Monday, May 13
Austin, Texas
All Day
Pepperdine University
at
NCAA Austin Regional
Michael Beard and Joshua McCarthy
Photo by: Roger Horne
Men's Golf Heads to Texas for NCAA Regional
5/11/2019 11:17:00 AM | Men's Golf
MALIBU, California — The 16th-ranked and third-seeded Pepperdine men's golf team heads to Texas looking for a top-five finish at the NCAA Austin Regional and a spot in the NCAA Championships for the 10th time in program history.
EVENT INFO — The NCAA Austin Regional will be held at the par-71, 7,355-yard University of Texas Golf Club in Austin, Texas. There will be a single round each day between Monday and Wednesday (May 13-15). Play will begin at 7:30 a.m. CT each day. On Monday, the Waves will be paired with host Texas and USC and they'll start on the first tee at 7:30 a.m. CT. Live scoring will be available on Golfstat.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS — In order to advance to the NCAA Championships (May 24-29 at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas), the Waves must finish in the top five. The top individual from a non-qualifying team will also move on.
FIELD — In order of seeding (and with Golfweek/Sagarin ranking noted), the 14-team field includes: #7 Texas, #10 USC, #16 Pepperdine, #21 Clemson, #29 TCU, #33 Arkansas, #41 Iowa, #46 Marquette, #66 San Jose State, #59 Saint Mary's, #81 Sam Houston State, #99 Missouri-Kansas City, Prairie View A&M and Army.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — The Waves' lineup consists of sophomore RJ Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School), junior Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS), freshman Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Prep), junior Clay Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) and senior Roy Cootes (Rolling Hills, Calif./Palos Verdes HS). Also, sophomore Austin Murphy (Morgan Hill, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory) will travel as a potential substitute.
Four Waves making the trip have previous NCAA Regional experience: Cootes (T-47th in 2018, T-7th in 2017, T-56th in 2016), Feagler (T-29th in 2018, T-20th in 2017), Manke (T-59th in 2018), McCarthy (T-5th in 2018, T-12th in 2017). Cootes, Feagler and McCarthy were in the lineup in 2017, the last time Pepperdine qualified for the NCAA Championships. McCarthy qualified for the NCAA Championships as an individual last season.
Their season scoring averages are as follows: Feagler 70.89 (on pace to be #2 in program single-season history), McCarthy 71.27 (#8), Manke 71.87 (#12), Highsmith 72.18 (#17), Murphy 72.79, Cootes 73.59.
Feagler (71.79, #3), McCarthy (72.07, #4), Manke (72.83, #9) and Cootes (73.20, #11) also rank highly on the Waves' career scoring list.
RANKINGS — Pepperdine is currently rated #16 by Golfweek/Sagarin, #18 in the Bushnell/Golfweek coaches poll and #18 by Golfstat ... Clay Feagler is #34 by Golfstat and #42 by Golfweek/Sagarin ... Joshua McCarthy is #73 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #75 by Golfstat ... RJ Manke is #151 by Golfweek/Sagarin ... Joe Highsmith is #172 by Golfstat and #181 by Golfweek/Sagarin.
NCAA HISTORY — Pepperdine has qualified for the NCAA Championships nine times out of its previous 23 NCAA Regional appearances. The Waves are in a regional for the fifth straight season and the 24th time in 28 years.
Pepperdine's best-ever NCAA Regional finish was third in 2017 at Stanford. Waves have won medalist honors at NCAA Regionals twice: current head coach Michael Beard in 2000 and Josh Anderson in 2012.
Most notably, the Waves won the 1997 NCAA Championships, held at Conway Farms in Lake Forest, Illinois. That's one of three top-10 finishes in program history.
