Monday, April 15
Santa Cruz, Calif.
All Day
Pepperdine University
at
Western Intercollegiate
Derek Hitchner
Photo by: Jeff Golden
Waves Set for Western Intercollegiate, With Golf Channel Coverage
4/12/2019 11:08:00 AM | Men's Golf
MALIBU, California — With the West Coast Conference Championships and the NCAA postseason approaching, the #14 Pepperdine men's golf team has its final regular-season event at the Western Intercollegiate next week. The tournament will be televised by the Golf Channel.
EVENT INFO — The Western Intercollegiate will be held at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, California. There will be a single round each day between Monday and Wednesday (April 15-17). Live scoring will be available via Golfstat. The Golf Channel will have live coverage from 4-7 p.m. PT on Monday and Tuesday and 1-4 p.m. PT on Wednesday.
FIELD — In addition to Pepperdine, the 13-team field includes host San Jose State, Arizona, California, Colorado State, Hawai'i, Oregon, San Diego State, Stanford, UC Irvine, USC, UTEP and Washington.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — In this play-six, count-five event, the Waves' lineup consists of freshman Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Prep), freshman Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School), junior Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS), sophomore RJ Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School), junior Clay Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) and sophomore Austin Murphy (Morgan Hill, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory).
RANKINGS — Pepperdine is currently rated #14 by Golfweek/Sagarin, #15 in the Bushnell/Golfweek coaches poll and #19 by Golfstat ... Clay Feagler is #25 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #39 by Golfstat ... Joshua McCarthy is #54 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #71 by Golfstat ... RJ Manke is #140 by Golfweek/Sagarin ... Joe Highsmith is #188 by Golfstat and #191 by Golfweek/Sagarin.
EVENT HISTORY — This is the fourth straight year that the Waves have played in the Western Intercollegiate, and the 10th time overall. The Waves came in second place in both 1999 and 2000. Jason Allred was the medalist in 2000. Joshua McCarthy tied for second in 2017. This is the 73rd annual Western Intercollegiate.
2018-19 INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS — The Waves had two individual medalists in the fall. RJ Manke won his first college title at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational in record fashion. He smashed the Waves' records for 54 holes (22-under) and 18 holes (final-round 10-under) to win by four shots. Clay Feagler won his third career title at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate, as he finished in a three-way tie for first with a 4-under 206. All three of his victories came in the 2018 calendar year. Joshua McCarthy has had a team-best five top-10 finishes, and both he and Feagler have had six top-20 finishes in nine tournaments.
2018-19 TEAM HIGHLIGHTS — The Waves won two fall tournaments for only the second time in program history and for the first time since 2007. Both produced multiple record scores. The Waves won the Alister MacKenzie Invitational by 11 shots with a school-record score of 52-under. Then they won the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate by two shots with a score of 28-under (the sixth-best score in program history). The Waves also set school records for 18 holes (final-round 22-under) and 36 holes (30-under) at the MacKenzie. The Waves recorded four of the best 10 rounds in school history in the fall. Seven of the Waves' nine tournaments have resulted in a top-five finish.
2018-19 HONORS — The Waves were a unanimous choice by the WCC's coaches to repeat as conference champions in the 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 ... Clay Feagler was named WCC Player of the Month for October.
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 out with a wrist injury and plans 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.
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.
BEARD — Former Pepperdine All-American Michael Beard, a three-time WCC Coach of the Year, is in his seventh season as the Waves' head coach. He returned to Pepperdine in December 2012 after spending the previous season-and-a-half as an assistant at Arizona State. He's the first WCC men's golf coach ever to earn Coach of the Year honors three consecutive years (2016-18). The Waves won the 2015 and 2018 WCC titles and advanced to the NCAA Championships in 2017. Beard competed for the Waves between 1999-2002 and was a GCAA All-American honorable mention selection in both 2000 and 2002. He was the medalist at the 2000 NCAA West Regional and the 2002 WCC Championships and was a four-time All-WCC first teamer. He has still played in more rounds (162) than anyone else in Pepperdine's history. After playing professionally for several years, he served as an assistant coach at Pepperdine for one season and helped the Waves to make the 2011 NCAA Championships.
NEXT YEAR — With all the regulars in the lineup back next season, plus a healthy Sahith Theegala, the Waves would already be loaded. But they'll also be adding one of the nation's top recruiting classes with Trevor Gretzky (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian HS), Dylan Menante (Carlsbad, Calif./Sage Creek HS) and William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS). Mouw is a two-time Rolex All-American, making the first team in 2017 and the second team in 2018. Menante is a 2018 Rolex All-American honorable mention selection.
