MALIBU, California — The fifth-ranked Pepperdine men's golf team has qualified for the NCAA Championships for the 11th time. After being the nation's #1-ranked team when the 2020 season was canceled, the Waves have been waiting for this moment. Pepperdine, which won the 1997 NCAA title, has posted a program-record five wins this season.

EVENT INFO — The NCAA Championships will be held at the par-70, 7,289-yard Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. There will be 18 holes each day between Friday and Sunday (May 28-30). The field will be cut to 15 teams for the final round of stroke play on Monday (May 31). The top eight teams will compete in match play on Tuesday and Wednesday (June 1-2) to determine the national champion.

Live scoring will be available via Golfstat. Golf Channel will provide live TV coverage on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Pepperdine, the #9 seed, will be paired with Wake Forest and Illinois for the first two rounds. On Friday, they'll start on the 10th tee beginning at 12:25 p.m. On Saturday, they'll start on the first tee beginning at 7:05 a.m.

FIELD — In order of seeding, the 30 teams that have advanced to the NCAA finals are Florida State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Clemson, Texas, North Carolina, Wake Forest, Illinois, Pepperdine, Arizona State, Vanderbilt, Georgia, North Carolina State, Tennessee, Liberty, SMU, San Francisco, Florida, Texas Tech, Arkansas, San Diego State, Georgia Tech, Louisville, Sam Houston State, Oregon State, UAB, TCU, East Tennessee State, Little Rock, San Diego.

The West Coast Conference is sending a record three teams to the NCAA Championships with San Diego and San Francisco joining the Waves.

PEPPERDINE LINEUP — The Waves haven't yet set the lineup, but the six players (five in the lineup plus one alternate) traveling to Scottsdale are seniors Clay Feagler (Laguna Niguel, Calif./Dana Hills HS), RJ Manke (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School) and Joey Vrzich (El Cajon, Calif./Christian HS/Nevada), junior Joe Highsmith (Lakewood, Wash./Bellarmine Preparatory School) and sophomores Dylan Menante (Carlsbad, Calif./Sage Creek HS) and William Mouw (Chino, Calif./Ontario Christian HS).

Feagler will become just the fourth Wave to compete in at least three NCAA finals. He tied for 43rd in 2019 and tied for 70th in 2017. Highsmith (T-24th) and Manke (T-53rd) also played at the 2019 NCAA Championships.

RANKINGS — The Waves are ranked #5 by Golfweek/Sagarin, #6 (tied) in the Bushnell Golfweek coaches poll and #9 by Golfstat.

Of the Waves traveling to the finals, Joey Vrzich is #18 by Golfweek and #21 by Golfweek/Sagarin, Dylan Menante is #31 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #54 by Golfstat, RJ Manke is #39 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #67 by Golfstat, Joe Highsmith is #51 by Golfstat and #51 by Golfweek/Sagarin, Clay Feagler is #89 by Golfweek/Sagarin and #143 by Golfstat and William Mouw is #93 by Golfstat and #117 by Golfweek/Sagarin.

NCAA HISTORY — After making its its sixth consecutive NCAA Regional appearance and its 25th all-time, Pepperdine has advanced to the NCAA finals for the 11th time in program history. It's the third time that Pepperdine has qualified under head coach Michael Beard, all of which have come in the last four tournaments.

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 (eighth in 2002 and 10th in 2004). Under Beard, the Waves were 11th in 2019 and 13th in 2017.

Pepperdine's best individual finishes are second (Michael Putnam in 2005 after he lost in a playoff), tied for third (Jason Gore in 1997), fourth (Putnam in 2004), fifth (Michael Walton in 1997) and tied for eighth (Beard in 2002).

HONORS — Dylan Menante was named WCC Player of the Year and he, Clay Feagler, Joe Highsmith and Joey Vrzich made the All-WCC first team. Feagler, medalist at the WCC Championships, became the seventh Wave to earn four-time All-WCC first team honors.

Michael Beard won an unprecedented fifth consecutive WCC Coach of the Year award. No other WCC men's golf coach has ever won it more than twice in a row.

William Mouw was on the first Haskins Award watch list of the season, and Menante made the updated list in November and March ... Highsmith was the WCC Player of the Month for April ... RJ Manke received Pepperdine Athletics' Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year award for 2020-21.

NCAA REGIONAL — The Waves had the best team score (-1) and best individual score (Joey Vrzich's 6-under 65) in the final round of the NCAA Cle Elum Regional (May 17-19) to help Pepperdine finish fourth and advance to the NCAA Championships. The Waves began the third round tied for fifth but finished fourth with a 10-stroke margin over sixth. Vrzich tied for second place. Pepperdine's #2 seed was its best in program history at a regional.

MORE SEASON HIGHLIGHTS — Pepperdine had never won more than three tournaments as a team in a season before and the Waves are now up to five ... With four individual wins, the Waves have tied the school record (they also had four medalists in 1991-92) ... 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 ... Pepperdine's own Southwestern Invitational was televised by the Golf Channel for the first time.

RECORDS WATCH — Seven current Waves rank among Pepperdine's top 10 on the all-time scoring list — Dylan Menante at #2 (70.83), William Mouw at #3 (70.91), Joe Highsmith at #4 (71.39), Clay Feagler at #6 (71.71), Joshua McCarthy at #7 (71.91), Derek Hitchner at #8 (72.08) and RJ Manke at #10 (72.63) ... Feagler has four career wins, tying the school record ... Feagler and McCarthy have both played in 160 career rounds and Feagler should break Michael Beard's school record of 162 at the NCAA Championships ... Feagler is third in below-par rounds (67), tied for sixth in top-10 finishes (19) and eighth in top-20 finishes (29) ... McCarthy is fourth in below-par rounds (64), fourth in top-20 finishes (33) and tied for sixth in top-10 finishes (19) ... Highsmith is tied for eighth in below-par rounds (44).

NON-PEPPERDINE HIGHLIGHTS — Clay Feagler won a MacKenzie Tour Q-School tournament in April, giving him full playing status for the 2021 season ... William Mouw represented the U.S. in the Walker Cup in May. He won twice as the U.S. defeated the team from Great Britain and Ireland 14-12. Mouw was also part of the U.S. Arnold Palmer Cup team that competed in December but he had to withdraw from the event ... Dylan Menante has been named to the U.S. Arnold Palmer Cup team that will play in June.

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.