April 15, 2004
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SAN DIEGO - Senior Mark Warman will try to defend his individual title and lead the Aztecs back into contention at the U.S. Intercollegiate this weekend in Palo Alto, Calif. Last year, Warman posted a seven-under par 206 at Stanford's tournament, including a school and course record 62 in the second round, to earn the lone victory of his career. The win propelled SDSU to a third place finish with a total of one-under par 851. The field will play 36 holes on Saturday, April 17, followed by a final round on Sunday, April 18 at the 6,835 yard, par 71 Stanford Golf Course. SDSU faces another tough field with 10 of the 18 teams in Golfweek's top 100 and three ranked in the top 20. UCLA is the defending champion and enter the tournament ranked third in the nation.
U.S. Intercollegiate Lineup
* Head Coach Ryan Donovan will look to the veteran leadership in its final regular season tournament of the year as the four players with the most SDSU experience lead the starting five.
* Senior Mark Warman will look to get back on track after failing to crack the top 20 in two straight tournaments for the first time since 2002. Warman is seeking his third straight Leon G. Baron award, given to SDSU's scoring leader, as he tops the Aztecs with a career best 71.59 stroke average.
* Junior Aaron Choi will play in his fourth straight tournament and 10th of the season. Choi posted his first top-10 finish in a varsity event in last season's U.S. Intercollegiate after shooting a career best 211 to place ninth. Choi posted his second top-10 finish of his career two weeks ago at the Border Olympics when he posted a 212.
* Sophomore Andrew Scott led SDSU in scoring in last week's ASU Thunderbird Invitational and will try to produce similar results in his first Stanford tournament.
* Freshman Aaron Goldberg will play in his fourth straight tournament and be joined by sophomore Linus Nilsson in their first U.S. Intercollegiate.
Recapping the ASU Thunderbird Invitational
*San Diego State wrapped up the ASU Thunderbird Invitational with a total of five-over 869 and a 16th place finish. The Aztecs posted scores of 293-285-291 against one of the toughest fields in the nation, which included 13 of the top 53 teams in the country.
* Junior Andrew Scott paced SDSU with an even-par 216 to finish in 45th. Mark Warman fired a one-under 71 on Saturday to shoot 218 and earn a 48th place finish. Aaron Choi also shot 71 in the final round and posted a 221 overall, while Aaron Goldberg shot 222 for the tournament.
Warman's World
* Senior Mark Warman will try and make it back-to-back victories at the U.S. Intercollegiate as he defends his title this weekend. Warman shot seven-under 206 to win last year's event by one stroke. His school and course record 62 in the second round propelled Warman to victory. The victory still remains the lone win of his career, but he has posted seven finishes in the top three during his career, including two this spring.
* After entering the season as one of Golf World's top 50 players to watch on the year, SDSU senior Mark Warman has not disappointed. He has posted six top-20 finishes in nine tournaments and five times has placed in the top 10. Warman also holds an outstanding 71.59 stroke average to lead the team. Mark has been climbing the individual rankings and has moved into 50th in Golfstat's report, and is ranked 75th by Golfweek's listings.
* The senior has posted two top three finishes this spring, including a second place at the Roadrunner Invitational at two-under, 211. He also placed third at the Oregon Duck Invitational by shooting three-under 213. Warman now has eight top-five finishes in his career. Warman also led SDSU in the Aztecs' first tournament of the spring by placing 16th at the John Burns Intercollegiate.
* Warman finished the fall by placing third at the Fresno Classic after shooting a 10-under 206. Warman also was eighth in both the Mid Pines Intercollegiate and the Husky Invitational during the fall season.
Scouting the U.S. Intercollegiate
* The 2004 U.S. Intercollegiate includes 18 teams and 10 which are ranked in the top 100 of Golfweek's listings. The tournament also boasts three teams from the top 20, including defending champion and third-ranked UCLA and No. 7 Texas. The Aztecs are the only MWC team in the field and at No. 48 are the fourth highest ranked team.
By The Numbers
* The Aztecs enter the U.S. Intercollegiate ranked No. 48 by Golfweek with a rating of 72.48. Against the nation's 61st-ranked schedule, the Aztecs are 80-61-1 overall and 39-58-1 against Golfweek's Top 100.
* According to Golfstat's 2003-04 Division I team rankings, the Aztecs are ranked 53rd with a head-to-head record of 232-52.