Sept. 14, 2004
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Aztec Men Travel North to Open 2004 Fall Campaign
The San Diego State men's golf team, which has advanced to the NCAA National Championship Tournament the last two seasons opens its 2004-05 campaign this Friday and Saturday at the UCLA Gold Rush California Collegiate Golf Showcase in Calimesa, Calif.
The tournament which features 29 teams and 30 individuals will be held at the PGA of Southern California Golf Club and is the first of four fall events for the Aztec men. The 54-hole event will open with 36 holes on Friday followed by a single 18-hole round on Saturday and will be played on both of the club's courses - Legends Course and Champions Course.
San Diego State will place two teams in the field which is made up of entirely California schools. In addition to the host Bruins, high-profile Golden State teams Stanford, Pepperdine and Fresno State are scheduled to participate in the inaugural event.
Live scoring will be available for the tournament off goaztecs.com, the official website of San Diego State athletics.
Recapping a Magical 2003-04 Season
For just the third time in since 1989 but the second consecutive season the San Diego State men's golf team advanced to the NCAA Championships. That capped a stellar debut by first-year head coach Ryan Donovan.
The Aztecs won a tournament (Oregon Duck Invitational) and placed second in three others (Washington Husky Invitational, Fresno Lexus Classic and Stanford Intercollegiate).
Behind three-time all-MWC performer Mark Warman, San Diego State was one of just 27 schools to advance to the NCAA team championship play.
The Cup is 8/9ths Full
Although San Diego State losses one of its all-time most successful players in Mark Warman following a brilliant career, the Aztecs aren't exactly wet behind the ears.
Four of the five players that earned at a start at the NCAAs and eight of the top nine players overall return for the 2004-05 campaign.
Included in the veteran bunch is sophomore Aaron Goldberg who was second on the squad last season in scoring behind Warman. The sophomore also posted the best score by an Aztec player at the NCAA Tournament, posting a two-over-par (218) at the championship which included an opening round 69.
Other players that earned NCAA experience last season include junior Drew Scott, junior Jeff Hansen, and senior Aaron Choi.
In fact, every player who competed either as part of the Aztec team or as an individual from every spring tournament last season returns with the exception of Warman.
Barona Cup Classic
San Diego State will close out the fall portion of its schedule on Oct. 25-26 when the Aztecs play host to the Barona Collegiate Cup College Pro-Am, sponsored by Callaway Golf.
In addition to San Diego State, teams from 14 schools will participate in the event: Brigham Young, Colorado State, Denver, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, Ohio State, San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, Texas A&M, Texas-El Paso, Washington State and Wichita State.
Last season, the Aztecs placed 13th out of an 18-team field at the Barona Collegiate Cup. A bright spot for the Aztecs was the play of Drew Scott. Now a junior, Scott carded rounds of 71-70-72 to finish three-under par (213) and among the top 25 finishers.Colorado State claimed the team title with a score of 28-under-par, while Texas-El Paso's Chris Baryla was the individual medalist at 17-under par.