WCC CHAMPIONSHIPS — Pepperdine won its second straight WCC title and it's league-best 20th overall in one of the biggest comebacks in WCC history. The Waves were in seventh place and 15 shots back after the first round at the Reserve at Spanos Park, but jumped to second after the second round and ended up beating San Francisco by three shots. RJ Manke shot a 6-under 210 to tie for the individual lead, and then beat LMU's Riley Elmes in a playoff. Joshua McCarthy tied for sixth place and Joe Highsmith tied for eighth place.
WCC HONORS — Last year, Michael Beard became the first WCC men's golf coach ever to win the conference's Coach of the Year award three consecutive seasons, and this year he extended his record streak to four straight. Joe Highsmith was named WCC Freshman of the Year. Highsmith, Clay Feagler, RJ Manke and Joshua McCarthy all made the All-WCC first team. Manke also made the WCC All-Academic first team. Feagler was named WCC Player of the Month for October.
2018-19 INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS — It's the second year in a row that the Waves have had medalists on three occasions. In addition to his WCC victory, RJ Manke won his first college title at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational in record fashion. He smashed the Waves' records for 54 holes (21-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 Feagler's victories came in the 2018 calendar year. Joshua McCarthy has had a team-high six top-10 finishes, while Feagler has had six. Both have had seven top-20 results. In the preseason, Joe Highsmith was listed at #9 among Golfweek's top freshmen in the nation in the preseason.
2018-19 TEAM HIGHLIGHTS — Nine of the Waves' 11 tournaments have resulted in a top-five finish. The Waves won two fall tournaments for only the second time in program history and for the first time since 2007. With the WCC Championships victory, they've won three times in a school year for the first time since 2003-04. The Waves won the Alister MacKenzie Invitational by 11 shots with a school-record score of 52-under. Then they won the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational 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.Â
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 24 of the last 28 years. In the West Coast Conference, they've won a league-best 20 championships since 1987 and have finished either first or second in 26 of the last 33 years.
BEARD — Former Pepperdine All-American Michael Beard, a four-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 became the first WCC men's golf coach ever to earn Coach of the Year honors three consecutive years (2016-18) and his streak now stands at four. His Waves won the 2015, 2018 and 2019 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.
ROSTER — The Waves' roster consists of three seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen. The Waves' success this season has come without the help of 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 — who is out with a wrist injury and is redshirting 2018-19.
NEXT YEAR — With most of 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 Tristan 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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EVENT INFO — The NCAA Austin Regional will be held at the par-71, 7,355-yard University of Texas Golf Club in Austin, Texas. There will be a single round each day between Monday and Wednesday (May 13-15). Play will begin at 7:30 a.m. CT each day. On Monday, the Waves will be paired with host Texas and USC and they'll start on the first tee at 7:30 a.m. CT. Live scoring will be available on Golfstat.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS — In order to advance to the NCAA Championships (May 24-29 at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas), the Waves must finish in the top five. The top individual from a non-qualifying team will also move on.
FIELD — In order of seeding (and with Golfweek/Sagarin ranking noted), the 14-team field includes: #7 Texas, #10 USC, #16 Pepperdine, #21 Clemson, #29 TCU, #33 Arkansas, #41 Iowa, #46 Marquette, #66 San Jose State, #59 Saint Mary's, #81 Sam Houston State, #99 Missouri-Kansas City, Prairie View A&M and Army.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — The Waves' lineup consists of sophomore RJ Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School), junior Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS), freshman Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Prep), junior Clay Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) and senior Roy Cootes (Rolling Hills, Calif./Palos Verdes HS). Also, sophomore Austin Murphy (Morgan Hill, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory) will travel as a potential substitute.
Four Waves making the trip have previous NCAA Regional experience: Cootes (T-47th in 2018, T-7th in 2017, T-56th in 2016), Feagler (T-29th in 2018, T-20th in 2017), Manke (T-59th in 2018), McCarthy (T-5th in 2018, T-12th in 2017). Cootes, Feagler and McCarthy were in the lineup in 2017, the last time Pepperdine qualified for the NCAA Championships. McCarthy qualified for the NCAA Championships as an individual last season.
