SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. - Two alumni of the University of San Francisco men's golf program made history on the global stage this past weekend as Matthew Anderson (class of 2023) was crowned champion of the 69^th ECP Brazil Open in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil while Tim Widing (class of 2021) won the LECOM Suncoast Classic in Lakewood Ranch, Fla.
 
On Sunday, Apr. 21, Anderson (Mississauga, Ontario) stepped to 17^th tee in the final round of the PGA Tour Americas ECP Brazil Open in Rio just one shot back of the lead. In need of a rally, he would make back-back birdies on 17 and sink an eight-footer on 18 to take home his first title as a professional. For Anderson, this win marks a breakthrough moment for the 2023 graduate as the performance jolts the second-year pro to the No. 1 spot in the Fortinet Cup points standings through three tournaments.
 
"You want that," said Anderson. "A putt to win and you execute and you know there's just no better feeling. It was kind of similar feel to when I won NCAA Regionals, it was about a 20-footer to get win, you kind of lose bodily control, you let everything out, it was a similar thing, it's really cool."
 
Later in the afternoon at the Korn Ferry Tour in Lakewood Ranch, Widing (Jonkoping, Sweden) would fire a final round 66 (-5) with three birdies in his last six holes to get into a three-way playoff at 20-under par. After a battle through two extra holes, he would convert his par putt to secure the LECOM Suncoast Classic title, marking his first win on the Tour. Along with Anderson, Widing's win moves him up to the No. 1 spot on the Korn Ferry Tour standings through eight events. 
 
"I'm speechless," Widing said afterward. "It's something I've practiced for every day and something you dream of and for it to finally happen…It's a relief to finally pull it off. You keep telling yourself that you're very close, but winning golf tournaments is really tough and I'm just so happy I was able to pull it off. This is incredible."
 
Throughout their careers on the Hilltop, both Anderson and Widing grew into the professionals they are today. Most notably, the duo competed together for three seasons from 2018-19 to 2020-21, which included guiding the Dons to their highest ranking in program history - No. 19 - prior to USF's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Men's Golf Championships in May 2021.
 
Most recently, Anderson led the Dons back to the NCAA Championships in 2023 as the Canadian tied for individual medal honors while the Dons shot a program record 45-under to finish fourth at the Las Vegas Regional. Less than two weeks later, Anderson finished as the highest-ranked individual for USF at the Division I Championship in Scottsdale, Ariz. as he tied for eleventh in his final collegiate tournament. For these efforts, Anderson was named an All-American as he finished within the top 15 individuals. Notably, he was the highest-ranked individual from a non-advancing team on the final day of competition. 
 
Following the conclusion of his final season, Anderson sat at No. 46 in Golfstat's NCAA Division I rankings. Additionally, Anderson was also named to the PING All-Region Team for the West Region, marking the first time a Don had achieved the honor since Widing in 2020. Notably, he also earned All-WCC First Team honors for the green and gold.
 
For Widing, the four-time All-WCC selection was electric during his time at USF as he racked up a handful of individual honors throughout his career as a Don. Similar to Anderson, Widing was also a four-time PING All-Region selection, which included being named a PING All-American Honorable Mention in his final season. Notably, he won three individual titles while in San Francisco as he became only the second individual in program history to earn All-Conference honors four times. In 2020, Widing earned the Bill Russell Award, which is presented to the top male student-athlete at the University of San Francisco each year.
 
In the classroom, Widing earned WCC All-Academic First Team honors four times while Anderson was named to the First Team in 2023 in addition to being named an Honorable Mention in 2020 and 2021.
 
For updates and more information on the University of San Francisco men's golf program, follow the Dons @USFDonsMensGolf on Twitter, @USFDonsGolf on Instagram and @USFDonsMensGolf on Facebook.