Monday, January 25
Westlake Village, Calif.
Pepperdine University
vs
Southwestern Invitational
William Mouw
Photo by: Jeff Golden
Men's Golf Hosts Southwestern Invitational Starting Monday
1/23/2021 10:44:00 AM | Men's Golf
MALIBU, California — The #1 Pepperdine men's golf team begins the spring season by hosting the Southwestern Invitational presented by Topgolf next week. For the first time, it will be televised live by the Golf Channel.
EVENT INFO — The Southwestern Invitational will be held at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, California. There will be a single round each day between Monday and Wednesday (Jan. 25-27). Due to COVID-19 protocols, spectators will not be allowed. Play will begin at 7:48 a.m. each morning. The Waves will be paired with Georgia Tech and Arizona State in rounds one and two.
Live scoring will be available via Golfstat. The Golf Channel will have live coverage from 1:30-4:30 p.m. PT each day.
FIELD — In addition to host Pepperdine, the 12-team field includes Arizona State, Augusta, California, East Tennessee State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Saint Mary's, San Diego State, San Jose State, SMU and USC.
In the final 2019-20 Golfweek/Sagarin ratings, three of these teams were in the top 10, six were in the top 25 and nine were in the top 35.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — The Waves' lineup consists of sophomore William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS), junior Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School), senior Joey Vrzich (El Cajon, Calif./Christian HS/Nevada), senior Clay Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) and sophomore Dylan Menante (Carlsbad, Calif./Sage Creek HS).
The Waves will also have four individuals take part: junior Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School), senior RJ Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School), senior Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS) and senior Austin Murphy (Morgan Hill, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory).
TOURNAMENT HISTORY — This is the 42nd edition of the Southwestern Invitational, which began in 1978. Pepperdine has won the tournament three times (2006, 2017, 2010) and has had four medalists (Michael Walton 1995, Jason Gore 1997, Sahith Theegala 2017 and 2020). It was originally hosted by USC. The Waves and Trojans co-hosted the event in 2013 and 2014, and Pepperdine took over sole hosting duties in 2016.
RANKINGS — At the start of the spring season, the Waves are ranked #1 in the Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll, while both Golfstat and Golfweek/Sagarin have the Waves at #2. Eight Waves are in the top 100 as individuals: Dylan Menante #4 Golfstat and #6 Golfweek/Sagarin), RJ Manke (#27 Golfweek/Sagarin and #31 Golfstat), Joey Vrzich (#30 Golfweek/Sagarin), Joe Highsmith (#36 Golfstat and #53 Golfweek/Sagarin), William Mouw (#46 Golfstat and #51 Golfweek/Sagarin), Joshua McCarthy (#49 Golfweek/Sagarin and #67 Golfstat), Derek Hitchner (#66 Golfweek/Sagarin) and Austin Murphy (#95 Golfstat).
The Waves ended spring 2020 ranked #1 in the Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll and in the Golfstat computer rankings, and #2 by Golfweek/Sagarin. The Waves had nine players in the Golfweek/Sagarin top 200, eight of whom are returners.
ROSTER — Nine of the 10 Waves who saw action for the nation's #1 team last season have returned, including two of last year's three seniors in Clay Feagler and Joshua McCarthy. Five players who competed at the 2019 NCAA Championships (and an 11th-place finish) are still part of the program. The Waves have back an All-American first team honoree (William Mouw), two WCC medalists (Feagler and RJ Manke), two three-time All-WCC honorees (Feagler and McCarthy) and four who have been all-region honorees (Feagler, McCarthy, Mouw and Joe Highsmith). The 10-man roster breakdown is five seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and one freshman. Mouw and Dylan Menante have both been part of the Haskins Award watch list this season.
EAST LAKE — The exclusive East Lake Cup, held in Atlanta, Ga. (Oct. 26-28) brought together the four highest-ranked teams in the nation from when the season ended in mid-March. After a round of stroke play, the Waves brought home the trophy by beating Texas Tech 3-2 in the semfinals and Oklahoma 4-1 in the championship. Joe Highsmith, Derek Hitchner and Dylan Menante each went 2-0 in match play.
