May 16, 2002
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. - The 23rd-ranked San Diego State men's golf team found itself in familiar territory after the opening round of play at the 2002 NCAA West Regional Thursday - near the top.
Senior Brandon Kearney (San Diego/USDHS) fired a 1-under-par 71 and junior Lars Johansson (Karlskrona, Sweden) and sophomore Mark Warman (San Clemente/San Clemente HS) each finished up at even-par 72 as the Aztecs carded a combined 1-over 289 despite battling windy conditions on the University of New Mexico's Championship Golf Course (par 72; 7,368 yards).
Winners of three tournaments during the 2002 spring season alone, SDSU is just four strokes behind No. 4-ranked Texas, which shot a team total of 3-under 285 and was the only squad to complete the opening 18 holes below par. Mountain West champion UNLV along with Fresno State and Minnesota are all tied for third at 2-over 290.
"To finish up where we did today in the windy conditions we played in was impressive," said SDSU head coach Dale Walker. "The guys just ground it out and played real well. We're in good shape right now, but these scores are meaningless. We've got 36 holes to go."
Mountain West Conference Golfer of the Year, junior John Lieber (San Diego/Grossmont HS), was 3-over after the first four holes, but settled down after that, playing 1-under the rest of the way to finish at 2-over 74 for the day. Senior Scott Henderson (Dove Canyon/Santa Margarita HS) carded a 4-over 76.
But it was Kearney, Johansson and Warman who really shined for the Aztecs, especially down the stretch, as the trio was a combined 3-under over the final four holes.
Kearney's 71 placed him tied for 14th heading into the second round, while Johansson and Warman stand tied for 18th. Lieber is tied for 36th.
San Diego State should get a break from the wind during Friday's second round. The eighth-seeded Aztecs will be in the second group to tee off, starting at 7:57 a.m. (MDT).
Men's College Golf
2002 NCAA West Regional
Championship Golf Course
Albuquerque, N.M.
Par: 72; Yardage: 7,368
First Round Team Results
1. 285-Texas. 2. 289-San Diego State. T3.290-Fresno State, Minnesota, UNLV. 6. 291-Washington. T7. 292-Arizona, Pepperdine, 9. 293-New Mexico. T10. 294-Pacific, Southern California. 12. 295-Ohio State. 13. 296-UCLA. 14. 298-Texas Tech. 15. 299-Nevada. 16. 300-Oregon. T17. 301-Brigham Young, Illinois State. T19. 302-Detroit, Washington State. 21. 303-Stanford. 22. 304-Arizona State. 23. 307-UC Irvine. 24. 308-California. 25. 313-Central Conn. St. 26. 314-Colorado State. 27. 315-IU-Purdue U.-Indy.
Top- 5 Individuals
1. 68-Jason Hartwick (Tex.). T2. 69-Jason Allred (Pep.), Brandon Askew (UNLV), David Morgan (Minn.). T5. Ricky Barnes (Ariz.), Aaron Byers (Ore.), Jonathon Echols (FSU), Matt Hansen (Pacific), Dustin Smith (FSU), Justin Smith (Minn.), Russell Surber (Tex.), J.J. Wall (Tex.), David Yarnes (Ore. St.).
SDSU Individuals
T14. 71-Brandon Kearney. T18. 72-Lars Johansson, Mark Warman. T36. 74-John Lieber. T77-Scott Henderson.