Everything you need to know for the quarterfinals of the men’s NCAA Championship.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The men’s individual national champion has been crowned, which means one thing: it’s time for match play.
Clemson senior Turk Pettit won the individual national title at the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship on Monday evening, signing for an even-par 70 to seal the deal at 7 under, one shot clear of 54-hole leader and Oklahoma State freshman Bo Jin.
Oklahoma State entered Monday’s final round of stroke play atop the leaderboard but fell back to second at even par for the week. Hosts Arizona State climbed from third to first to take the No. 1 seed at 3 under, followed by the Cowboys, Pepperdine (+5), Oklahoma (+10), Illinois (+14), Florida State (+16), Vanderbilt (+24) and North Carolina (+25).
With the quarterfinals set to begin on Tuesday morning and the semifinals to follow, here’s a breakdown of the teams and matches competing for the team national championship (All Times Eastern).
Here’s what you missed Sunday morning during the third round of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — If the first three rounds of the NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championship is any indication of what fans will see down the stretch at Grayhawk Golf Club, it’ll be Bedlam in the desert on Wednesday.
The lone team under par, Oklahoma State holds a commanding lead at 12 under following Sunday’s second-consecutive round of 6-under 274. In-state rival Oklahoma is in second at 1 over, followed by host Arizona State in third at 2 over. Illinois (4 over) and Florida State (9 over) round out the top five.
Oklahoma State freshman Bo Jin fired a 1-under 69 on the challenging Raptor course and sits atop the individual leaderboard at 9 under. Clemson’s Turk Pettit is second at 7 under, with Wake Forest’s Parker Gillam and Oklahoma’s Quade Cummins T-3 at 5 under.
“We wanted to win the day today,” said Cowboys head coach Alan Bratton. “We did our job today and then the job will be the same tomorrow. Go stay focused and just keep trying to win every day. That’s been our mindset every single day, just take care of what’s right in front of you stay in the moment and just be yourself.”
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Player breaks coach’s Pepperdine record
Michael Beard isn’t just the head coach for Pepperdine men’s golf. He’s a former player, too.
Now in his ninth year at the helm of his alma mater, Beard played for the Waves from 1999-2002, where he earned medalist honors at the 2000 NCAA West Regional and 2002 WCC Championship. He was first-team All-WCC all four years, and until Sunday held the record for most rounds played in school history.
Redshirt senior Clay Feagler passed his coach on the all-time list for rounds played during Sunday’s third round, where he shot a 3-over 73.
“Gives me goosebumps, really. I love that little guy,” said Beard with a smile when he heard the news. “I remember when he was barely above my chin when I recruited him. It’s been so neat to see him just grow as a person. I mean, his game obviously has gotten better and better, but he’s really like our leader now on our team. He’s our guy.”
“No one would have thought when he was as a junior that Clay would be as good as a college player as he is now,” continued Beard. “He’s won four times. I don’t know if he was just overlooked or maybe he just didn’t play as much as a junior but he should be proud and we’re proud of him.”
Sam Houston keeps inspiring
If you’re not familiar with Sam Houston State’s road to the NCAA Championship, it was a bumpy one.
The Bearkats were forced to complete the Stillwater Regional without its leader and star player, William Holcomb, due to COVID-19 contact tracing. His teammates rallied without him to punch their ticket to this week’s NCAA Championship, their first in program history.
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Three rounds later the ‘Kats are still clawing their way through the desert. Sam Houston is in 11th place, inside the 15-team cut for Monday’s final round of stroke play. The crew from Huntsville, Texas, will need to make up a five-shot deficit to climb into the top eight on Monday to qualify for match play.
“I’m just trying to look forward. We want to focus on what we have to do. We just need to play a solid round tomorrow, and we know how to do that,” said head coach Brandt Kieschnick. “It’s a tough golf course that challenges you mentally, physically, discipline-wise, so we’ll talk about what we’ve got to do tomorrow, and just everyone execute, and just give yourself the best chance.”
“I want people to see this is a team that’s been solid all year,” added Kieschnick. “I say this humbly, it’s not a surprise. We’ve played solid every year. These guys are great players. They play the game the right way and that leads to good scores and that leads to them getting to the top. We love that we can inspire a nation through the tough thing we went through. If you can play golf and have other people watch you and follow you and be inspired, there’s nothing better than that.”
Pepperdine junior Joe Highsmith won the individual title at the Western Intercollegiate after a threeway playoff lasted four holes.
Joe Highsmith earned his first collegiate victory in style.
