Friday, May 24
Fayetteville, Ark.
All Day
Pepperdine University
at
NCAA Championships
Joe Highsmith and Michael Beard
Photo by: Roger Horne
NCAA Men's Golf Championships Begin Friday
5/20/2019 12:46:00 PM | Men's Golf
MALIBU, California — The 16th-ranked Pepperdine men's golf team — the 1997 NCAA champion — is back in the NCAA Championships for the 10th time in program history. The Waves have won three tournaments in 2018-19, including their second straight West Coast Conference title, and have posted 10 top-five finishes in 12 tournaments.
EVENT INFO — The NCAA Championships will be held between May 23-29 at the par-72, 7,550-yard Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Teams will play a single round each day between Friday and Sunday. The field will be cut to 15 teams for Monday's final round of stroke play. Match play involving eight teams will determine the national champion on Tuesday and Wednesday. Live scoring will be available via Golfstat and NCAA.com.
Pepperdine, the #20 seed, will be paired with North Florida and Louisville for the first two rounds. On Friday, they'll tee off on #1 beginning at 7:12 a.m. CT. On Saturday, they'll tee off on #10 beginning at 12:32 p.m. CT.
FIELD — In order of seeding, the 30-team field includes: Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Duke, USC, Stanford, Auburn, California, Clemson, Georgia, BYU, South Carolina, LSU, Texas A&M, North Florida, Pepperdine, Louisville, Liberty, Baylor, Illinois, North Carolina, TCU, UNLV, Ohio State, Georgia Southern and SMU.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — The Waves' lineup consists of junior Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS), freshman Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Prep), sophomore RJ Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School), 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.
Three Waves making the trip have previous NCAA Championships experience: McCarthy (T-56th), Feagler (T-70th) and Cootes (76th) were all in the lineup in 2017 when the Waves placed 13th as a team. McCarthy qualified as an individual in 2018. He was tied for 43rd after three rounds but didn't make the cut, and finished tied for 84th.
RANKINGS — Pepperdine is currently rated #16 by Golfweek/Sagarin, #18 in the Bushnell/Golfweek coaches poll and #20 by Golfstat ... Clay Feagler is #49 by Golfstat and #61 by Golfweek/Sagarin ... Joshua McCarthy is #67 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #68 by Golfstat ... Joe Highsmith is #119 by Golfstat and #136 by Golfweek/Sagarin ... RJ Manke is #153 by Golfweek/Sagarin.
NCAA HISTORY — Pepperdine has qualified for the NCAA Championships for the 10th time since 1993 after making its 24th NCAA Regional appearance.Â
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, with an eighth place in 2002 and a 10th place in 2004.
The Waves have posted five top-10 individual finishes over the years, and eight in the top 20. Michael Putnam lost in a playoff in 2005 to finish second. Jason Gore tied for third and Michael Walton was fifth for the 1997 national champions. Head coach Michael Beard tied for eighth in 2002.
NCAA AUSTIN REGIONAL — The Waves got off to a great start at the NCAA Austin Regional and that helped them secure a fourth-place finish and advancement to the NCAA Championships. Pepperdine was tied with host Texas after both shot a first-round 278. The Waves shot 290 each of the next two days but that was enough to qualify by a margin of seven shots. Joe Highsmith placed fourth, the best-ever showing by a Pepperdine freshman at an NCAA Regional.
WCC CHAMPIONSHIPS — Pepperdine won its second straight WCC title and its 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.
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.
FEAGLER — Junior Clay Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) has won three career titles, one shy of the Pepperdine record. One of them came this season 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.
On Pepperdine's career charts, he ranks third in scoring average (71.85), tied for eighth in below-par rounds (43) and tied for 10th in top-10 finishes (13). His 71.08 scoring average this season currently ranks seventh on Pepperdine's list. He's a three-time All-WCC first team selection.
McCARTHY — Junior Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS) will become only the third Wave ever to appear in as many as three NCAA Championships. Michael Putnam was in four (2002-05) and Todd Andrews was in three (1992-94).
