Jan. 30, 2004
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
The Pepperdine men's golf team opens its busy spring schedule on Monday, February 2, when it travels to Tucson, Arizona, to compete in the PING-Arizona Intercollegiate hosted by Arizona at the Arizona National Country Club at Sabino Springs.
The 54-hole tournament will be contested over two days with 36 holes scheduled on Mondayand the final 18 slated for Tuesday. The format calls for a shotgun start beginning at 8 a.m. (MST) each day at the par-71, 6,793-yard course.
Five of the 15 teams in the field are currently ranked in the Top 25 of the latest Golfweek/Sagarin ratings. Arizona State (8), California (11), Wake Forest (16), Pepperdine (24) and New Mexico (19) are all ranked and joined in the tournament by UC Irvine, Colorado, Fresno State, Long Beach State, New Mexico State, Oregon, Texas-El Paso, USC and two teams from host Arizona.
Arizona is the defending champion after claiming the 2003 event with a 23-under par score of 829. Texas-El Paso's Chris Baryla captured individual medalist honors with a 54-hole score of 10-under par 203. Pepperdine placed third at least year's event with a 12-under par score of 840.
The Waves begin their spring schedule ranked No. 24 in the lastest Golfweek/Sagarin ratings and are No. 29 in the most recent Golfstat rankings.
Junior All-American Michael Putnam was Pepperdine's top individual performer during the fall season as he posted a 72.20 stroke average and had four Top 20 showings in five events. Putnam captured individual medalist honors at The Club Glove Intercollegiate after carding a 54-hole score of 1-under par 215 to help the Waves claim the team title.
In five events during the fall, Pepperdine finished in the Top 10 each tournament and had four Top 5 showings.
Following play at the PING-Arizona Intercollegiate, Pepperdine will next be in action when it travels to Kona, Hawaii, to compete in the three-day Taylor Made/Waikoloa Intercollegiate at the Waikoloa Kings Golf Course.
THE PROGRAM: Although historical records are sketchy, Pepperdine fielded its first-ever golf team in the late 1940's or early 1950's. The program was deemphasized in the early 1970's when the school relocated to Malibu, but was reinstituted as an intercollegiate sport in the fall of 1982. In 1987, Pepperdine achieved its first notable success, as the Waves upset several local collegiate powers and claimed the team championship of the Southern California Invitational at the Torrey Pines Country Club in San Diego. Pepperdine won its first-ever West Coast Conference (WCC) title that same year, and Jim Johnson earned a spot competing as an individual at the NCAA Championships-a first-time accomplishment for a Waves' player. Pepperdine has since won the WCC crown a total of 13 times-1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003-in the last 17 seasons. Additionally, the Waves have advanced to the NCAA West Regional Championships 10 times since 1992, and earned a spot in the 30-team NCAA Championships field five times in the last 10 years (1993, 1996, 1997, 2000 and 2002). Pepperdine has emerged as a regular in the national Top 25 rankings since 1993, and climaxed the 1997 campaign by winning its first-ever NCAA team title.
John Geiberger: John Geiberger begins his eighth season as the Waves' head coach. During his rookie season in 1996-97, Geiberger directed Pepperdine to its first-ever NCAA men's golf title. A three-year letterwinner at Pepperdine from 1989-91, Geiberger was hired as the University's head men's golf coach in August of 1996. During Geiberger's collegiate career in Malibu, Pepperdine captured West Coast Conference (WCC) titles in 1989 and 1991, and he earned All-WCC accolades in 1990 and 1991. Geiberger earned a bachelor's degree in organizational communications from the University in 1993. In addition to playing in numerous amateur tournaments, Geiberger caddied for his father, Al, on a regular basis from 1991-96 on the PGA Senior Tour. Geiberger was tabbed the 1997 WCC "Coach of the Year" after leading the Waves to the league championship.Geiberger was selected the 1997 National and District 8 "Coach of the Year" by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Pepperdine has won the WCC title each of the last five seasons, and Geiberger has shared the league's "Coach of the Year" award in 1999, 2000 and 2002.
SPORTS INFORMATION HOTLINE: For updated information concerning Pepperdine athletics, including results and a schedule of upcoming events, please contact the Pepperdine Sports Information Hotline at 310-506-7373. The hotline will be updated on a regular basis throughout the course of the 2003-04 school year.
ON THE WEB: For updated information concerning Pepperdine athletics on the Internet, including results and a schedule of upcoming events, please bookmark the following address: http://www.PepperdineSports.com.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: For additional information on the men's golf program, or to arrange interviews with players and the coaching staff, please contact Al Barba at the Pepperdine Sports Information Office by calling (310) 506-4445.