The Pepperdine junior won last week’s Western Intercollegiate after a threeway playoff went four extra holes. The Lakewood, Washington, native made par to win at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, California, defeating BYU’s Carson Lundell. San Diego State’s Puwit Anupansuebsai was eliminated after the third playoff hole.
“Joe hit it really well, he was really impressive,” said Pepperdine head coach Michael Beard. “He’s been knocking on the door a little bit and to be able to close the deal was super special.”
“That was absolute craziness. Obviously the 20-footer in the playoff was crazy,” said Highsmith of his lengthy par save on the second playoff hole. “It may not have looked like it out there, but I was definitely feeling the nerves but was able to handle it pretty well. It’s been a while since I was in that position. This was great, it means a lot to win it here, it’s really cool for me.”
Pepperdine won the Western Intercollegiate team title with ease while Joe Highsmith took the individual title after four playoff holes.
It’s difficult to win a golf tournament. The individual leaderboard at the Western Intercollegiate proved that to be true with a three-player playoff for the title. Now the team leaderboard?
Not so much.
A contender for the national title before the pandemic canceled last season, Pepperdine cruised to their first win of the spring at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, California, on Wednesday. The Waves swept over the field in the final round, shooting 6 under as a team to finish at 4 under, the lone team under par. Stanford finished second at 7 over, with San Diego State in third at 20 over.
The Waves were led by junior Joe Highsmith, who earned his first collegiate win after four playoff holes. The Lakewood, Washington, native made par to win, defeating BYU’s Carson Lundell. San Diego State’s Puwit Anupansuebsai was eliminated after the third playoff hole.
The Waves, winners of two events in the fall, will next play at the WCC Championships at the end of the month.
The Ole Miss women and Pepperdine men earned statement wins at the East Lake Cup.
While both teams might not be explicitly saying it, the Ole Miss women and Pepperdine men each made a statement, loud and clear, to the college golf world.
“We’re here.”
Both teams claimed the title at the East Lake Cup on Wednesday afternoon in Atlanta, each in their school’s first appearance at the college event normally reserved for the semifinalists from the previous season’s NCAA Championship. Due to the pandemic, this year’s East Lake Cup field was built based on the final spring Golfstat ranking, with teams not playing because of COVID-19 weeded out.
The Rebels defeated South Carolina, 3-2, while the Waves crashed over Oklahoma, 4-1.
Early points went on the board, first for Ole Miss with stroke play co-medalist Ellen Hume blowing the doors off her match with senior transfer and former Kent State star Pimnipa Panthong, 7&6. South Carolina’s Mathilde Claisse then defeated Chiara Tamburlini, 3&2, earning a crucial early point for the Gamecocks.
“I didn’t really make any mistakes,” said Hume of her impressive final match. “One birdie and the rest pars. (Panthong) made a couple mistakes, and I kind of jumped on those. So I went up pretty early, which helped.”
Hume’s stroke play co-medalist and the Rebels’ fifth-year senior leader Kennedy Swann usually goes out first for Ole Miss, but her coaches sent her out second to set up an All-Star match against the third-ranked player in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, South Carolina’s Pauline Roussin-Bouchard. The Gamecocks’ sophomore star held a 1 up lead through five holes and never looked back, consistently weathering Swann’s advances en route to a clean 3&2 win.
Ole Miss never trailed in the final two matches, with Andrea Lignell earning the second point thanks to a 3&2 win over Paula Kirner. In the final match on the course, South Carolina senior Lois Kaye Go tried to muster up some late-match heroics – like when she won her semifinal match after never leading until the final hole – but fell short by one in an 18-hole gem of a match to Julia Johnson.
Waves wash away any doubt
On paper, the men’s match between Pepperdine and Oklahoma could very well have been a preview for next spring’s NCAA Championship. If so, advantage Waves.
The Sooners came back in the semifinals to defeat their rival Texas Longhorns but didn’t have enough horse power to do so again on Wednesday, with Pepperdine rolling to a 4-1 win.
The Pepperdine men’s golf team poses with the trophy after winning the 2020 East Lake Cup. (Photo: East Lake Cup)
“It gives us a lot of momentum,” said Pepperdine’s Dylan Menante. “It proves to us that we can still be No. 1 or a top-5 school in the country and that we’re good enough and that we can compete with anyone no matter who’s on the team.”
Men’s stroke play medalist and Oklahoma junior Patrick Welch ran into a pair of 5&4 losses in match play, first on Tuesday to Texas’ Cole Hammer and again on Wednesday in the finals against Pepperdine’s Joe Highsmith. Derek Hitchner added a second point for the Waves, taking down Logan McAllister, 3&2. Jonathan Brightwell, a UNCG transfer, earned the sole point for the Sooners in a tight match with William Mouw, but shortly after Menante made it official for the Waves with a 5&4 win over Garett Reband.
