Pepperdine Men's Golf Posts Second-Place Finish at WCC Championships

DANVILLE, Calif. – With just four players available, the Pepperdine men’s golf team turned in a remarkable second-place finish at the West Coast Conference Championships on Wednesday.

Saint Mary’s, the host school, ran away with the title thanks to a record three-day total of a 25-under 839 at the par-72 Blackhawk Country Club. The Waves finished 23 strokes back with a 2-under 862 (290-291-281), but were left wondering what might have been if everyone had been available.

Freshman Sahith Theegala (Chino Hills, Calif./Diamond Bar HS), the Waves’ #2 player in the lineup, injured his hand early in the first round on Monday and withdrew. He attempted to play on Tuesday but withdrew again, and wasn’t able to give it another try on Wednesday. Without Theegala, the Waves weren’t able to throw out any of their scores.

But the rest of the team played strong golf throughout, as all four finished among the top 12. The
Waves shot a 7-under 281 as a team on Wednesday.

Senior Frederick Wedel (The Woodlands, Texas/The Woodlands HS) shot a flawless 7-under 65 on Wednesday to move up to seventh place with a 3-under 213 (77-71-65). He had four birdies on the front nine and then had three in a row on 12, 13 and 14. Wedel tied for second in the tournament with 16 birdies. His round of 7-under tied his season best.

Freshman Roy Cootes (Rolling Hills, Calif./Palos Verdes HS) and junior Robbie Geibel (Pembroke Pines, Fla./American Heritage HS/Louisville) both tied for ninth place with even-par 216s. Cootes had a 2-under 70 on Wednesday (with three birdies and an eagle on the par-5 5th hole) and shot 69-77-70. Geibel, feeling better after a bout of vertigo on Tuesday, shot 71-71-74. Geibel had 36 pars over the course of the tournament, second-most of any player.

Junior Cody McManus (Phoenix, Ariz./Desert Vista HS) tied for 11th place with a 1-over 217 (73-72-72). He had four birdies on Wednesday.

Pepperdine was the defending champion and has won 18 WCC titles, more than any other school. The Waves have finished first or second 23 of the last 30 years.

NCAA Regional bids will be announced on Thursday, May 5.

Team Standings: 1. Saint Mary’s 273-286-280=839; 2. Pepperdine 290-291-281=862; 3. BYU 292-291-285=868; 4. San Diego 288-296-288=872; 5. Gonzaga 293-302-285=880; 6. Santa Clara 286-310-285=881; 7. San Francisco 289-296-299=884; 8. Loyola Marymount 297-304-287=888; 9. Pacific 292-299-305=896.

Individual Leaders: 1. Jonathan De Los Reyes (Saint Mary’s) 64-67-66=197; 2. Seb Crookall-Nixon (San Francisco) 68-69-71=208; 3. Hayden Shieh (Santa Clara) 67-74-68=209; 4. Patrick Fishburn (BYU) 72-70-69=211; T5. Perry Cohen (Saint Mary’s) 70-73-69=212; T5. Michiel Eyre (Santa Clara) 70-76-66=212.

Pepperdine Scores: 7. Frederick Wedel 77-71-65=213; T9. Roy Cootes 69-77-70=216; T9. Robbie Geibel 71-71-74=216; T11. Cody McManus 73-72-72=217; WD. Sahith Theegala.