March 28, 2002
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Aztecs Make Run For The Border
Coming off a seventh-place finish at the Oregon Duck Invitation - San Diego State's lowest of the season - the 17th-ranked Aztec men's golf team takes aim at a return to the winner's circle next week when it travels to Laredo, Texas, for the 51st-Annual Border Olympics. The two-day, 54-hole tournament is being hosted by Texas A&M at the Laredo Country Club (par 72, 7,125 yards). The opening 36 holes are scheduled for Friday, April 5th, with the final 18 holes teeing off on Saturday, April 6th. Both days will begin with 8 a.m. shotgun starts.
The Field: Aztecs Head Six Top-50 Teams
At No. 17 in this week's Golfweek poll, San Diego State is the highest ranked squad in the 17-team field. However, the Aztecs will face some stiff competition as five other top-50 teams will be heading to Laredo, including No. 21 Baylor, No. 22 New Mexico, No. 26 Pepperdine, No. 29 Lamar and No. 45 Texas Tech. Arkansas, Central Florida, Central Oklahoma, Colorado State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Rice, Sam Houston State, Texas A&M, Texas-Arlington, Texas-Pan American and Texas-San Antonio will also be vying for the 51st Annual Border Olympics title.
For The Record: Aztecs Versus The Field
San Diego State has finished in the top five in 7-of-9 tournaments during the 2001-02 season and enters the week with a sparkling 118-20 (.855) overall record. SDSU has faced seven of the other 16 teams entered in the Border Olympics, posting a 9-5 record. The Aztecs are winless this season versus Pepperdine (0-2) and Texas Tech (0-1), but has not squared off with either team since the fall. San Diego State is a combined 9-2 against the rest of the field, including a 5-1 record against Colorado State and a 1-1 mark versus New Mexico, the two other Mountain West teams competing.
New Mexico Defending Olympics Champ
Unlike the traditional Olympics, which are contested every four years, the Border Olympics is an annual event. And both 2001 team champion, New Mexico, and the individual medalist, Kyle Willmann, of Texas Tech will be back to defend their titles. New Mexico shot a red-hot 9-under par 855 to capture last year's event, tying for the lowest team score since the tournament was moved to the Laredo Country Club in 1984. Willmann, who was the medalist at SDSU's season-opening tournament in Southern Pines, N.C., finished up at 8-under 208 claim the individual championship. San Diego State did not compete in last year's Border Olympics.
Poll Watch: Two Steps Forward, One Back
San Diego State move up two slots in last week's GCAA/Precept Coaches poll, checking at No. 23. However, after their seventh-place finish in Oregon the Aztecs slipped one notch to No. 17 in the Golfweek poll released March 26th.
Aztec Looking For Lone Star Bounce-Back
After three straight wins to open the spring, San Diego State found itself in unfamiliar territory at the conclusion of the Oregon Duck Invitational as the Aztecs shot a combined 6-over 870 to finish seventh. It is the lowest placing of the season for SDSU, which hadn't finished outside the top five since taking sixth at New Mexico in late September. However, according to head coach Dale Walker, it just may be the wake-up call the Aztecs need as they are now forced to re-focus their collective efforts heading into the home stretch of the regular season.
Whole Greater Than Sum Of Its Parts
The success San Diego State has enjoyed this season has been a result of a solid team effort by the Aztecs. Despite being ranked in the top 25 of both major polls, SDSU does not have a single player ranked among Golfweek's top-50 individuals. John Lieber is the highest ranked Aztec at No. 58 despite top-5 finishes in 5-of-9 tournaments this season. Mark Warman is also ranked in the top 100 at No. 71.
Aztec Chip Shots
* Eight of the nine players who have appeared in at least two tournament's this season own stroke averages under 74.0.
* Senior Brandon Kearney, playing his first tournament as an individual this season, carded career-bests in both final finish and score at Oregon, taking third with a three-round total of 6-under 210. Unfortunately for SDSU, his score did not count in the team total, costing the Aztecs 12 strokes and three spots in the final standings.
* John Lieber, SDSU's stroke average leader among players with at least nine competitive rounds this season at 72.3, has registered 11 rounds of par or better in last six tournaments.
Mark Warman has been the Aztecs' top finisher in each of the last two tournaments, taking second at both the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate and USD Invitational.
* Lars Johansson's second-place finish at USD was a season-best for the junior.
Head Coach Dale Walker
Head coach Dale Walker is in his second season at the helm of th SDSU golf program. A standout performer for the Aztecs from 1975-79, he has guided the Aztecs to six tournament titles since taking over as head coach.