“Coach has done a really good job helping us with an overall mentality of making sure that we’re kind of staying aggressive and committed and not being fearful on the golf course is kind of a big thing that we stand for at Pepperdine,” said Hitchner. “So that mindset out here has really worked well.”
In the other women’s match, Florida defeated Texas 4-0-1. On the men’s side, however, the Longhorns cruised 5-0 over Texas Tech.
Golf Channel will broadcast college golf’s loaded spring kickoff at Pepperdine’s Southwestern Invitational in January.
More college golf is coming to your TV this winter.
During its broadcast of Wednesday’s final round of matches at the East Lake Cup, Golf Channel made a special announcement that it was adding a seventh college event to its schedule, the Southwestern Invitational presented by Topgolf.
Defending champion Pepperdine will host the tournament at North Ranch Country Club Jan. 25-27 in Westlake Village, California. The event features 54 holes of stroke play with a team and individual champion. Golf Channel will air live coverage all three days.
“Pepperdine is looking forward to hosting the Southwestern once again, and we’re eager to be able to show off North Ranch Country Club on Golf Channel in partnership with Topgolf,” said Pepperdine head men’s golf coach Michael Beard. “This event has so much history and an incredible list of champions over the years, and we’ve put together an exceptional field for the end of January.”
Past individual champions at the Southwestern Invitational include the likes of 82-time PGA Tour winner Tiger Woods, recent Zozo Championship winner Patrick Cantlay and 14-time European Tour champion Paul Casey. In fact, Southwestern Invitational medalists have gone on to claim more than 100 wins on the PGA Tour.
“The Southwestern Invitational is a storied event that kicks off college golf’s spring schedule, as teams look to gain momentum in advance of the NCAA Championships,” said Tom Knapp, executive vice president, programming, NBC Sports Group. “In partnership with Topgolf and Pepperdine, we look forward to showcasing the Southwestern’s elite field, and continuing the tradition of recognizing individual champions who have gone on to achieve prolific success on the PGA Tour.”
Joining Pepperdine and 2019 national champion Stanford in the loaded 12-team field is Arizona State, Augusta, Cal, East Tennessee State, Georgia Tech, San Diego State, San José State, Southern Methodist, USC and UCLA.
Four of the top six teams in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings will be on hand in Atlanta — Oklahoma, Pepperdine, Texas and Texas Tech.
The college golf season has been turned upside down due to the pandemic, but this week’s East Lake Cup, which will be broadcast on Golf Channel this Monday through Wednesday (3-6 p.m. ET), brings together a number of the top programs in the country as a distorted and compacted fall season winds to a close.
Here’s a quick primer for the event:
1. Who’s playing and what’s the format?
The three-day event at East Lake Golf Club (site of the Tour Championship) is played in a similar fashion to the NCAA Championships.
That means Monday’s opening round is stroke play and it will determine an individual male and female champion. Seeding for the following two days of match play is also decided from the opening round.
On the men’s side, Oklahoma, Pepperdine, Texas and Texas Tech will vie for the title while the women’s field consists of Florida, Ole Miss, South Carolina and Texas.
Although this event is just a few years old, some big names have enjoyed success here, including Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland, who won the stroke play event in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
Roussin-Bouchard fired rounds of 66 and 65 in the final two days of that event as the Gamecocks leapfrogged Florida, Auburn and Ole Miss to take the crown.
Senior Lois Kaye Go (No. 27 in G/S) and sophomore Mathilde Claisse also shined at the Ally while Paula Kirner and grad student Pimnipa Panthong (No. 28 in G/S) could be due for a breakthrough.
Ole Miss is the first team outside the top 10 in the final rankings to play in the EastLake Cup (they were added to the field because of teams not playing this fall), but Kennedy Swan (No. 25) and Julia Johnson (No. 26) lead a solid side from Oxford.
Florida is counting on a big showing from sophomore Annabell Fuller, a highly-recruited player who went to Gainesville last spring with moderate success before the pandemic. She’s found her stride this fall, however, leading the Gators at Ally with a T-9 finish. Star Mari Escobar Domingo (No. 12 in G/S) opened the Ally with a 68, but lagged behind with a second-round 77. She’ll need to be more consistent for the Gators to have a chance to win.
And the jury is still out on the women’s team at Texas. Without Agathe Laisne and Sára Kousková (who opted out this season) the Longhorns have yet to sparkle, placing 10th out of 11 teams at the Schooner Fall Classic in Oklahoma. Texas did improve dramatically, placing second in its own event in Austin a few weeks later. Only Kaitlyn Papp (No. 4) ranks in the Golfweek/Sagarin top 40.
