Men's Golf Signs Three California Recruits to NLIs
11/25/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
MALIBU, Calif. " Pepperdine men's golf coach Michael Beard announced his three national letter-of-intent signings today, and the Waves stayed in California to bring in three highly regarded players in 2016-17: Hunter Epson, Clay Feagler and Joshua McCarthy.
"We are very excited about our 2016 recruiting class," Beard said. "All three love to compete, have a high golf IQ and will add to the dynamic of our team. Joshua, Clay, and Hunter come from great families, and will represent Pepperdine and our men's golf program well. Not only am I looking forward to the impact these three will have on our program but also their contributions to the Pepperdine community."
McCarthy is rated 16th among the Class of 2016 by Golfweek, while Feagler is 17th and Epson is 118th by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Among California prep seniors, Junior Golf Scoreboard has Feagler fifth, McCarthy sixth and Epson 18th.
Here's information about each of the recruits:
Hunter Epson (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson HS)
High School: Three-time Long Beach Press Telegram Dream Team first team … Three-time All-Moore League first team … 2014 Moore League individual champion and 2013 runner-up … 2014 Lanny Wadkins Cup champion and 2015 runner-up … 2015 Knabe Cup runner-up … 2014 LBCentury Club Player of the Year … Qualified for CIF every year … Team won the Moore League title three years in a row.
Junior Golf: Runner-up at the 2015 California State Junior Amateur Championship … Third-place finish at the 2013 AJGA at Oak Valley … Second-place finish at the 2013 Toyota Tour Cup at Oak Valley … Top 10 finish at the 2015 AJGA at Wood Ranch … Ranked as high as 80th by Golfweek.
Epson says: "I chose Pepperdine because I want to take my golf game to the next level and with the golf facilities, the location and being able to play for such great coaches, I think I can."
Beard says: "Hunter began playing high-level tournament golf at a young age. He comes from an athletic family, which contributes to his biggest strength, his competitiveness. Hunter has a solid work ethic and is motivated to be the best he can be. He has a contagious personality and is also very well respected among his peers."
Clay Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS)
High School: 2015 Orange County Register Player of the Year … Earned All-County and All-League first team honors as a freshman, sophomore and junior … CIF State Regional qualifier his first three years … 2015 South Coast League champion … 2014 CIF Southern Section Southern individual champion … 2015 CIF Southern Sectional regional champion …
Junior Golf: First place at a 2015 USGA Junior Boys qualifier and 2014 SCPGA Toyota Tour Cup series events and Oak Valley/Morongo and Talega Golf Club … Eighth place at 2015 USGA Junior Amateur Championship … Second place at 2015 Champions Invitational … Seventh place at 2015 Western Junior Championship … 10th place at 2015 SCPGA Corey Pavin Southern California Invitational … 10th place at 2014 SCPGA Toyota Tour Cup Championship … Ranked as high as 32nd by Junior Golf Scoreboard.
Feagler says: "Pepperdine has so much to offer academically and has a great golf program, plus it's the prettiest school in all of the United States."
Beard says: "Clay has gotten better and better each season. He has a hate-to-lose personality and knows he can beat anyone in the country. His putting and iron play are his strengths."
Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS)
High School: Three-time All-East Bay first team and three-time All-League first team … Second place at 2014 Northern California CIF Championships and third place at 2013 California CIF State Championship
Junior Golf: 2015 Rolex Junior All-American … 2014 NCGA/NCPGA Player of the Year … 2013 JGANC Player of the Year … 2013 AJGA Junior All-Star … First-place finishes at the 2015 AJGA Junior at Spanos Park, 2015 NorCal Jr. Players Championship, 2015 Concord City Junior, 2014 AJGA Junior at Lone Tree and 2013 AJGA Junior at Diablo Grande … Ninth place at the 2014 USGA Junior Amateur Championship … Six NCGA Junior Tour victories and 10 AJGA top 10 finishes … Represented Northern California at two Junior Americas Cups … Won the 2014 Hogan Cup with Northern California … Ranked as high as 32nd by Polo and 43rd by Golfweek.
McCarthy says: "I chose Pepperdine because it is a great school in a Christian environment. The golf program competes at the highest level, and I watched how the coaches motivated and cared about their players. Over the last few years I really appreciated Coach Beard coming out to watch me play, and how personable he was with me and my family. The entire community around Pepperdine is amazing. There is a certain warmth that is different from other places."
Beard says: "Joshua is a lefthander who plays with no fear. He's proven he has the ability to shoot very low scores in tournaments, which complements the attitude of our program. He is a young man that has great character. He's an excellent putter and is extremely consistent with his mid-to-short irons."
Pepperdine, the defending West Coast Conference champion, currently ranks 36th nationally by Golfweek/Sagarin and 41st by Golfstat. The Waves return to action in the spring season at The Prestige at PGA West, held in La Quinta, Calif., from February 15-17.
