs such as Florida, Georgia Tech, Illinois, LSU, Oklahoma State and Tennessee highlight the field.
SMU enters with momentum after a strong showing at the Desimone Invitational, where freshman Ben Steinmann captured the individual title after finishing tied for first place.
Steinmann’s win continued a trend for the Mustangs after Will Sides claimed the Stephens Cup title earlier in the season, marking multiple individual victories for the program.
Sides remains the centerpiece of SMU’s lineup. The standout golfer leads the team with a 70.70 scoring average and recently won the prestigious Jones Cup Invitational during winter competition.
His consistency has also vaulted him to No. 14 in the PGA Tour University rankings, one of two Mustangs ranked in the top 30 alongside Zachary Kingsland (No. 26).
Both players are already climbing the program’s record books.
Sides owns a 71.45 career scoring average, fourth-best in SMU history, while Kingsland ranks fifth at 71.73.
The women’s team is just as loaded heading into the Briars Creek Invitational, which features 15 teams ranked inside the top 100 nationally including Clemson, Georgia, Michigan State and Notre Dame.
Leading the Mustangs is Mackenzie Lee, who owns the best career scoring average in program history at 71.57. Lee recently earned ACC Excellence Award honors and is also on the ANNIKA Award Watch List, recognizing the nation’s top collegiate golfer.
She’s joined by standout Emily Odwin, the Barbados native who became the first golfer from her country to qualify for the U.S. Women’s Open. Odwin ranks second in SMU history with a 72.44 career scoring average.
With stars across both rosters and elite competition ahead, the Mustangs are stepping into tournaments that could define their postseason trajectory.