Their season scoring averages are as follows: Feagler 70.89 (on pace to be #2 in program single-season history), McCarthy 71.27 (#8), Manke 71.87 (#12), Highsmith 72.18 (#17), Murphy 72.79, Cootes 73.59.
Feagler (71.79, #3), McCarthy (72.07, #4), Manke (72.83, #9) and Cootes (73.20, #11) also rank highly on the Waves' career scoring list.
RANKINGS — Pepperdine is currently rated #16 by Golfweek/Sagarin, #18 in the Bushnell/Golfweek coaches poll and #18 by Golfstat ... Clay Feagler is #34 by Golfstat and #42 by Golfweek/Sagarin ... Joshua McCarthy is #73 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #75 by Golfstat ... RJ Manke is #151 by Golfweek/Sagarin ... Joe Highsmith is #172 by Golfstat and #181 by Golfweek/Sagarin.
NCAA HISTORY — Pepperdine has qualified for the NCAA Championships nine times out of its previous 23 NCAA Regional appearances. The Waves are in a regional for the fifth straight season and the 24th time in 28 years.
Pepperdine's best-ever NCAA Regional finish was third in 2017 at Stanford. Waves have won medalist honors at NCAA Regionals twice: current head coach Michael Beard in 2000 and Josh Anderson in 2012.
Most notably, the Waves won the 1997 NCAA Championships, held at Conway Farms in Lake Forest, Illinois. That's one of three top-10 finishes in program history.
WCC CHAMPIONSHIPS — Pepperdine won its second straight WCC title and it's league-best 20th overall in one of the biggest comebacks in WCC history. The Waves were in seventh place and 15 shots back after the first round at the Reserve at Spanos Park, but jumped to second after the second round and ended up beating San Francisco by three shots. RJ Manke shot a 6-under 210 to tie for the individual lead, and then beat LMU's Riley Elmes in a playoff. Joshua McCarthy tied for sixth place and Joe Highsmith tied for eighth place.
WCC HONORS — Last year, Michael Beard became the first WCC men's golf coach ever to win the conference's Coach of the Year award three consecutive seasons, and this year he extended his record streak to four straight. Joe Highsmith was named WCC Freshman of the Year. Highsmith, Clay Feagler, RJ Manke and Joshua McCarthy all made the All-WCC first team. Manke also made the WCC All-Academic first team. Feagler was named WCC Player of the Month for October.
2018-19 INDIVIDUAL HIGHLIGHTS — It's the second year in a row that the Waves have had medalists on three occasions. In addition to his WCC victory, RJ Manke won his first college title at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational in record fashion. He smashed the Waves' records for 54 holes (21-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 Feagler's victories came in the 2018 calendar year. Joshua McCarthy has had a team-high six top-10 finishes, while Feagler has had six. Both have had seven top-20 results. In the preseason, Joe Highsmith was listed at #9 among Golfweek's top freshmen in the nation in the preseason.
2018-19 TEAM HIGHLIGHTS — Nine of the Waves' 11 tournaments have resulted in a top-five finish. The Waves won two fall tournaments for only the second time in program history and for the first time since 2007. With the WCC Championships victory, they've won three times in a school year for the first time since 2003-04. The Waves won the Alister MacKenzie Invitational by 11 shots with a school-record score of 52-under. Then they won the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational 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.Â
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 24 of the last 28 years. In the West Coast Conference, they've won a league-best 20 championships since 1987 and have finished either first or second in 26 of the last 33 years.
BEARD — Former Pepperdine All-American Michael Beard, a four-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 became the first WCC men's golf coach ever to earn Coach of the Year honors three consecutive years (2016-18) and his streak now stands at four. His Waves won the 2015, 2018 and 2019 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.
ROSTER — The Waves' roster consists of three seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen. The Waves' success this season has come without the help of 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 — who is out with a wrist injury and is redshirting 2018-19.
NEXT YEAR — With most of 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 Tristan 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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