Pepperdine University
WCC Championships
Short-handed Men's Golf Team Gets WCCs Underway
4/18/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
DANVILLE, Calif. " The Pepperdine men's golf team's defense of its title at the West Coast Conference Championships got off to a tough start as the short-handed Waves are in fifth place after Monday's first round.
The Waves were left with four players after freshman Sahith Theegala (Chino Hills, Calif./Diamond Bar HS) injured his hand on the sixth hole and had to withdraw shortly thereafter. He was 3-under through six holes but the Waves lost his score and had to count the other four. Theegala, the #2 player in the Waves' lineup, is questionable to return for the remainder of the tournament.
Pepperdine still managed a 2-over 290 at the par-72 Blackhawk Country Club, which is only four shots out of second place. But host Saint Mary's had a huge first round, shooting a 15-under 273 to take a 13-stroke lead.
The Waves have been here before, however. Pepperdine won the 2015 WCC title despite being in seventh place after the first round.
Freshman Roy Cootes (Rolling Hills, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) led the Waves with a 3-under 69, putting him into a tie for fifth place. Cootes recorded six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 fifth hole.
Juniors Robbie Geibel (Pembroke Pines, Fla./American Heritage HS/Louisville) and Cody McManus (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) had good starts. Geibel is tied for 14th after a 1-under 71 that included three birdies. McManus is tied for 19th after a 1-over 73 that featured four birdies.
Senior Frederick Wedel (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) is tied for 37th place at 77. He had five birdies during his round.
The Waves will tee off on the 10th hole along with San Francisco and BYU beginning at 8:45 a.m. for Tuesday's second round. The third and final round is Wednesday.
Team Standings: 1. Saint Mary's 273; 2. Santa Clara 286; 3. San Diego 288; 4. San Francisco 289; 5. Pepperdine 290; T6. BYU 292; T6. Pacific 292; 8. Gonzaga 293; 9. Loyola Marymount 297.
Individual Leaders: 1. Jonathan De Los Reyes (Saint Mary's) 64; 2. Hayden Shieh (Santa Clara) 67; T3. Seb Crookall-Nixon (San Francisco) 68; T3. Connor Blick (Saint Mary's) 68; T5. four players tied, including Roy Cootes (Pepperdine) 69.
Other Pepperdine Scores: T14. Robbie Geibel 71; T19. Cody McManus 73; T37. Frederick Wedel 77; WD. Sahith Theegala.
