Pepperdine University Men's Golf

Beard Position: Head Coach Alma Mater: Pepperdine '02 Twitter: @CoachMBeard After capturing the program's 18th West Coast Conference title in 2015 and earning WCC Coach of the Year honors in 2016, former Pepperdine All-American Michael Beard has the Waves' men's golf program back on track for more championship success. He begins his fifth season as head coach in 2016-17. "I am extremely excited to be returning to Pepperdine as head coach," said Beard at the time of his hiring in December 2012. "This program has great potential to be one of the best in the country. I'm looking forward to recruiting top-notch players, developing the talents of the current players and connecting with the program's former players. It's a privilege to coach at a university that has had such an impact on my life and the lives of many others. I truly believe in everything Pepperdine stands for. I am grateful for this opportunity at such a special place." Beard's first tournament title as head coach came at the 2015 WCC Championships, as the Waves rallied to edge Pacific by three strokes at Saticoy Country Club. That qualified Pepperdine for its first NCAA Regional appearance since 2011. The Waves returned to NCAA play in 2016 and finished with a #41 national ranking (the program's best since 2011). In four seasons, Beard's student-athletes have been medalists twice, earned nine All-WCC honors (four on the first team) and made the WCC All-Academic squad five times (four on the first team). Under Beard, the Waves have posted three of the top four 18-hole scores in program history, and the program's best-ever 54-hole score. "I am very excited that Michael Beard will be leading our men's golf program," Director of Athletics Steve Potts said at Beard's hiring. "He has an intense passion for Pepperdine golf and the ability to return our program to national prominence. We have high expectations for our men's golf team and Michael is committed to meeting those expectations. Most importantly, Michael is committed to the academic success of our student-athletes as well as the Christian mission of our institution." Beard competed for the Waves between 1999 and 2002 (earning Golf Coaches Association of America All-American honorable mention status in 2000 and 2002). After graduating, he played professionally for several years before going into coaching. Beard joined Pepperdine for one season (2010-11) as assistant coach before departing to be an assistant at Arizona State, where he served for a year and a half. During his one season as an assistant at Pepperdine, Beard helped the Waves qualify for the 2011 NCAA Championships, where they finished 25th. It was Pepperdine's first trip to the NCAA Championships since 2006. The squad also placed second at the West Coast Conference Championships and tied for fourth at the NCAA Southwest Regional. Beard then left Pepperdine in August 2011 to join Tim Mickelson at Arizona State. "From the moment I hired Michael I knew he would someday become a D-I head coach," Mickelson said. "He has the makeup to be a very successful head coach and I'm sure he will do just that at Pepperdine. While I am sad to see him go, I could not be happier for him and his family for the opportunity to return to Pepperdine where they have so many fond memories. We wish Michael all the success in the world in his next endeavor as head coach of Pepperdine." As a player for the Waves, Beard was the medalist at the 2000 NCAA West Regional and the 2002 WCC Championships, and was a four-time All-WCC first teamer between 1999 and 2002. He is well-represented on Pepperdine's career records lists, ranking first in total rounds played (162), tied for first in top-10 finishes (22), tied for third in top-20 finishes (31) and fifth in career scoring average (72.72). He averaged 72.07 strokes per round as a 2001-02 senior, which at the time was the school record and now stands eighth. Pepperdine won WCC titles all four of his seasons and went to the NCAA Championships twice, including an eighth-place finish in 2002 where Beard tied for eighth in the individual standings. After graduating from Pepperdine in 2002 with a degree in organizational communications, Beard turned professional and went on to play on the Gateway Tour (2003), Nationwide Tour (2004) and Canadian Tour (2005) as well as other various mini-tours. He played in two PGA Tour events: the 2004 Bob Hope Classic and 2005 Buick Open. From 2008-10, Beard spent time teaching golf at Pronghorn Golf Club in Bend, Ore., and the Palms Golf Club in La Quinta, Calif. He has had the opportunity to learn from some of the best teachers in the game, including Butch Harmon, Phil Rodgers and Stan Utley. He and his wife Susannah have two sons, Clark and Graham. Beard attended Palm Desert (Calif.) High School. His father, Frank, is a former PGA player. Michael Beard Position: Head Coach Alma Mater: Pepperdine '02 Twitter: @CoachMBeard After capturing the program's 18th West Coast Conference title in 2015 and earning WCC Coach of the Year honors in 2016, former Pepperdine All-American Michael Beard has the Waves' men's golf program back on track for more championship success. He begins his fifth season as head coach in 2016-17. "I am extremely excited to be returning to Pepperdine as head coach," said Beard at the time of his hiring in December 2012. "This program has great potential to be one of the best in the country. I'm looking forward to recruiting top-notch players, developing the talents of the current players and connecting with the program's former players. It's a privilege to coach at a university