Oklahoma’s Quade Cummins hits a shot during the second round of stroke play at the 2019 U.S. Amateur at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club (Course No. 2) in Village of Pinehurst, N.C. on Tuesday, Aug. 13, 2019. (USGA/Michael Reaves)
3. What’s the biggest story on the men’s side?
Changing rosters and returning “Covid seniors” (those given an extra year of eligibility due to the pandemic) are the biggest storylines on the men’s side.
There have only been a handful of tournaments, so the sample size is limited, but the four schools in this event are all in the top 6 in the Golfweek/Sagarin team rankings.
Oklahoma (No. 1 G/S team rankings) has a deep roster that can dominate match play. All-American Quade Cummins, Logan McAllister, grad transfer Jonathan Brightwell and freshman Ben Lorenz have all played well this fall. McAllister was the Big 12 September Golfer of the Month and has been hot of late — finishing inside the top 20 in his last four events, with a pair of wins.
You’d think with Sahith Theegala gone that Pepperdine might sag, but the Waves finished five strokes better than Oklahoma in last week’s Maridoe Collegiate Invitational. Dylan Menante has led the way thus far for coach Michael Beard’s squad with Joe Highsmith, William Mouw and Joey Vrzich also shining.
Of course, Cole Hammer is the name most associate with Texas (No. 3 team in G/S), but twins Parker and Pierceson Coody have been the ones leading the charge this year for the Longhorns. Hammer, who struggled in the fall’s opening tournament, found his mojo last week at Meridoe, finishing T-7. Don’t be surprised if he shines in Atlanta, as he’s used major stages to showcase his best work in the past.
And don’t sleep on Texas Tech (No. 6 in G/S team), although the team got some bad news when COVID contact tracing forced coach Greg Sands to juggle his lineup. That means reigning second-team All-American Sandy Scott and honorable mention Kyle Hogan won’t be in Atlanta. There’s still plenty of talent as Andy Lopez and Baard Skogen have both had solid showings this fall.
Pepperdine’s Michael Beard highlights the list of Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award winners.
Like most other sports, the college golf season was ravaged by the coronavirus pandemic.
Despite the cancellations of both the men’s and women’s NCAA Championship, originally scheduled to be held over the last two weeks at Grayhawk Golf Club in Phoenix, end of the year awards are still being announced.
While the Pepperdine men’s team wasn’t able to contend for the national title, senior Sahith Theegala took home the prestigious Haskins Award. Waves head coach Michael Beard earned some hardware, as well.
Six coaches were announced by the Golf Coaches Association of America and Golf Pride Grips as recipients of the Dave Williams National Coach of the Year Award: Beard (Division I), Georgia Southwestern’s Darcy Donaldson (Division II), Jim Ott of Illinois Wesleyan (Division III), Keiser’s Brandon Miller (NAIA), Walt Williams of Midland College (NJCAA Division I) and Darin Pint of Kirkwood (NJCAA Division II).
Beard’s Waves won three events in the shortened 2019-20 season and never finished outside the top five. Georgia Southwestern, Midland and Kirkwood earned four wins, with Illinois Wesleyan and Keiser each winning five times.
Golf Pride Grips Region, District Coaches of the Year
Pepperdine senior Sahith Theegala, the nation’s top-ranked player, won the 2020 Haskins Award, given to the best men’s collegiate golfer.
It didn’t take long for Pepperdine men’s golf coach Michael Beard to realize he had something special in Sahith Theegala, maybe a few practices.
He remembers telling him as a freshman that he thought he could be an All-American.
“I knew he was really good,” remembers Beard, adding Theegala had traits you can’t teach. “Most of the things I did that freshman year was look for opportunities to encourage him and let him know how good he really was.”
Over the next five years, Theegala took the reigns of the Pepperdine program and showed the nation his talent. To those who follow college golf, it comes as no surprise Theegala has been named the 2020 winner of the Haskins Award, given annually to the player of the year in men’s college golf.
“Ever since I started college I had a goal to be one of the top college players when I was done with school,” Theegala told Golfweek.
“I look at the guys that have won the Haskins Award. … all these guys are winners on Tour and legends of the game,” he continued. “I went through the list and literally recognized every one of them. The thought of being on a list with names like that means the world to me.”
Names like: Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas, David Duval, Matt Kuchar, Patrick Cantlay and Matthew Wolff. Ever heard of them?
The Haskins Award was supposed to come with an exemption to the 2020 Military Tribute at the Greenbrier before the event was removed from the PGA Tour schedule. The Haskins Commission is working to find a new exemption for Theegala.