MORE HIGHLIGHTS — Joshua McCarthy won two WCC-only fall events, the Pasadera Collegiate Invitational and the Rustic Collegiate Classic. It's the eighth time in program history (and the fourth year in a row) that a Wave has won twice in one season ... Dylan Menante has a pair of second-place finishes and went 2-0 in match play at the East Lake Cup ... Pepperdine has won three tournaments for the third straight season and the fifth time in program history. The Waves have never won more than three.
RECORDS WATCH — Four current Waves rank among Pepperdine's top 10 on the all-time scoring list — Joe Highsmith at #3 (71.62), Clay Feagler at #4 (71.86), Joshua McCarthy at #5 (71.90) and RJ Manke at #9 (72.70) ... Feagler has three career wins, one off the school record ... McCarthy has played in 151 career rounds and could break Michael Beard's school record of 162.
NON-PEPPERDINE RESULTS — Pepperdine had seven golfers at the U.S. Amateur and three of them made it to match play (both figures tied the most by any school). William Mouw went the farthest, reaching the round of 16. Joey Vrzich won the California Amateur, while Caden Fioroni made the final of the SCGA Amateur. Mouw was named to the U.S. Arnold Palmer Cup team that competed in December but had to withdraw from the event. Joshua McCarthy won the AGC Winter Invitational in December.
2019-20 RECAP — Though the season was cancelled in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Waves had one of the greatest seasons in program history. In addition to the team ending the season at #1, Sahith Theegala was the nation's #1 player and swept the three National Player of the Year awards, while Michael Beard was National Coach of the Year. The Waves won three tournaments and set a school record with a 280.1 scoring average. Theegala and William Mouw gave Pepperdine two All-American first teamers for the first time in program history.
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. At the most recent NCAA Championships in 2019, the Waves made their 10th appearance since 1993 and finished in 11th place. Pepperdine has achieved NCAA Regional berths in 24 of the last 28 tries. In the West Coast Conference, the Waves have won a league-best 20 championships since 1987 and have finished either first or second in 26 of the last 33 tournaments.
BEARD — Former Pepperdine All-American Michael Beard is in his ninth season as the Waves' head coach. He earned the Dave Williams Award as the Division I National Coach of the Year in 2000 after leading the Waves to the #1 ranking before the pandemic cancelled the season. Beard 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 WCC Coach of the Year honors three consecutive years (2016-18) and he extended that streak to four in 2019. 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.
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 #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
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EVENT INFO — The Southwestern Invitational will be held at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, California. There will be a single round each day between Monday and Wednesday (Jan. 25-27). Due to COVID-19 protocols, spectators will not be allowed. Play will begin at 7:48 a.m. each morning. The Waves will be paired with Georgia Tech and Arizona State in rounds one and two.
Live scoring will be available via Golfstat. The Golf Channel will have live coverage from 1:30-4:30 p.m. PT each day.
FIELD — In addition to host Pepperdine, the 12-team field includes Arizona State, Augusta, California, East Tennessee State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Saint Mary's, San Diego State, San Jose State, SMU and USC.
In the final 2019-20 Golfweek/Sagarin ratings, three of these teams were in the top 10, six were in the top 25 and nine were in the top 35.
PEPPERDINE LINEUP — The Waves' lineup consists of sophomore William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS), junior Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School), senior Joey Vrzich (El Cajon, Calif./Christian HS/Nevada), senior Clay Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS) and sophomore Dylan Menante (Carlsbad, Calif./Sage Creek HS).
The Waves will also have four individuals take part: junior Derek Hitchner (Minneapolis, Minn./The Blake School), senior RJ Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School), senior Joshua McCarthy (Danville, Calif./De La Salle HS) and senior Austin Murphy (Morgan Hill, Calif./Bellarmine College Preparatory).
TOURNAMENT HISTORY — This is the 42nd edition of the Southwestern Invitational, which began in 1978. Pepperdine has won the tournament three times (2006, 2017, 2010) and has had four medalists (Michael Walton 1995, Jason Gore 1997, Sahith Theegala 2017 and 2020). It was originally hosted by USC. The Waves and Trojans co-hosted the event in 2013 and 2014, and Pepperdine took over sole hosting duties in 2016.