that has had such an impact on my life and the lives of many others. I truly believe in everything Pepperdine stands for. I am grateful for this opportunity at such a special place." Beard's first tournament title as head coach came at the 2015 WCC Championships, as the Waves rallied to edge Pacific by three strokes at Saticoy Country Club. That qualified Pepperdine for its first NCAA Regional appearance since 2011. The Waves returned to NCAA play in 2016 and finished with a #41 national ranking (the program's best since 2011). In four seasons, Beard's student-athletes have been medalists twice, earned nine All-WCC honors (four on the first team) and made the WCC All-Academic squad five times (four on the first team). Under Beard, the Waves have posted three of the top four 18-hole scores in program history, and the program's best-ever 54-hole score. "I am very excited that Michael Beard will be leading our men's golf program," Director of Athletics Steve Potts said at Beard's hiring. "He has an intense passion for Pepperdine golf and the ability to return our program to national prominence. We have high expectations for our men's golf team and Michael is committed to meeting those expectations. Most importantly, Michael is committed to the academic success of our student-athletes as well as the Christian mission of our institution." Beard competed for the Waves between 1999 and 2002 (earning Golf Coaches Association of America All-American honorable mention status in 2000 and 2002). After graduating, he played professionally for several years before going into coaching. Beard joined Pepperdine for one season (2010-11) as assistant coach before departing to be an assistant at Arizona State, where he served for a year and a half. During his one season as an assistant at Pepperdine, Beard helped the Waves qualify for the 2011 NCAA Championships, where they finished 25th. It was Pepperdine's first trip to the NCAA Championships since 2006. The squad also placed second at the West Coast Conference Championships and tied for fourth at the NCAA Southwest Regional. Beard then left Pepperdine in August 2011 to join Tim Mickelson at Arizona State. "From the moment I hired Michael I knew he would someday become a D-I head coach," Mickelson said. "He has the makeup to be a very successful head coach and I'm sure he will do just that at Pepperdine. While I am sad to see him go, I could not be happier for him and his family for the opportunity to return to Pepperdine where they have so many fond memories. We wish Michael all the success in the world in his next endeavor as head coach of Pepperdine." As a player for the Waves, Beard was the medalist at the 2000 NCAA West Regional and the 2002 WCC Championships, and was a four-time All-WCC first teamer between 1999 and 2002. He is well-represented on Pepperdine's career records lists, ranking first in total rounds played (162), tied for first in top-10 finishes (22), tied for third in top-20 finishes (31) and fifth in career scoring average (72.72). He averaged 72.07 strokes per round as a 2001-02 senior, which at the time was the school record and now stands eighth. Pepperdine won WCC titles all four of his seasons and went to the NCAA Championships twice, including an eighth-place finish in 2002 where Beard tied for eighth in the individual standings. After graduating from Pepperdine in 2002 with a degree in organizational communications, Beard turned professional and went on to play on the Gateway Tour (2003), Nationwide Tour (2004) and Canadian Tour (2005) as well as other various mini-tours. He played in two PGA Tour events: the 2004 Bob Hope Classic and 2005 Buick Open. From 2008-10, Beard spent time teaching golf at Pronghorn Golf Club in Bend, Ore., and the Palms Golf Club in La Quinta, Calif. He has had the opportunity to learn from some of the best teachers in the game, including Butch Harmon, Phil Rodgers and Stan Utley. He and his wife Susannah have two sons, Clark and Graham. Beard attended Palm Desert (Calif.) High School. His father, Frank, is a former PGA player.

Kirakossian's hiring. "He will be a great contributor to our program and our University's Christian mission. He brings experience as a player and as a coach. Armen is motivated to develop young men into better players and people as well as to help us compete for a national championship every year." Kirakossian was one of the best golfers in UTPA history from 2006-10. He won the Great West Conference's individual title as a junior, leading to all-conference first team honors. He also collected All-America Sky Conference first team acclaim as a senior and was the medalist at the PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championships that season. He shot a program-record 204 (67-66-71) in winning the event. Off the course, he was also a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-American Scholar in 2009. "I am grateful that Michael has given me the opportunity to become a part of the Pepperdine family," Kirakossian said. "This is an amazing University to work for, one that upholds Christian values and really transforms the lives of college students. The direction that this team is headed is very exciting. There is no ceiling for the program and I hope to help it achieve its goals in any way possible." Kirakossian competed professionally on the Golden State Tour, PGA Tour Latino American, PGA Tour China and PGA Mexico Tour, and also took part in Nationwide Tour qualifying. He graduated from UTPA in 2010 with a degree in business administration. He is married (his wife's name is Maria). He has family in nearby Pasadena.