Will Sides tied for the Pauma Valley Invitational title at 10-under, setting a tournament record and giving SMU golf another major spark before postseason play.
SMU golf didn’t leave Pauma Valley with the team trophy, but Will Sides made sure the Mustangs still grabbed a huge headline.
The senior delivered a monster week at the Pauma Valley Invitational, finishing 10-under par and grabbing a share of the individual title against one of the strongest fields SMU will see all season.
That number wasn’t just good enough to win a piece of the tournament. It also set a new tournament record, which tells you exactly how sharp Sides was from start to finish.
And he didn’t back into it. Sides put together a clean final round, stayed off the bogey train completely, and posted yet another round of 2-under or better to put real pressure on the leaders.
Then he waited. When Tennessee’s Lance Simpson couldn’t separate over the closing holes, Sides locked up his third collegiate victory and added another serious bullet point to what’s turning into a standout career.
That kind of finish matters for SMU golf, especially this late in the season.
Sides now owns a 70.30 scoring average, one of the best single-season marks in program history, and he’s giving the Mustangs a player who can absolutely carry momentum into the postseason.
As a team, SMU finished eighth at 5-under, which doesn’t sound flashy until you look at the field.
The Mustangs were battling a stacked lineup loaded with elite programs and still finished ahead of No. 13 Ole Miss, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 28 San Diego State, and No. 42 San Diego. That’s real work against real competition.
There were other bright spots too. Ben Steinmann closed at even par and finished tied for 29th, while Zachary Kingsland came in just one shot behind him at 1-over. Gabe Post finished 5-over, and Christian Clark saved his best round for the final day.
Now the Mustangs head to The Goodwin in Palo Alto for their regular-season finale, and the formula is pretty simple. If Will Sides keeps swinging like this, SMU golf is going to be a problem for a lot of people.
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