#3 Men's Golf Aims for Success in Texas

MALIBU, California – Coming off a record-setting showing at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational that featured team and individual wins, the Pepperdine men's golf team continues its fall season at Baylor's Royal Oaks Intercollegiate. Though only two events are in the books, the Waves are currently ranked as high as #3 in the country.

EVENT INFO – The Royal Oaks Intercollegiate was originally slated to be held at the Royal Oaks Country Club in Dallas, but rains and flooding have moved the event to the Maridoe Golf Club in Carrollton, Texas. There will be two rounds on Monday and the third and final round is Tuesday (October 22-23). Live scoring will be available via Golfstat.

FIELD – In addition to Pepperdine, the 14-team field includes host Baylor, Arkansas, Charlotte, Houston, Iowa, Kent State, Michigan, Minnesota, North Carolina, North Carolina State, Oklahoma State, SMU and UTSA.

PEPPERDINE LINEUP – The Waves' lineup consists of junior Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS), sophomore RJ Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Prep), junior Clay Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS), senior Roy Cootes (Rolling Hills, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) and freshman Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Prep). The format of this tournament has all five Waves playing together at the same time.

RANKINGS – Pepperdine is currently rated #3 nationally by Golfweek/Sagarin, #4 by Golfstat and #6 in the Bushnell/Golfweek coaches poll ... RJ Manke is #31 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #99 by Golfstat ... Joshua McCarthy is #32 by Golfstat and #50 by Golfweek/Sagarin ... Clay Feagler is #37 by Golfstat and #48 by Golfweek/Sagarin

EVENT HISTORY – This is the third straight year that the Waves have taken part in the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate. The Waves took sixth place in both previous trips. Roy Cootes tied for third in 2016 and Joshua McCarthy tied for sixth in 2017.

LAST TIME OUT – The Waves set multiple school records in winning the Alister MacKenzie Invitational at the Meadow Club, including best round (22-under in the final round), best 36-hole score (30-under) and best 54-hole score (52-under). RJ Manke earned medalist honors and set school records for best round (10-under in the final round) and best 54-hole score (22-under). The Waves entered the final round six shots behind host Cal but posted an 11-stroke victory. Manke came from two shots back to win by four. Clay Feagler (-11) was fourth and Joshua McCarthy (-7) tied for 10th.

ROSTER – The Waves' roster consists of three seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen. All five players that were part of last year's record-setting lineup at the WCC Championships are back, but Sahith Theegala -- a two-time All-American, a three-time All-WCC first team honoree and a member of the 2018 USA's Arnold Palmer Cup squad – is currently out with a wrist injury and is likely to redshirt 2018-19. Clay Feagler and Joshua McCarthy have each been All-WCC twice. Feagler was medalist at the 2018 WCC Championships and McCarthy was an individual qualifier for the 2018 NCAA Championships. Roy Cootes is also a previous All-WCC honoree.

2018-19 HONORS – Pepperdine was #18 in Golfweek's preseason rankings ... The Waves were a unanimous choice by the WCC's coaches to repeat as conference champions in their preseason poll ... Clay Feagler, Joshua McCarthy and Sahith Theegala were named to the preseason All-WCC team ... Joe Highsmith was listed at #9 among Golfweek's top freshmen in the nation.

PEPPERDINE GOLF – Thanks to its victory at the 1997 NCAA Championships, Pepperdine will always be known on a national level for its outstanding men's golf program. The Waves have made nine appearances at the NCAA Championships since 1993 and have achieved NCAA Regional berths in 23 of the last 27 years. In the West Coast Conference, they've won a league-best 19 championships since 1987 and have finished either first or second in 25 of the last 32 years. Seventh-year head coach Michael Beard, who has earned a conference-record three consecutive WCC Coach of the Year awards, leads the Waves.

ONLINE — The squad is on Twitter (@PeppGolf), Facebook (/PeppGolf) and Instagram (peppgolf). You can also follow @CoachMBeard and @blainewoodruff on Twitter.

ABOUT PEPPERDINE UNIVERSITY – Pepperdine boasts a one-of-a-kind athletic department with unprecedented success for a school of its size. The Waves have won NCAA Division I championships in five different men's sports — one of just 18 schools to have accomplished this feat — and nine overall. Of this elite group, Pepperdine has the smallest undergraduate enrollment, is the only school without football and is the only university that has not been affiliated with a "major" conference. The Waves have won a total of 25 team or individual national championships in their history. Pepperdine has also earned the Division I-AAA All-Sports Trophy, an award based on postseason success that's given to the top non-football school, three times (most recently in 2011-12). Located in scenic Malibu, California, the university overlooks the Pacific Ocean and its campus and athletic facilities are regularly voted among the nation's most beautiful. Pepperdine, which is affiliated with the Church of Christ, ranks #46 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.

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Players Mentioned

Roy Cootes

Clay Feagler

Joe Highsmith

RJ Manke

Joshua McCarthy

Sahith Theegala

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