May 31, 2008
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -
Final Tournament Results in PDF Format
The San Diego State men's golf team closed the book on a successful 2007-08 campaign on Saturday as it finished 14th at the NCAA Championships on the 7,450-yard, par-72 Kampen Course at Purdue University's Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex. The Aztecs shot a final round 27-over-par 315 to end the tournament at 70-over 1222. With its total, SDSU posted its highest finish in six NCAA finals appearances dating back to 1982, when it also placed 14th.
The Aztecs completed the third round early Saturday morning after play was suspended late Friday due to severe thunderstorms, shooting a combined 6-over 294 to jump from 19th into a tie for 11th as the top 15 teams out of the field of 30 advanced to the final round.
David Palm was SDSU's highest finisher, tying for 18th at 12-over 300. The Landvetter, Sweden, native entered the final round in a tie for eighth, but got off to a rocky start, carding three bogeys and two double bogeys, respectively, over his first five holes. Palm regrouped, however, playing at even par the rest of the way en route to an 8-over 80. Despite the stumble, the Aztec junior became San Diego State's first top-20 golfer at the NCAA Championships since 1982, when Barry Mahlberg wound up in 16th. Palm also tied for the tournament lead with two other players with 16 birdies overall.
Freshmen Matt Hoffenberg and Johan Carlsson both finished in a tie for the 52nd position with a combined 21-over 309. Hoffenberg, who opened with seven consecutive pars, ran into trouble with seven bogeys over the ensuing nine holes before recording a birdie and par for a final-round 78. Still, the Simi Valley, Calif., product was able to climb an additional 20 spots on the individual leaderboard. Meanwhile, Carlsson, who jumped from 63nd into the 39th spot between the second and third rounds, had his ascent thwarted by a rough sequence where he played at 8-over during a five-hole stretch before the turn. However, the Gothenburg, Sweden, native finished strong, making nine pars with just one bogey en route to an 82.
Senior Aaron Goldberg posted SDSU's lowest score of the final round, firing a 3-over 75 to close out his illustrious collegiate career in a tie for 55th, one shot in back of Hoffenberg and Carlsson at 22-over 310. After bogeying his first hole, Goldberg reeled off nine straight pars before suffering a double-bogey on the par-3 2nd after the turn. He played at even par the rest of way, notching the last of his countless birdies as an Aztec on the par-5 4th.
Meanwhile, fellow classmate Chad Moscovic (Stockton, Calif.) also played his final round for the Scarlet and Black, carding an 82 to finish in 79th place with a combined 36-over 324.
UCLA was a double winner on Saturday, capturing the team title and boasting the individual champion. The Bruins finished at 42-over 1194 for the tournament, edging fellow Pac-10 Conference members Stanford (+43) and USC (+44), while Kevin Chappell was the only golfer to post a red figure for the tournament after shooting a combined 2-under 286 to take home medalist honors.
NCAA Championships At West Lafayette, Ind. Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex - Kampen Course (7,450 yards, par 72)
Final Team Standings1. UCLA 297-293-298-306 - 1194 (+42)2. Stanford 309-288-296-302 - 1195 (+43)3. USC 297-294-300-305 - 1196 (+44)4. Oklahoma State 298-296-301-305 - 1200 (+48)5. Clemson 301-288-302-310 - 1201 (+49)6. Kent State 301-297-302-304 - 1204 (+52)7. Washington 305-290-307-306 - 1208 (+56)T8. Charlotte 306-295-306-303 - 1210 (+58)T8. Georgia 303-293-305-309 - 1210 (+58)10. Louisville 311-296-300-306 - 1213 (+61)11. Florida 302-291-306-315 - 1214 (+62)12. Texas A&M 309-294-306-307 - 1216 (+64)13. Alabama 309-297-297-315 - 1218 (+66)14. San Diego State 310-303-294-315 - 1222 (+70)15. Middle Tennessee State 309-293-311-312 - 1225 (+73)
Final Individual Leaders (Top 5 + SDSU)1. Kevin Chappell, UCLA 69-73-68-76 - 286 (-2)T2. Jorge Campillo, Indiana* 75-70-72-72 - 289 (+1)T2. Nick Taylor, Washington 75-66-73-75 - 289 (+1)T4. Rickie Fowler, Oklahoma State 74-77-70-73 - 294 (+6)T4. Sihwan Kim , Stanford 77-72-74-71 - 294 (+6)T18. David Palm, SDSU 76-72-72-80 - 300 (+12)T52. Matt Hoffenberg, SDSU 84-75-72-78 - 309 (+21)T52. Johan Carlsson, SDSU 80-73-74-82 - 309 (+21)T55. Aaron Goldberg, SDSU 74-85-76-75 - 310 (+22)79. Chad Moscovic, SDSU 80-83-79-82 - 324 (+36)
*completed final round as an individual