Pepperdine University
The Prestige at PGA West
Men's Golf Posts Impressive Fourth-Place Finish at Prestige
2/17/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
LA QUINTA, Calif. -- The Pepperdine men's golf team finished in a very impressive fourth place -- and defeated three top-10 teams in doing so -- at The Prestige at PGA West, the first tournament of the spring season, on Wednesday.
The Waves improved their score round after round at the par-71 Greg Norman Course at PGA West and ended up with a three-day total of an even-par 852 (290-282-280). The Waves began the day in sixth place and moved up two spots thanks to a 4-under 280.
Pepperdine, ranked 41st by Golfstat, only finished behind three top-30 teams (LSU, Arizona State, San Diego State). The Waves posted head-to-head wins over #5 Stanford, #6 Duke and #7 USC, as well as beating the other three West Conference schools in the field (Saint Mary's, Gonzaga and San Diego).
"It was a solid week for us," Pepperdine Coach Michael Beard said. "Our qualifying scores were a little high so I don't how well we expected to play, but it was a solid week for sure. It's a good start to the spring."
Senior Frederick Wedel (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) was in the running for medalist honors and tied for third place with an 8-under 205 (66-68-71). Wedel led after the first round and was the co-leader after the second round. He had three birdies as he shot even-par on Wednesday and finished with a tournament-best 17 birdies overall.
"Fred didn't have his best game and he was still right in there competing," Beard said. "You get into the mix against a field like this and you know you've done something right. It was good to give himself a shot at winning."
Freshman Sahith Theegala (Chino Hills, Calif./Diamond Bar HS) overcame a slow start to climb into the top 20 and finish in a tie for 19th place with a 1-over 214 (75-71-68). His final round began with a bogey, and then he had four birdies the rest of the way for a 3-under 68.
Freshman Roy Cootes (Rolling Hills, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) tied for 29th at 217 (78-71-68), junior Robbie Geibel (Pembroke Pines, Fla./American Heritage HS/Louisville) tied for 46th at 220 (75-72-73) and sophomore Anthony Cecere (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./St. Margaret's Episcopal School) tied for 67th at 229 (74-80-75). Cootes had four birdies on the day. Geibel tied for the tournament lead with 39 pars.
Playing as an individual, freshman Lorenzo Magagnin (Treviso, Italy) took 71st place at 233 (82-79-72).
The Waves will next be in action at their own Southwestern Jones Invitational, set for February 29 and March 1 at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif. Pepperdine has recorded five consecutive top-five finishes.
Team Standings: 1. LSU 277-284-265=826; 2. Arizona State 287-269-288=844; 3. San Diego State 294-275-279=848; 4. Pepperdine 290-282-280=852; 5. USC 285-293-279=857; 6. Stanford 282-285-292=859; T7. Saint Mary's 291-288-284=863; T7. Stirling 296-287-280=863; 9. UC Davis 293-284-287=864; 10. Duke 288-282-295=865; 11. East Tennessee State 297-289-287=873; 12. Iowa State 303-283-292=878; 13. Gonzaga 294-299-290=883; 14. Stanford "B" 299-298-290=887; 15. San Diego 300-292-310=902.
Individual Leaders: 1. Zach Wright (LSU) 68-66-67=201; 2. Ryann Ree (San Diego State) 68-66-69=203; T3. Frederick Wedel (Pepperdine) 66-68-71=205; T3. Jon Rahm (Arizona State) 70-66-69=205; 5. Rico Hoey (USC) 68-71-68=207.
Other Pepperdine Scores: T19. Sahith Theegala 75-71-68=214; T29. Roy Cootes 78-71-68=217; T46. Robbie Geibel 75-72-73=220; T67. Anthony Cecere 74-80-75=229; 71. * Lorenzo Magagnin 82-79-72=233.
* competing as an individual
