Oct. 31, 2001
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Home Sweet Home
The San Diego State men's golf team will make its only home appearance of the 2001-02 season next week, when the Aztecs welcome 15 teams to the Barona Creek Golf Club (par 72, 7,088 yards) for the 2001 Barona Creek Aztec Invitational. A practice round and welcome dinner will be held at the club on Sunday, Nov. 4th. Former Aztec and current PGA tour pro Dennis Paulson is scheduled to speak during the dinner. The 54-hole, two-day tournament gets under way with a 7:30 a.m. shot-gun start on Monday, Nov. 5. The second round of play is slated for Monday afternoon, with the third and final round teeing at 7:30 a.m on Tuesday, Nov. 6.
Free For All
All collegiate golf fans are invited to gallery and walk the course during the competition. Admis-sion to the tournament is free of charge.
And The Trophy Goes To...
The winner of the 2001 Barona Creek Aztec Invitational will be honored with the inaugural Barona Collegiate Cup, a perpetual trophy donated by the Barona Band of Mission Indians. The trophy will serve as the new symbol of the Aztec Invitational and will be bestowed on all future winners.
Welcome To America's Finest City
Including 42nd-ranked San Diego State, five squads in the 16-team field appear in the latest Golfweek Top-50. No. 8 Fresno State is the highest ranked team, and enters the Aztec Invitational with a pair of tournament victories and a second-place finish in its last three outings. No. 13 Ohio State, which owns three top-5 finishes on this fall, is the only other top-20 squad. No. 33 Washington State, and No. 50 Nevada are the other ranked squads coming to San Diego.
Checking The Leaderboard
Individually, four players are currently ranked among Golfweek's Top-50. Fresno State's Nick Watney, who checks in this week at No. 11, and Jonathan Echols, No. 15, are the highest ranked competitors. Ohio State's 18th-ranked Justin Collins and 36th-ranked Doug Wade, are also in the top 50.
Aztecs Vs. The Field
San Diego State has finished in the top five in three of four tournaments this fall and enters the week with a 44-13 record. SDSU has faced five teams in this year's Aztec Invitational field, posting a 4-3 overall mark against BYU (1-0), Fresno State (0-2), Nevada (0-1), Texas-El Paso (2-0) and Wichita State (1-0).
Last Year's Aztec Invite
San Diego State was the only team to finish below par, carding an 18-under 846 and cruising to victory at the SCGA Members' Club in Marrieta, Calif. Louisville's Grant sturgeon shot a 6-under 210 to take medalist honors, followed by five Aztecs in places 2-6.
Back Spin: Aztecs Fifth At Fresno, 4th at Somis
The Aztec Invitational will be SDSU's first action in nearly a month. Most recently, San Diego State played two tournaments in five days, posted a fifth at the Fresno Lexus Golf Classic and a fourth at the Club Glove Intercollegiate, Oct. 6th and 9th, respectively. Playing without MWC Golfer of the Year Lars Johansson, Mark Warman and John Lieber led the way with top-25 finishes as the Aztecs carded a combined 12-over 876. Johansson returned for Pepperdine's Club Glove Intercollegiate, but it wasn't enough to life the Aztecs any higher than fourth as SDSU shot a season-high 38-over 902. Brandon Kearney was the Aztecs' top finisher, placing 12th. Johansson took 21st.
Aztec Chip Shots
*The Aztecs have a combined team stroke average of 73.89.
*SDSU has finished in the top 5 in 3-of-4 tournaments thus far. The Aztecs' only non-top 5 finish was a sixth at UNM's Tucker Intercollegiate.
*In players with four or more competitive rounds this fall, Mark Warman and Lars Johansson lead the Aztecs in stroke average at 73.0.
That's A Rap
The Barona Creek Aztec Invitational will be the final tournament of the fall for the San Diego State men's golf team. The Aztecs will take nearly four months off before opening the the spring season, Feb. 20-22, at the John Burns Intercollegiate in Hawaii.
Head Coach Dale Walker
San Diego State enters its second season under the direction of head coach Dale Walker. He guided the Aztecs to a top-25 ranking and a 12th-place finish at the 2001 NCAA West Regional in his first year at the helm. A 1980 graduate of SDSU, Walker was a standout performer for the Aztecs from 1975-79.
Fall 2001 Stroke Averages Avg. Rds
Gilberto Rodriguez 72.3 3Mark Warman 73.0 12Lars Johansson 73.0 8John Lieber 73.6 12Brandon Kearney 73.8 12Chris Galeski 75.0 3Scott Henderson 75.0 3Charlie Smith 75.3 6Linus Nilsson 78.0 3John Lepak - -Andrew Scott - -