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.
EVENT INFO — The Western Intercollegiate will be held at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, California. There will be a single round each day between Monday and Wednesday (April 15-17). Live scoring will be available via Golfstat. The Golf Channel will have live coverage from 4-7 p.m. PT on Monday and Tuesday and 1-4 p.m. PT on Wednesday.
FIELD — In addition to Pepperdine, the 13-team field includes host San Jose State, Arizona, California, Colorado State, Hawai'i, Oregon, San Diego State, Stanford, UC Irvine, USC, UTEP and Washington.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — In this play-six, count-five event, the Waves' lineup consists of freshman Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Prep), freshman Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School), junior Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS), sophomore RJ Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School), junior Clay Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) and sophomore Austin Murphy (Morgan Hill, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory).
RANKINGS — Pepperdine is currently rated #14 by Golfweek/Sagarin, #15 in the Bushnell/Golfweek coaches poll and #19 by Golfstat ... Clay Feagler is #25 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #39 by Golfstat ... Joshua McCarthy is #54 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #71 by Golfstat ... RJ Manke is #140 by Golfweek/Sagarin ... Joe Highsmith is #188 by Golfstat and #191 by Golfweek/Sagarin.
EVENT HISTORY — This is the fourth straight year that the Waves have played in the Western Intercollegiate, and the 10th time overall. The Waves came in second place in both 1999 and 2000. Jason Allred was the medalist in 2000. Joshua McCarthy tied for second in 2017. This is the 73rd annual Western Intercollegiate.
2018-19 INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS — The Waves had two individual medalists in the fall. RJ Manke won his first college title at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational in record fashion. He smashed the Waves' records for 54 holes (22-under) and 18 holes (final-round 10-under) to win by four shots. Clay Feagler won his third career title at the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate, as he finished in a three-way tie for first with a 4-under 206. All three of his victories came in the 2018 calendar year. Joshua McCarthy has had a team-best five top-10 finishes, and both he and Feagler have had six top-20 finishes in nine tournaments.
2018-19 TEAM HIGHLIGHTS — The Waves won two fall tournaments for only the second time in program history and for the first time since 2007. Both produced multiple record scores. The Waves won the Alister MacKenzie Invitational by 11 shots with a school-record score of 52-under. Then they won the Royal Oaks Intercollegiate by two shots with a score of 28-under (the sixth-best score in program history). The Waves also set school records for 18 holes (final-round 22-under) and 36 holes (30-under) at the MacKenzie. The Waves recorded four of the best 10 rounds in school history in the fall. Seven of the Waves' nine tournaments have resulted in a top-five finish.
2018-19 HONORS — The Waves were a unanimous choice by the WCC's coaches to repeat as conference champions in the 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 ... Clay Feagler was named WCC Player of the Month for October.
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 out with a wrist injury and plans 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.
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.
BEARD — Former Pepperdine All-American Michael Beard, a three-time WCC Coach of the Year, is in his seventh season as the Waves' head coach. He returned to Pepperdine in December 2012 after spending the previous season-and-a-half as an assistant at Arizona State. He's the first WCC men's golf coach ever to earn Coach of the Year honors three consecutive years (2016-18). The Waves won the 2015 and 2018 WCC titles and advanced to the NCAA Championships in 2017. Beard competed for the Waves between 1999-2002 and was a GCAA All-American honorable mention selection in both 2000 and 2002. He was the medalist at the 2000 NCAA West Regional and the 2002 WCC Championships and was a four-time All-WCC first teamer. He has still played in more rounds (162) than anyone else in Pepperdine's history. After playing professionally for several years, he served as an assistant coach at Pepperdine for one season and helped the Waves to make the 2011 NCAA Championships.
NEXT YEAR — With all the regulars in the lineup back next season, plus a healthy Sahith Theegala, the Waves would already be loaded. But they'll also be adding one of the nation's top recruiting classes with Trevor Gretzky (Westlake Village, Calif./Oaks Christian HS), Dylan Menante (Carlsbad, Calif./Sage Creek HS) and William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS). Mouw is a two-time Rolex All-American, making the first team in 2017 and the second team in 2018. Menante is a 2018 Rolex All-American honorable mention selection.
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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