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Nov. 4, 2002
KAHUKU, Hawaii - Coming off a victory in its last tournament, the San Diego State men's golf team wraps up the regular season Nov. 4-5 at the University of Hawai'i/Turtle Bay Intercollegiate in Kahuku, Hawaii.
- The Turtle Bay Intercollegiate is two-day, three-round tournament held at the 7,199-yard, par 72 The Palmer Course at Turtle Bay Resort.
- The defending team champion is Virginia, which shook off windy and rainy conditions on the first day to win the 2001 event. The Cavaliers shot 304-304-295--903 to claim a two-stroke victory over Australian school International Pacific.
- Hawai'i's Matthew Kodama won 2001 individual medalist honors with a 1-over par result of 70-75-72--217.
The Team Focus...
- The field boasts an international flavor, with teams from Japan (Osaka Gakuin) and Australia (International Pacific) taking on 14 U.S. collegiate squads.
- San Diego State is part of a very top-heavy team field, with four of the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings' top 50 teams represented but also seven other teams ranked between 107th and 183rd. SDSU (No. 31 Golfweek/No. 12 Golfstat) goes up against Mountain West rival and the top-ranked team in the field, UNLV (No. 2 Golfweek/Golfstat), for the second time this season.
- SDSU has faced only four Turtle Bay teams in 2002 and claims a 5-1 head-to-head record. The Aztecs' only loss came to UNLV at the season-opening William H. Tucker Intercollegiate where the Rebels finished second and the Aztecs took fourth.
...And The Individual Spotlight
- The Aztecs will start a lineup at Turtle Bay that boasts eight top-20 finishes and has played to an average score of 72.52 in the fall. The talented group faces an individual field that includes UNLV's Ryan Moore (No. 5 Golfweek/No. 11 Golfstat), Tennessee's David Skinns (No. 53/No. 86) and CSU Stanislaus's Jim Schafer, who stands third among Div. II individuals and 12th overall in the Golfstat Cup standings.
Lepak Completes Comeback
- Senior John Lepak capped off a remarkable comeback to competitive golf as he propelled the Aztecs to the team title by sharing co-medalist honors at the Barona Collegiate Cup. Lepak, who won the 2001 MWC tournament's individual title despite playing through a back injury, missed all of last season rehabbing the injury and did not swing a golf club for seven months.
- Despite the long layoff, Lepak has jumped right back into the Aztec lineup this season with a 72.58 stroke average and 16 victories over Golfweek top-100 individuals. He served notice of his return to collegiate golf by shooting a 10-under 206 to share medalist honors with Cal's Peter Tomasulo.
Scott Begins Career With A Bang
- In his first collegiate season, redshirt freshman Andrew Scott has paced Aztec regulars thus far with a 72.17 stroke average over 12 rounds. Scott's 14 head-to-head victories over Golfweek/Sagarin top 100-ranked competitors are second on the team and he is ranked 96th among NCAA Division I golfers by Golfstat with a 71.58 adjusted average. He also leads the team with three top-20 finishes, including an eighth-place result at Barona.
Smith And Choi Earn Starts
- The Aztecs will also be counting on continued excellence at Turtle Bay from two players who have produced when called upon, senior Charlie Smith and sophomore Aaron Choi.
- Smith, who finished ninth while playing as an individual at Fresno, was inserted into the starting lineup at Barona and responded by shooting a 3-under 213 to capture a share of 14th place. He is ranked 38th among Division I golfers by Golfstat with a 70.72 adjusted stroke average.
- Choi, who played as an individual at the Wolf Pack Classic and for SDSU's second team at Barona, has yet to count a score for the Aztecs in the fall but is averaging an even-par 72.00 stroke average for his six rounds.
- Despite having played in only two events each, Smith and Choi count 11 and eight victories, respectively, over Golfweek/Sagarin top 100-ranked individuals.
Turtle Bay Intercollegiate
Hosted by: Hawai'i
Site: The Palmer Course at Turtle Bay - Kahuku, HI
Dates: Nov. 4-5
Par: 72
Yardage: 7,199
The Field: SDSU, CSU San Marcos, CSU Stanislaus, Hawai'i, Hawai'i-Hilo, International Pacific (Australia), Osaka Gakuin (Japan), Portland, San Francisco, Santa Clara, South Carolina, Tennessee, UC Riverside, UNLV, Virginia, Weber State
Turtle Bay Field 11/4 10/29Team Rankings Golfweek GolfstatSan Diego State 31st 12thCSU San Marcos n/r n/rCSU Stanislaus n/r 2nd (Div.II)Hawai'i 184th 185thHawai'i-Hilo n/r n/rPortland 159th 154thSan Francisco 165th n/rSanta Clara 151st 158thSouth Carolina 50th 60thTennessee 25th n/rUC Riverside 112th 127thUNLV 2nd 2ndVirginia 104th n/rWeber State 137th 132nd
SDSU vs. the Turtle Bay Field in 2002 (5-1)Hawai'i 3-0Portland 1-0San Francisco 1-0UNLV 0-1
SDSU Fall 2002 Averages Avg. Rds.Charlie Smith* 71.33 6Aaron Choi* 72.00 6Andrew Scott* 72.17 12Lars Johansson 72.50 6John Lepak* 72.58 12Mark Warman 73.00 12Chris Galeski 73.33 3John Lieber* 73.67 12Brian Miller 74.00 9Gilberto Rodriguez 74.33 6* Starter at the Turtle Bay Intercollegiate