\n an individual while creating a supportive team culture. \u00a0And the results speak for
\n themselves. Currently four Pepperdine men\u2019s golf alumni\u2014Joe Highsmith, William Mouw,
\n Andrew Putnam (\u201911), and Sahith Theegala (\u201920)\u2014have earned the highly coveted PGA tour card<\/a> and are competing at the sport\u2019s most elite tier, retaining their PGA tour status
\n throughout the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"Coach](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/coach-beard-on-the-field.jpg\")
Coach Beard on the green<\/p>\n
\u201cMy players matter as people,\u201d Beard contends. \u201cI\u2019m grateful for every player that
\n has been and is currently on my team, and I try to always have an awareness of what
\n is going on with all my players so I can know when to coach them from a life perspective.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Two other Pepperdine players, Mahanth Chirravuri (\u201926)\u2014WCC Player of the Year 2026\u2014and
\n Brady Siravo (\u201926)\u2014winner of the Sahalee Players championship 2025\u2014are set to enter
\n the professional stage in June. Both golfers consider Beard\u2019s mentorship to have contributed
\n to their success.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cA coach and players have to be able to trust each other in order to actually get
\n anywhere with golf,\u201d says Siravo. \u201cI\u2019ve felt that Coach Beard really understands that.
\n From the minute I started here as a first-year he established the fact that he was
\n here for me, and that he was also going to tell me where I needed to improve. He really
\n cares about each person on his team.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Pepperdine alumnus who married his college sweetheart, Beard views his 14-year tenure
\n with the men\u2019s golf program as far more than a career. Each day presents an opportunity
\n to help elevate a program he considers as home. A former Wave golfer from 1999 to
\n 2002, Beard went on to compete professionally for several years before returning to
\n his alma mater as a coach.<\/p>\n
\u201cMichael has built one of the premier programs in collegiate golf through an unwavering
\n commitment to excellence, authenticity, and the development of young men both on and
\n off the course,\u201d says Tanner Gardner, director of athletics at Pepperdine University.
\n \u201cWhat makes Michael truly special is the way he leads with humility and invests deeply
\n in his student-athletes as people first. This seventh WCC Coach of the Year honor
\n is a reflection not only of sustained competitive success, but of the character, and
\n championship standard he has established at Pepperdine.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the Waves tee up for the NCAA Division 1 championship on May 29, with Beard at
\n the helm, the program is certainly poised for greatness.<\/p>\n