On Pepperdine's career charts, McCarthy ranks fourth in scoring average (72.03), tied for fifth in below-par rounds (46), tied for seventh in top-20 finishes (25) and tied for 10th in top-10 finishes (13). This season, his 71.22 scoring average ranks eighth on Pepperdine's single-season list, and his 17 below-par rounds are tied for eighth. He's a three-time All-WCC first team selection.
HIGHSMITH — Freshman Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School) was listed at #9 among Golfweek's top freshmen in the nation in the preseason. The WCC Freshman of the Year has lived up to the billing and is playing his best golf of the season in the postseason, tying for eighth at the WCC Championships and taking fourth at the NCAA Austin Regional (the best-ever finish by a Pepperdine freshman at a regional).
On Pepperdine's freshman records list for a season, Highsmith ranks second in scoring (71.92), second in below-par rounds (16), tied for first in top-10 finishes (four) and tied for third in top-20 finishes (seven). His scoring average currently ranks 13th overall on the the Waves' single-season list.
MANKE — Sophomore RJ Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School) has won twice this season. His first college title came at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational in record fashion, as he smashed the Waves' records for 54 holes (21-under) and 18 holes (final-round 10-under) to win by four shots. He then won the WCC Championships via a playoff.
Manke's career scoring average of 72.82 ranks ninth all-time at Pepperdine and his season scoring average of 71.94 ranks 14th. He made the All-WCC first team this season after being honorable mention as a freshman.
COOTES — Senior Roy Cootes (Rolling Hills, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) hasn't been a regular in the lineup this season, but made a big impact at the WCC Championships when he entered as a second-round substitute. His final-round 4-under 68 helped secure the Waves' team title. On Pepperdine's career lists, he ranks 11th in scoring (73.22) and tied for eighth in below-par rounds (43). He's a two-time All-WCC first team selection.
After the WCC Championships, Cootes took part in the Mackenzie Tour Q-School event and qualified for the first six events of the 2019 season in Canada.
MURPHY — Sophomore Austin Murphy (Morgan Hill, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory) has been in the lineup for four of the seven tournaments he's participated in this season. His season-best finish was a tie for 20th at the Southwestern Invitational, and he had a good showing at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, where he tied for 24th. His season scoring average is 72.79.
MORE 2018-19 HIGHLIGHTS — 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 10 best rounds in school history in the fall. It's the second year in a row that the Waves have had medalists on three occasions.
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 are making their 10th appearance 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 and 2019. 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 Championships will be held between May 23-29 at the par-72, 7,550-yard Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Teams will play a single round each day between Friday and Sunday. The field will be cut to 15 teams for Monday's final round of stroke play. Match play involving eight teams will determine the national champion on Tuesday and Wednesday. Live scoring will be available via Golfstat and NCAA.com.
Pepperdine, the #20 seed, will be paired with North Florida and Louisville for the first two rounds. On Friday, they'll tee off on #1 beginning at 7:12 a.m. CT. On Saturday, they'll tee off on #10 beginning at 12:32 p.m. CT.
FIELD — In order of seeding, the 30-team field includes: Oklahoma State, Arizona State, Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia Tech, Duke, USC, Stanford, Auburn, California, Clemson, Georgia, BYU, South Carolina, LSU, Texas A&M, North Florida, Pepperdine, Louisville, Liberty, Baylor, Illinois, North Carolina, TCU, UNLV, Ohio State, Georgia Southern and SMU.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — The Waves' lineup consists of junior Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS), freshman Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Prep), sophomore RJ Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School), 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.
Three Waves making the trip have previous NCAA Championships experience: McCarthy (T-56th), Feagler (T-70th) and Cootes (76th) were all in the lineup in 2017 when the Waves placed 13th as a team. McCarthy qualified as an individual in 2018. He was tied for 43rd after three rounds but didn't make the cut, and finished tied for 84th.
RANKINGS — Pepperdine is currently rated #16 by Golfweek/Sagarin, #18 in the Bushnell/Golfweek coaches poll and #20 by Golfstat ... Clay Feagler is #49 by Golfstat and #61 by Golfweek/Sagarin ... Joshua McCarthy is #67 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #68 by Golfstat ... Joe Highsmith is #119 by Golfstat and #136 by Golfweek/Sagarin ... RJ Manke is #153 by Golfweek/Sagarin.
