(Updated September 2012)
5.1 Playing Season
5.1.1 The dates, days, and site of the PacWest Golf Championship match will be declared by the Commissioner and Men's Golf Liaison, and approved by a vote of the Athletic Directors at their annual spring conference meeting.
5.1.2 The championship shall be conducted on the Monday and Tuesday two weeks prior to the NCAA regional competition (with a practice round on the Sunday before).
5.1.3 All member institutions shall observe the NCAA starting date for pre-season practice regardless of geographic location. No geographic exceptions are allowed. (Updated October 2010)
5.2 Championship Determination
5.2.1 The PacWest Team Champion shall be decided at a PacWest Championship tournament.
Beginning with the 2011-12 season, the rotation for hosting the conference tournament championship shall rotate between the three regional pods (i.e. Hawai‘i, San Francisco Bay Area, Southwest/SoCal). Recommendations for host sites shall be made by the Commissioner with input from the sports committee and must be approved by the Athletic Directors. (Updated June 2010).
The host institution shall be responsible for finding a reputable and suitable site, for providing manpower to cover administrative duties, for providing a certified athletic trainer and sports information person, for securing and paying any necessary golf or site officials/other manpower, and for communicating all information to participating teams.
5.2.2 PacWest Schedule - There shall be no required regular season PacWest schedule.
5.2.3 The PacWest Championship will be held at a site agreeable to the host school, the Men's Golf liaison, and the conference Commissioner.
5.3 Championship Policies
5.3.1 Host Institution Responsibilities and Event Finances - Member institutions will rotate host responsibilities for the championship. The host institution is responsible for providing an athletic trainer, sports information person, an on-site administrator, a head coach to help administer the tournament, and a "box lunch" between the rounds on Day 1 of the 36-hole portion tournament. Participating member institutions will be required to pay an entry fee to cover the expenses (including greens fees, etc.). An official scoring statistician designated by the host institution will provide cumulative team and individual results electronically to all PacWest schools after each day of competition.
5.3.2 Ball and Clubs - The type of ball and clubs in the championship shall be decided by the team and/or student-athlete and must be acceptable under USGA rules. The type (make and model) of ball shall be the same throughout each round of the tournament. (Updated June 2012)
5.3.3 Carts and Caddies - Participants may not use carts or caddies to carry their clubs. The only exception is if the player is permanently disabled, or as dictated and necessitated by course requirements. A written request shall be submitted to the PacWest office with the medical statements requesting the use of a cart.
5.3.4 Championship Course - The PacWest Men's Golf Championship Committee is responsible for finding a suitable course to conduct the championship. The course must be approved a minimum of six months before the championship by the PacWest Men's Golf Championship Committee - the Men's Golf liaison, conference Commissioner, and the athletic director (or designated representative of) the host school, plus the golf professional at the tournament site, when chosen. The Committee will use the following guidelines as an aid in approving a site: adequate scoreboard facility; adequate tee times to service the championship field; practice round availability on the day before the championship; a well marked and staked course. Play will be conducted from championship tees and a minimum of 6,000 yards.
5.3.5 Championship Format - The PacWest Championship shall be a 54-hole event. The tournament schedule should provide for a three-day event - a practice round on the Sunday preceding the event, two 18-hole rounds on Monday and the final 18-hole round Tuesday morning.
5.3.6 Inclement Weather Provisions - If inclement weather prohibits play, the local state golf officials, in consultation with the Golf Championship Committee (per Code 5.5.5), shall decide whether the Championship will be shortened. In the event the Championship is shortened, the winning scores shall be based on a minimum of 18 holes of play.
5.3.6.1 Stoppage of Play - If play must be stopped and all groups have played at least nine holes, scores shall be kept and play shall continue (if allowed) the following day from the same spot. When players are notified that play has been stopped, they shall mark the spot where the ball lies and pick up, or complete the hole according to USGA procedures if desired. If the entire field has not played at least nine holes, scores shall not be allowed and the championship shall begin anew the following day.
