Hitchner, Mouw, and Choi anchored a Waves team that reached the NCAA Championships match play tournament
Pepperdine Waves men’s golfer Derek Hitchner was selected for three All-American teams this month.
The graduate student was named a PING All-American and Golfweek All-American for his exploits on the course during Pepperdine’s 2022-23 campaign. Hitchner was named a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American for excelling on the course and in the classroom.
Hitchner, also the co-West Coast Conference Player of the Year this season, was selected for the second team for the three All-American squads.
He wasn’t the only Pepperdine golfer to receive All-American nods.
William Mouw, a senior, and Sam Choi, a graduate student, were named third-team All-Americans by PING and Golfweek. Graduate student Luke Gifford was named honorable mention by PING.
Hitchner is ranked 14th by Golfweek/Sagarin and 18th by Golfstat. He is also rated 14th in the PGA TOUR U ranking. He finished the season with a 70.74 scoring average, fifth in the Pepperdine record books. Hitchner finished in the top 10 of five tournaments, the top 20 of eight tournaments, and had 17 below-par rounds. He also won the Western Intercollegiate tournament.
Hitchner had a 3.925 grade point average as a graduate student and a 3.854 GPA as an undergraduate. To be an academic All-American, a golfer had to have at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA, be a starter or important reserve, and have spent at least one calendar year at their current school.
Mouw, a senior, had a 70.74 scoring average this season — tying Hitchner in the Waves’ record books. He finished with six top-10 finishes and nine top-20 finishes in tournaments this season. He had 18 below-par rounds, which is tied for eighth in Pepperdine history. Mouw is ranked 22nd by Golfweek/Sagarin, 23rd by Golfstat, and sixth by PGA TOUR U.
Choi had ten top-20 finishes this season, five top-10 placements, and 17 below-par rounds. The golfer is ranked 16th by Golfstat, 42nd by Golfweek/Sagarin, and 11th by PGA TOUR U. Choi had a 70.93 scoring average this season, 11th in Pepperdine history.
Gifford completed the season with a 72.21 scoring average. He had six top-20 finishes and 14 below-par rounds. The golfer is ranked 51st by PGA Tour U, 117th by Golfstat, and 131st by Golfweek/Sagarin.
The Waves’ golf season ended in late May in match play of the NCAA Championships.