NCAA HISTORY — Pepperdine has qualified for the NCAA Championships for the 10th time since 1993 after making its 24th NCAA Regional appearance.Â
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, with an eighth place in 2002 and a 10th place in 2004.
The Waves have posted five top-10 individual finishes over the years, and eight in the top 20. Michael Putnam lost in a playoff in 2005 to finish second. Jason Gore tied for third and Michael Walton was fifth for the 1997 national champions. Head coach Michael Beard tied for eighth in 2002.
NCAA AUSTIN REGIONAL — The Waves got off to a great start at the NCAA Austin Regional and that helped them secure a fourth-place finish and advancement to the NCAA Championships. Pepperdine was tied with host Texas after both shot a first-round 278. The Waves shot 290 each of the next two days but that was enough to qualify by a margin of seven shots. Joe Highsmith placed fourth, the best-ever showing by a Pepperdine freshman at an NCAA Regional.
WCC CHAMPIONSHIPS — Pepperdine won its second straight WCC title and its 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.
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.
FEAGLER — Junior Clay Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) has won three career titles, one shy of the Pepperdine record. One of them came this season 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.
On Pepperdine's career charts, he ranks third in scoring average (71.85), tied for eighth in below-par rounds (43) and tied for 10th in top-10 finishes (13). His 71.08 scoring average this season currently ranks seventh on Pepperdine's list. He's a three-time All-WCC first team selection.
McCARTHY — Junior Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS) will become only the third Wave ever to appear in as many as three NCAA Championships. Michael Putnam was in four (2002-05) and Todd Andrews was in three (1992-94).
On Pepperdine's career charts, McCarthy ranks fourth in scoring average (72.03), tied for fifth in below-par rounds (46), tied for seventh in top-20 finishes (25) and tied for 10th in top-10 finishes (13). This season, his 71.22 scoring average ranks eighth on Pepperdine's single-season list, and his 17 below-par rounds are tied for eighth. He's a three-time All-WCC first team selection.
HIGHSMITH — Freshman Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School) was listed at #9 among Golfweek's top freshmen in the nation in the preseason. The WCC Freshman of the Year has lived up to the billing and is playing his best golf of the season in the postseason, tying for eighth at the WCC Championships and taking fourth at the NCAA Austin Regional (the best-ever finish by a Pepperdine freshman at a regional).
On Pepperdine's freshman records list for a season, Highsmith ranks second in scoring (71.92), second in below-par rounds (16), tied for first in top-10 finishes (four) and tied for third in top-20 finishes (seven). His scoring average currently ranks 13th overall on the the Waves' single-season list.
MANKE — Sophomore RJ Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School) has won twice this season. His first college title came at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational in record fashion, as he smashed the Waves' records for 54 holes (21-under) and 18 holes (final-round 10-under) to win by four shots. He then won the WCC Championships via a playoff.
Manke's career scoring average of 72.82 ranks ninth all-time at Pepperdine and his season scoring average of 71.94 ranks 14th. He made the All-WCC first team this season after being honorable mention as a freshman.
COOTES — Senior Roy Cootes (Rolling Hills, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) hasn't been a regular in the lineup this season, but made a big impact at the WCC Championships when he entered as a second-round substitute. His final-round 4-under 68 helped secure the Waves' team title. On Pepperdine's career lists, he ranks 11th in scoring (73.22) and tied for eighth in below-par rounds (43). He's a two-time All-WCC first team selection.
After the WCC Championships, Cootes took part in the Mackenzie Tour Q-School event and qualified for the first six events of the 2019 season in Canada.
MURPHY — Sophomore Austin Murphy (Morgan Hill, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory) has been in the lineup for four of the seven tournaments he's participated in this season. His season-best finish was a tie for 20th at the Southwestern Invitational, and he had a good showing at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, where he tied for 24th. His season scoring average is 72.79.
MORE 2018-19 HIGHLIGHTS — 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 10 best rounds in school history in the fall. It's the second year in a row that the Waves have had medalists on three occasions.
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 are making their 10th appearance 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 and 2019. 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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