WESTLAKE VILLAGE, California – The Pepperdine men's golf team picked up a big victory at its own Southwestern Invitational on Tuesday, while
Sahith Theegala claimed medalist honors and tied two school records in the process.
Pepperdine had a two-day total of a 14-under 850 (284-287-279) at the par-72 North Ranch Country Club and defeated both Arizona State and USC by 17 strokes. The #4 Waves were the highest-ranked team in the field (Golfweek/Sagarin ratings) and they posted wins against four other top-25 teams and seven top-50 squads.
This was Pepperdine's second win of the 2019-20 school year after also winning the Alister MacKenzie Invitational in the fall.
Theegala shot a 12-under 204 to win by one stroke. It's his second Southwestern Invitational title (he also won in 2017), and he joins Corey Pavin of UCLA (1978 and 1981) and Dave Bishop of UTEP (1988 and 1991) as the only two-time winners. Theegala tied Pepperdine career records for victories (four) and below-par rounds (68).
Pepperdine's dominance extended beyond the five players in the lineup. Five more Waves competed as individuals and had they scored as a team, they would have finished in second place at 4-under, just 10 shots back and seven ahead of ASU and USC. Five Waves recorded top-10 finishes and all 10 were in the top 30.
This was Pepperdine's third team victory at the Southwestern Invitational (2006 and 2017).
PLAYER SCORES -- TEAM
- Senior Sahith Theegala (Chino Hills, Calif./Diamond Bar HS) went below-par all three rounds and shot 70-68-66 to finish with a 12-under 204. He and USC's Leon D'Souza began the final round tied for the lead, and they were still tied coming down the stretch. But on 17, Theegala had par and D'Souza bogeyed. When Theegala got to the 18th green, he put on a jersey of his boyhood hero, the late Kobe Bryant, and two-putted for par and the victory. Theegala's final-round 6-under included seven birdies (five on the front nine) and just one bogey. He had 17 birdies for the tournament, two more than any other player.
- Junior Joey Vrzich (El Cajon, Calif./Christian HS/Nevada) finished in a tie for sixth place with a 1-under 215 (69-75-71). He had an eagle and four birdies in the final round. He had a total of 12 birdies.
- Senior Clay Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) tied for eighth place with an even-par 216 (76-71-69). His 3-under in the final round included seven birdies. He had 13 birdies over the two days.
- Sophomore Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Prep) tied for 23rd place at 220 (69-77-74). He had 12 birdies in all.
- Senior Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS) tied for 29th at 222 (76-73-73). He was one of eight players in the field to record two eagles over the two days.
PLAYER SCORES -- INDIVIDUALS
- Freshman William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS) tied for eighth place with an even-par 216 (74-72-70). He had six birdies during his 2-under final round. He had a total of 13 birdies. It was his team-best fourth top-10 finish in five tournaments this season.
- Freshman Dylan Menante (Carlsbad, Calif./Sage Creek HS) tied for eighth place with an even-par 216 (76-71-69). He had an eagle and three birdies during his 3-under today. He had a total of 11 birdies.
- Sophomore Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School) tied for 14th at 217 (75-75-67). Hitchner birdied six of his first seven holes and eight overall today in his career-best round of 5-under. He had 14 birdies in all, second-most on the team.
- Junior RJ Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Prep) tied for 21st at 219 (72-70-77). Manke was also one of eight players in the field to record multiple eagles.
- Junior Austin Murphy (Morgan Hill, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory) tied for 23rd at 220 (75-73-72). He had 39 pars, more than any other player in the field over the three rounds. His final-round even-par score included 16 pars.
UP NEXT
Pepperdine's next tournament is the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawai'i from February 6-8.
THE NUMBERS
Team Scores: 1. Pepperdine 850; T2. Arizona State 867; T2. USC 867; 4. California 872; 5. Stanford 876; 6. LSU 881; 7. UCLA 887; T8. San Jose State 890; T8. BYU 890; 10. North Texas 902; 11. UC Davis 903; 12. Augusta 906.
Top Individuals: 1. Sahith Theegala (Pepperdine) 204; 2. Leon D'Souza (USC) 205; 3. Chun An Yu (Arizona State) 211; 4. Finigan Tilly (California) 213; 5. Kento Yamawaki (California) 214.
