Pepperdine University
Southwestern Invitational
Men's Golf, Theegala Win at Southwestern
2/28/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Golf
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, California -- The Pepperdine men's golf team rolled to a big victory at its own Southwestern Invitational on Tuesday while Waves sophomore Sahith Theegala earned his first college victory by one stroke.
Pepperdine posted the ninth-best team score in program history, a 21-under 843 (275-281-287), over the two days at the par-72 North Ranch Country Club. Pepperdine finished 16 strokes ahead of sixth-ranked USC.
It was the Waves' first win since the 2015 West Coast Conference Championships, the first regular-season win since the 2010 Husky Invitational and the team's largest margin of victory since the 2002 WCC Championships.
Pepperdine has been on the verge of a victory, having finished second at each of the first two spring events against outstanding competition.
"We had some good form coming in but playing your home tournament can sometimes add some pressure, plus you're competing against USC, which has a great team," Pepperdine Coach Michael Beard said. "But our guys played solid. It usually doesn't happen out of nowhere, you have to build up to it. We finished second twice against good fields, and everyone was confident this week. It feels great."
Theegala (Chino Hills, Calif./Diamond Bar HS) capped off an incredible 15 days that has seen him qualify for the PGA Tour's Riviera Open and finish in a tie for 49th place, then return to the Waves and earn a tie for 18th at The Prestige at PGA West, and finally pick up his first collegiate win with a 10-under 206 (66-66-74). He edged out SMU's Alex Higgs by one stroke.
"It's great to see Sahith get his first win, he's been wanting to do that for a while," Beard said.
Theegala opened the tournament with a pair of 6-under 66s and had a five-stroke lead after the second round, which was completed early Tuesday after being stopped due to darkness late Monday. He came back to the pack with a 74, and several players either caught up or were within a stroke late in the round. But he birdied 17 after a great par save on 16, and another par on 18 made him the Waves' first medalist since 2015.
"I didn't play that well today but I put myself in a good position with the first two rounds," Theegala said. "I was just trying to have fun. The last couple weeks have been unbelievable."
Theegala was one of three Waves in the top 10, and one of five in the top 15. After a pair of sixth-place finishes to begin the spring, freshman Clay Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) tied for third place with an 8-under 208 (67-70-71). Sophomore Roy Cootes (Rolling Hills, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) tied for eighth place with a 3-under 213 (71-72-70), freshman Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS) was 14th with an even-par 216 (71-73-72) and freshman Hunter Epson (Long Beach, Calif./Wilson HS), playing as an individual, tied for 15th with a 1-over 217 (75-73-69).
Epson's 3-under 69 tied the best third round by any player in the field. He had six birdies on the day. Cootes had four birdies and an eagle for his 2-under 70. Feagler had two birdies in his 1-under 71.
The Waves' final member of the lineup, junior Anthony Cecere (Palos Verdes Estates, Calif./St. Margaret's Episcopal School), tied for 60th at 230 (78-73-79). The other individuals included senior Robbie Geibel (Pembroke Pines, Fla./American Heritage HS/Louisville) tying for 60th at 230 (78-73-79), senior Robin Kang (Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif./South Torrance HS) taking 75th at 236 (76-76-84) and senior Cody McManus (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) finishing 76th at 240 (78-76-86).
Over the three rounds, Cecere, Feagler and Theegala all had a team-high 13 birdies, while Epson had 12.
The Waves made a few other entries in the record book this week. Theegala's 12-under after 36 holes was the second-best score in Pepperdine history. The Waves' first-round score of a 13-under 275 tied the fifth-best round in program history. A score of 20-under tied the fifth-best 36-hole score.
Pepperdine plays at the prestigious Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas next Monday through Wednesday (March 6-8).
Team Scores: 1. Pepperdine 275-281-287=843; 2. USC 289-282-288=859; 3. Lipscomb 292-282-292=866; 4. Washington State 282-289-297=868; 5. SMU 288-289-293=870; 6. Michigan 289-294-296=879; 7. Augusta 293-292-296=881; T8. UC Davis 301-288-294=883; T8. San Diego State 301-288-294=883; 10. College of Charleston 295-297-294=886; 11. Mississippi State 297-295-298=890; 12. Oregon State 305-295-295=895; 13. Fresno State 303-304-311=918; 14. Idaho 318-310-306=934.
Top Individuals: 1. Sahith Theegala (Pepperdine) 66-66-74=206; 2. Alex Higgs (SMU) 71-67-69=207; T3. Broc Everett (Augusta) 69-69-70=208; T3. Clay Feagler (Pepperdine) 67-70-71=208; T5. Rico Hoey (USC) 69-68-73=210; T5. Stoney Crouch (Lipscomb) 71-69-70=210.
Other Pepperdine Scores: T8. Roy Cootes 71-72-70=213; 14. Joshua McCarthy 71-73-72=216; T15. * Hunter Epson 75-73-69=217; T60. Anthony Cecere 78-73-79=230; T60. * Robbie Geibel 79-76-75=230; 75. * Robin Kang 76-76-84=236; 76. * Cody McManus 78-76-86=240.
* playing as an individual
Players Mentioned
