April 25, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Men's Golf Weekly Release in PDF Format
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SDSU Men's Golf Set to Compete at MWC Championships
- The San Diego State men's golf team begins its pursuit of a berth in the NCAA championship series this week when it travels to Tucson, Ariz., April 26-28, for the 2007 Mountain West Conference championships at the renowned Omni Tucson National Golf Resort. The 54-hole tournament will be contested with one round on each of the three days at the 7,136-yard, par-71 Catalina Course. The Aztecs will tee off along with TCU and New Mexico on Thursday, beginning at 10:10 a.m. PT, while the pairings for the final two rounds will be based on team standings.
A live scoring link will be available under the events calendar on GoAztecs.com
This Week's Lineup
- Head coach Ryan Donovan will take five golfers to the MWC championships this week with the top four finishers counting towards the team score. Leading the way are juniors Aaron Goldberg and Jamie Puterbaugh, who have played in all 10 events for SDSU this season. Senior Cory Segall and sophomore Adam Porzak both earned a starting spot for the fifth time this spring, while junior Chad Moscovic returns to the fold this week after last appearing in the Oregon Duck Invitational in March.
Goldberg and Segall each have previous experience on the famed Catalina Course, which was the site of the 2006 NCAA West Regional championships. Goldberg tied for 46th out of 141 players in that tournament, while Segall finished in a tie for 106th.
The Competition
- Three of SDSU's opponents this week are ranked in the top 35 according to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Ratings released April 22. At No. 8, UNLV is the highest ranked team in the nine-team field, followed by Brigham Young (14th) and TCU (31st).
The Aztecs enter the tournament ranked 50th and own winning head-to-head records against four other schools in Utah (3-0), Wyoming (3-0), Air Force (1-0) and Colorado State (3-1). SDSU managed a split with No. 52 New Mexico (1-1) this season, but has come up short against UNLV (0-2) and BYU (0-1).
Individually, eight of the 11 top finishers from last year's MWC tournament return, including New Mexico's Charlie Beljan and Daniel Summerhays of BYU, who tied for fourth in 2006 at 1-over 217. Beljan (10th) and Summerhays (13th) are the two highest-ranked MWC players in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin individual perfomance index.
SDSU in the MWC Championships
- The Aztecs have never captured the team title in the seven-year history of the Mountain West Conferece, finishing second on three occasions in 2001, 2003 (tie) and 2006. SDSU placed fourth in 2004 and 2005, while ending up in the fifth spot in 2000.
Last season, the Aztecs carded a 6-over-par 870, finishing five shots behind tournament champion New Mexico (+1). SDSU placed four golfers in the top 20 en route to its third runner-up performance in the six years.
Individually, Andrew Scott tied for second with an even-par 216. During the final round, the Aztec senior was alone in first place on the back nine when untimely bogeys on the 13th, 14th and 18th holes knocked him out of the lead and into the second position along with TCU's Tom Miles.
In 2001, John Lepak garnered medalist honors for the Scarlet and Black as junior, while Mark Warman finished second in 2002 and 2004. Warman owns the school record for best individual score in the MWC tournament with a 7-under 209 in 2004, followed by Scott Piercy's 5-under 211 in 2000.
Mountain West History Lesson
- New Mexico has claimed the MWC championship each of the last four seasons, including a playoff victory over BYU in 2004. Prior to the Lobos' run, UNLV walked away with crowns in 2000 and 2002, while BYU edged SDSU by two strokes in 2001.
This year's conference tournament ends a six-year run at Crosswater Golf Course in Sunriver, Ore. The only other site to serve as host for the MWC championships was the PGA West Course in Palm Desert, Calif., for the inaugural event in 2000.
Goldberg Golden
- As a result of his stellar play this season, Aaron Goldberg earned MWC Golfer of the Month honors in October, November and March, becoming the first SDSU player to be recognized on three occasions since the conference's inception in 1999.
Goldberg received his third award of the season last month after finishing fourth out of 80 competitors at the Callaway Golf Invitational, March 5-6, helping the Scarlet and Black successfully defend its tournament crown from a year ago. One week later at the Fresno State Lexus Classic, March 12-13, he tied for fifth as the Aztecs pulled out a dramatic one-stroke victory over then-No. 36 UC Irvine for their first win at the Fresno event since 1967 and their first back-to-back team titles since the 2005-06 campaign.
During the fall season, the La Costa Canyon High alumnus was SDSU's top finisher in all five tournaments, completing 11 of 15 rounds below par. He also led the team with a 70.00 stroke average and four top-5 finishes, including the individual title at the District 7 Shootout.
After finishing in alone in fourth place at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational on April 15, Goldberg enters this week ranked 31st in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin individual performance index released April 22.
Looking Ahead
- The winner of this week's Mountain West Conference championship earns an automatic bid to the NCAA regional tournament. Should SDSU claim the MWC title, it will likely head to the NCAA West Regionals, May 17-19, at Karsten Golf Course in Tempe Ariz. The other two regional sites are located at the Golf Club of Georgia in Alpharetta, Ga. (East) and Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Ill. (Central).
Each of the three regional tournaments will include 27 teams and six individuals, not on those teams. The participants will be selected by the NCAA men's golf committee and announced on May 7, starting at 3 p.m. PT on ncaasports.com.
The Aztecs are currently ranked second of 20 teams in the southwest district. A minimum of six teams out of the southwest district will earn bids to the NCAA regional tournament. The top 10 teams and two individuals (not on those teams) from each region will advance to the NCAA championships, May 30-June 2, at Golden Horseshoe Golf Club in Williamsburg, Va.
Head Coach Ryan Donovan
- San Diego State alumnus Ryan Donovan is in his fourth season at the helm of the Aztec men's golf program. Under Donovan's tutelage last year, SDSU captured three tournament titles en route to its eighth straight NCAA regional appearance. Overall, the Aztecs compiled a 253-32 head-to-head record, finishing 29th in Golfweek/Sagarin's final collegiate poll.
Three Aztec golfers - seniors Andrew Scott and Josh Warthen and sophomore David Palm - also claimed individual titles during the season, while Scott and sophomore Aaron Goldberg garnered all-Mountain West Conference accolades.
In 2004-05, Donovan led SDSU to its second NCAA championship series appearance in three years after the Aztecs posted 12 top-10 individual finishes to go along with six straight top-five team finishes during the regular season.
Donovan was a four-year competitor for the SDSU golf squad from 1997- 2001. His most successful season came as a junior when he posted five top-30 finishes.