5.3.6.2 Resume Play - If play is resumed, all players shall return to the course simultaneously. However, in extenuating circumstances, a portion of the field may be allowed to resume play to ensure the entire field completes nine holes of play for the day.
5.3.7 TEE TIMES – Tee times for the PacWest Championship shall be at the discretion of the host course professional with final approval by the Championship Committee. (Updated June 2011).
5.3.7.1 - PAIRINGS -- Pairings for rounds one and two shall be decided by ranking/seeding according to GolfStat Rankings. Play will be in threesomes unless approved in advance by the Championship Committee. Once the team pairings have been determined, individual playing order will be assigned with number five players teeing first, number fours second, number threes third, number twos fourth and number one players fifth. No two players from the same team shall play in the same threesome. For second day pairings, teams will be paired in accordance with their place after the first two rounds. In the case of a tie between teammates, the lower-seeded player shall tee off first. In case of team ties, for starting purposes only, the fifth player's score shall be used to break the ties. If a tie remains, the ties shall be broken by draw, conducted by the Championship Committee at the site. (Updated June 2011).
5.3.7.2 - Seedings for conference championships must be based on overall golf stat rankings (of all participating; not rankings of NCAA eligible teams/individuals only) (Updated June 2012)
5.3.8 Pin Placement Sheets - Pin placement sheets shall be provided before the practice round for the championship to each participant and head coach. The depth of pin placements shall be identified in paces.
5.3.9 Playing Rule Modifications - All rules related to PacWest Championship play shall be consistent with those of the NCAA Division II Golf Championships for men and according to the U.S. Golf Association Rules, except as modified by local ground rules or PacWest policy.
5.3.10 Scorecard Submission - Scorecards are official and final upon their submission to the scorer's table.
5.3.11 PRACTICE (Updated June 2012)
5.3.11.1 One 18-hole practice round shall be provided to each team on the day preceding the championship.
5.3.11.2 With the exception of the host institution, teams are prohibited from practicing on or walking the course starting 10 days prior to the championship.
5.3.11.3 For institutions that have a No-Sunday Play policy, a waiver of the 10 days prior practice round prohibition may be requested to permit opportunity for a practice round within that period.
5.3.11.4 Depending on availability, the driving range and practice greens may be used in the afternoon on the day before the practice round.
5.3.11.5 Host golf course management shall be informed of this restriction by the conference office and/or host institution and shall be instructed to report any violations.
5.3.11.6 In an effort to maintain the conditions of the course and speed of play, it is required that each individual play one ball from the tee to the green during the practice round. A time schedule of 15 minutes per hold will be followed.
5.3.11.7 Teams are limited to five players. Head coaches and/or designated official institutional representative will be required to be with their team during the entire practice round and will be responsible for monitoring pace of play, misconduct and enforcement of the one-ball rule.
5.3.12 SCORING
5.3.12.1 Each institution's team shall consist of a maximum of five players. (A team must have five players to start participation in the tournament.) However, at least four players are required for team scoring. The four players from each team with the lowest scores for each eighteen holes shall constitute the scoring members of the team for that round. The team with the lowest combined score for all rounds shall be the PacWest Champion.
5.3.12.1.5 In the case a non-post season qualifying team wins the championship, the Automatic Qualifier (AQ) shall go to the highest finishing NCAA-qualifying team in the conference championship tournament. (Updated June 2012)
5.3.12.2 All individual places shall be determined by the lowest aggregate medal score at the completion of fifty-four holes of play. The individual having the lowest aggregate score shall be declared the PacWest individual Champion.
5.3.14 Squad size for the PacWest Championship shall be limited to five student-athletes. An exception to this can be granted by the approval of the PacWest Golf Championship Committee under extraordinary circumstances.
