March 10, 2009
FRESNO, Calif. -
San Diego State men's golf team recorded its third top-10 performance in as many tries this spring with its fifth-place finish at the Fresno State Lexus Golf Classic. Propelled by a trio of players in the top-25, the Aztecs finished the 54-hole tournament by shaving three strokes off their combined total on day two to finish with a combined 13-over par 877 at the 6,511-yard, par-72 Belmont Country Club. In his first tournament as a member of the "Red" team, redshirt freshman Colin Featherstone finished in a tie for second place atop the individual leaderboard.
For the first time in his young SDSU career, Featherstone was San Diego State's top performer over 54 holes. The Fallbrook, Calif. product was in a tie for 13th place before firing a 4-under to vault 11 spots and into a tie for second place on the individual leaderboard. Featherstone recorded four birdies and an eagle over the final 18 holes en route to his lowest 18-hole score as an Aztec.
Finishing just outside of the top-10, freshman Andrew Cooley, who finished in a tie for 14th place with three others thanks to consistent play. Competing as an individual, Cooley (New Haw, Surrey, England) entered the final day in a tie for 10th place, but fired a 1-over 73 to finish the tournament at 2-over 218.
Sophomore Johan Carlsson and freshman Alex Kang found themselves in a tie for 25th place at the end of tournament play. Carlsson, a Gothenburg, Sweden native, fired his third consecutive 2-over par 74 in the third round. Kang, meanwhile, jumped 33 spots on the individual leaderboard after carding a third round 3-under 69. Both Carlsson and Kang wrapped up a two-day 222 total.
Two strokes behind Carlsson and Kang was J.J. Spaun in a tie for 35th place at 8-over-par. The freshman from San Dimas, Calif. was duplicated his second round 76 over the final 18 holes to finish with a three round total of 224.
Sophomore Matt Hoffenberg (Simi Valley, Calif.) was the third Aztec on the final day to move up on the leaderboard over the course of the final 18 after he shot a 2-over 74 to shave off four strokes from his second-round 78. Hoffenberg entered the day in a tie for 64th and ultimately finished in a tie for 58th with a 12-over 228.
The Aztecs return home to play host to the Barona Collegiate Cup in Lakeside, Calif. Both the "Red" and "Black" teams will compete in the 10-team field, slated for March 16-17.
Fresno State Lexus Golf Classic
Belmont Country Club (6,511 yard, par 72)
Fresno, Calif.
Top-Five Teams
1 Washington, 299-285-281--865
2 Fresno State, 290-300-280--870
T3 UC Davis, 292-292-292--876
T3 UC-Irvine, 295-298-283--876
5 San Diego State, 297-295-285--877
Top-Five Individuals plus SDSU
1 Ramie Sprinkling (UC Davis) 68-75-69--212 (-4)
T2 Todd Angel (Fresno State) 69-73-72--214 (-2)
T2 Colin Featherstone (San Diego State) 75-71-68--214 (-2)
T2 Nick Taylor (Washington) 72-70-72--214 (-2)
T5 Alex Ching (San Diego) 73-74-68--215 (-1)
T5 Phil Huffman (UC Davis) 72-67-76--215 (-1)
T5 Darren Wallace (Washington) 75-73-67--215 (-1)
T14 Andrew Cooley (San Diego State) 73-72-73--218 (+2)*
T25 Johan Carlsson (San Diego State) 74-74-74--222 (+6)
T25 Alex Kang (San Diego State) 79-74-69--222 (+6)
T34 J.J. Spaun (San Diego State) 72-76-76--224 (+8)
T58 Matt Hoffenberg (San Diego State) 76-78-74--228 (+12)
* Player is competing as an individual