The Chino Hills, California, native was one of three finalists this year, besting Georgia junior Davis Thompson and 2019 U.S. Amateur runner-up, Vanderbilt senior John Augenstein.
He’s the 50th winner of the award, and Pepperdine’s first.
Pepperdine’s Sahith Thegala. (Photo: Jeff Golden via Pepperdine)
In a shortened redshirt senior year, Theegala earned two wins at the Alister Mackenzie Invitational in October and the Waves’ Southwestern Invitational in January. In eight events he logged six top-10s, finishing inside the top 20 in the other two tournaments. A 69.04 scoring average and 101 birdies (fourth in the country) helped Theegala finish his college career as a first-team All-American the No. 1 ranked player in both the Golfweek/Sagarin and Golfstat rankings.
Iron sharpens irons
Theegala and the Waves’ rising star, freshman William Mouw, are similar in the fact that they’re both a force to be reckoned with on the course. Like north and south, east and west, their respective demeanor and how they entered school couldn’t be more different.
“(Mouw) came in as a freshman and said ‘I’m the guy, and everyone’s going to know I’m the guy,’ he just had that way about him,” explained Beard. “Sahith did not have that way about him. He was just a normal guy with a funny looking swing and great short game.”
Mouw pushed Theegala a lot in the shortened 2019-20 season. The two led Pepperdine to three team wins and kept the Waves consistently ranked as one of the nation’s best teams.
Earlier this spring, after the Amer Ari Invitational in Hawaii (where Mouw won with Theegala’s putter), Theegala asked his coach if he was still going to be in the lineup’s No. 1 spot. Beard told him he was thinking of putting Mouw in the top spot, and his redshirt senior star agreed.
“He said ‘okay good, I want to be at No. 2. I want to have that edge,’” Beard said with a smile and chuckle. “I think Mouw made him elevate his game a little bit more.”
‘Cold-blooded killer’
When you talk to Theegala, he’s so genuine and personable it seems like an act. But it’s not, he’s that nice of a kid.
Until you get on the golf course.
On the first tee he’ll disarm you with a smile and handshake, followed by some nice pleasantries. And then he kicks your ass for 18 holes.
“He can be a sweet, kind, thoughtful person, and at the same time he’s a cold-blooded killer on the golf course,” said Beard, noting that despite the fact Theegala was the top-ranked player in the country, he never tried to prove it.
“He’s not out there to play to prove that he belongs, he already knows he does,” added Beard. “He knows who he is enough where his identity isn’t in how he performs. It’s been so neat to see how he’s come in and how he’s leaving (school), both in golf and how he is as a person.”
After three regular-season wins, Pepperdine will finish the season ranked at the top of the final Division I Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll.
Pepperdine won three events during the 2019-20 season, with its most recent victory coming at the Amer Ari Invitational in February. The Waves were heading toward the postseason with considerable promise before the postseason was canceled due to coronavirus.
Still, Pepperdine will finish the season ranked at the top of the final Division I Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll.
Pepperdine received 22 first-place votes, followed by second-ranked Oklahoma, which received three first-place votes. Texas Tech climbed to third in the ranking, with Texas and Georgia Tech rounding out the top five.
Wake Forest, Arizona State, Texas A&M, Baylor, and Washington all earned a spot in the top ten.
Tennessee (No. 24) rejoined the ranking for its final release, while Oklahoma State and UCLA fell from the top 25.
Coaches poll
Rank
University (First-place votes)
Points
Previous Rank
1
Pepperdine (22)
639
1
2
Oklahoma (3)
622
2
3
Texas Tech
569
5
4
Texas
557
4
5
Georgia Tech
541
7
6
Wake Forest
527
8
7
Arizona State (1)
525
3
8
Texas A&M
470
6
9
Baylor
427
12
10
Washington
372
11
11
Duke
355
18
12
Vanderbilt
337
13
13
Auburn
334
15
14
SMU
332
9
15
Louisville
330
14
16
North Carolina
221
T-25
17
BYU
208
19
18
Arizona
185
10
19
Colorado State
176
20
20
Clemson
162
23
21
Georgia
154
16
22
Notre Dame
145
17
23
Florida
106
22
24
Tennessee
59
NR
25
Southern California
22
24
Dropped from ranking: Oklahoma State (T-25); UCLA (21).
Others receiving votes: East Tennessee State, 18; UCLA, 18; Oklahoma State, 16; Illinois, 6; San Diego State, 5; Oregon State, 4; Liberty, 2; Northwestern, 2; James Madison, 1; North Florida, 1; South Florida, 1; UNLV, 1.