5.3.14.1 In the case of injuries, illness or other catastrophic condition, the commissioner with approval from the golf committee, may grant a waiver to allow a team to start with four players. (Updated April 2010)
5.3.15 Stroke Penalties
5.3.15.1 A two-stroke penalty may be assessed by the Championship Committee for conduct unbecoming a college player. This policy will conform to the guidelines of the NCAA Men's Golf Championship Handbook. Unbecoming conduct shall include, but not limited to, throwing a club (defined as releasing the club in a manner to cause harm to any person or to the golf course); use of abusive language; willful acts which damage property or equipment on the course.
5.3.15.2 A coach or the cart of the coach shall not be considered playing equipment in the application of stroke penalties for a ball striking a player, teammate or teammate's equipment.
5.3.16 Tie-Breaking Procedure - If at the conclusion of 54 holes of play, there is a tie for both the team and individual championship, the team championship playoff shall be decided first.
5.3.16.1 Team Championship Tie-Breaker - In case of a tie after regulation, the conference team champion will be determined by following the NCAA Championship format. (Updated April 2010)
5.3.16.2 Individual Sudden Death Playoff - In the event of a tie for the PacWest Individual Championship, a sudden death playoff shall be conducted immediately following the conclusion of regular play. The holes in play shall be determined by the Championship Committee.
5.3.17 Uniforms - All golfers shall wear uniforms identifying the institution they represent. In the best interest of intercollegiate golf and the PacWest Championship, a coach or player should not appear at the site of the championship in cutoffs, blue jeans, tank tops, or tee shirts during competition or practice.
5.4 Awards
5.4.1 The PacWest Team Champion will be the team winning the PacWest Championship Tournament with the lowest aggregate total score. The winning team will receive a PacWest Men's Golf Team Championship plaque presented by the conference Commissioner immediately following the tournament.
5.4.2 The All-PacWest Team shall be comprised of 14 golfers featuring an all-conference First Team and Second Team. The Top 7 finishers at the PacWest Championship shall be named First Team. Players finishing 8-14 shall be named Second Team.
5.4.3 The conference shall name a Player, Newcomer and Freshman of the Year following the NCAA Division II National Championships. Each institution shall have the opportunity to nominate one student-athlete for each award. The Player, Newcomer and Freshman of the Year shall be determined in a weighted voting process with the top vote recipient being named the award winner.
5.4.4 The PacWest Coach of the Year shall be selected by a vote of the conference coaches, as supervised by a method determined by the Assistant Commissioner/Media Relations.
5.4.5 Other awards will be determined by the Conference Information Director and approved by the Men's Golf Championship Committee.
5.4.6 The individual medalist of the PacWest Championship shall be recognized by the conference Commissioner with an award immediately following the tournament.
5.5 Championship Committee
The Championship Committee for the sport of Men's Golf in the PacWest shall be comprised of the following members: The PacWest Men's Golf liaison, the conference Commissioner (or designated representative), the athletic director (or designated representative) from the host school, and the golf professional at the tournament site.
5.6 Meetings of Coaches
There shall be an annual meeting of the golf coaches held in conjunction with the PacWest Championship. Attendance by each head coach is mandatory. The site, date, and time of this mandatory meeting must be communicated to all coaches and administrators at least two weeks prior to the meeting.
5.7.1 The rotation schedule must be approved annually at the athletic director's spring conference meetings and rotates annually between the three pods of Hawaii, Southwest, and Northern California.
5.7.2 As approved by the conference athletic directors, the PacWest Men's Golf Championships must be held in April, two weeks prior to the NCAA regionals, and shall be a stand-alone tournament. An exception is granted for playing in conjunction with a women's golf tournament if the host institution also invites PacWest conference (and other) Women's Golf teams to a separate tournament at the same site.
5.8 Host Institution Responsibilities
All other situations not covered by these conference rules shall be referred to the Men's Golf NCAA Championships rulebook and handled accordingly.