RANKINGS — At the start of the spring season, the Waves are ranked #1 in the Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll, while both Golfstat and Golfweek/Sagarin have the Waves at #2. Eight Waves are in the top 100 as individuals: Dylan Menante #4 Golfstat and #6 Golfweek/Sagarin), RJ Manke (#27 Golfweek/Sagarin and #31 Golfstat), Joey Vrzich (#30 Golfweek/Sagarin), Joe Highsmith (#36 Golfstat and #53 Golfweek/Sagarin), William Mouw (#46 Golfstat and #51 Golfweek/Sagarin), Joshua McCarthy (#49 Golfweek/Sagarin and #67 Golfstat), Derek Hitchner (#66 Golfweek/Sagarin) and Austin Murphy (#95 Golfstat).
The Waves ended spring 2020 ranked #1 in the Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll and in the Golfstat computer rankings, and #2 by Golfweek/Sagarin. The Waves had nine players in the Golfweek/Sagarin top 200, eight of whom are returners.
ROSTER — Nine of the 10 Waves who saw action for the nation's #1 team last season have returned, including two of last year's three seniors in Clay Feagler and Joshua McCarthy. Five players who competed at the 2019 NCAA Championships (and an 11th-place finish) are still part of the program. The Waves have back an All-American first team honoree (William Mouw), two WCC medalists (Feagler and RJ Manke), two three-time All-WCC honorees (Feagler and McCarthy) and four who have been all-region honorees (Feagler, McCarthy, Mouw and Joe Highsmith). The 10-man roster breakdown is five seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and one freshman. Mouw and Dylan Menante have both been part of the Haskins Award watch list this season.
EAST LAKE — The exclusive East Lake Cup, held in Atlanta, Ga. (Oct. 26-28) brought together the four highest-ranked teams in the nation from when the season ended in mid-March. After a round of stroke play, the Waves brought home the trophy by beating Texas Tech 3-2 in the semfinals and Oklahoma 4-1 in the championship. Joe Highsmith, Derek Hitchner and Dylan Menante each went 2-0 in match play.
MORE HIGHLIGHTS — Joshua McCarthy won two WCC-only fall events, the Pasadera Collegiate Invitational and the Rustic Collegiate Classic. It's the eighth time in program history (and the fourth year in a row) that a Wave has won twice in one season ... Dylan Menante has a pair of second-place finishes and went 2-0 in match play at the East Lake Cup ... Pepperdine has won three tournaments for the third straight season and the fifth time in program history. The Waves have never won more than three.
RECORDS WATCH — Four current Waves rank among Pepperdine's top 10 on the all-time scoring list — Joe Highsmith at #3 (71.62), Clay Feagler at #4 (71.86), Joshua McCarthy at #5 (71.90) and RJ Manke at #9 (72.70) ... Feagler has three career wins, one off the school record ... McCarthy has played in 151 career rounds and could break Michael Beard's school record of 162.
NON-PEPPERDINE RESULTS — Pepperdine had seven golfers at the U.S. Amateur and three of them made it to match play (both figures tied the most by any school). William Mouw went the farthest, reaching the round of 16. Joey Vrzich won the California Amateur, while Caden Fioroni made the final of the SCGA Amateur. Mouw was named to the U.S. Arnold Palmer Cup team that competed in December but had to withdraw from the event. Joshua McCarthy won the AGC Winter Invitational in December.
2019-20 RECAP — Though the season was cancelled in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Waves had one of the greatest seasons in program history. In addition to the team ending the season at #1, Sahith Theegala was the nation's #1 player and swept the three National Player of the Year awards, while Michael Beard was National Coach of the Year. The Waves won three tournaments and set a school record with a 280.1 scoring average. Theegala and William Mouw gave Pepperdine two All-American first teamers for the first time in program history.
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. At the most recent NCAA Championships in 2019, the Waves made their 10th appearance since 1993 and finished in 11th place. Pepperdine has achieved NCAA Regional berths in 24 of the last 28 tries. In the West Coast Conference, the Waves have won a league-best 20 championships since 1987 and have finished either first or second in 26 of the last 33 tournaments.
BEARD — Former Pepperdine All-American Michael Beard is in his ninth season as the Waves' head coach. He earned the Dave Williams Award as the Division I National Coach of the Year in 2000 after leading the Waves to the #1 ranking before the pandemic cancelled the season. Beard 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 WCC Coach of the Year honors three consecutive years (2016-18) and he extended that streak to four in 2019. 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.
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 #49 overall on U.S. News and World Report's list of America's best colleges.
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