March 13, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
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Aztec Men's Golf Gears Up For Eighth Annual Barona Collegiate Cup
Fresh off its fifth place showing at the Fresno State Lexus Golf Classic, the San Diego State men's golf team returns to the fairways this week when it plays host to the eighth annual Barona Collegiate Cup, March 16-17, at Barona Creek Golf Club in Lakeside, Calif. The first two rounds of the 54-hole tournament are slated to begin on Monday, while final-round action will be contested on Tuesday. Both days will feature a 7:15 a.m. PT tee time on the 7,393 yard, par-72 course layout. A link to Golfstat's live scoring will be available on the home page of GoAztecs.com.
The two-day event features a field of 10 teams, including four schools which currently rank in the top 75 according to Golfstat. Colorado State leads the field with a No. 32 ranking, followed closely by 33rd-ranked San Diego State, No. 44 New Mexico and 75th-ranked San Diego. The Aztecs will also meet New Mexico State (79th), St. Mary's, San Jose State (98th), UTEP and Wyoming.
This Week's Lineup
Head coach Ryan Donovan will field two squads for this week's tournament- the SDSU Red and the SDSU Black. The SDSU Red will be the Aztecs' scoring team and will consists of the Scarlet and Black's seventh different lineup of the 2008-09 season. Leading the way for the Red team are sophomores Johan Carlsson and Matt Hoffenberg. The lineup also includes a trio of freshman with Andrew Cooley, Colin Featherstone and Alex Kang making the trip. Junior Bryan Martin will also play as a member of the Red team.
Meanwhile, the SDSU Black team will be comprised of six golfers as individuals. Senior David Palm will be making his second appearance for the Aztecs in 2009, while classmate Ryan Citarella and junior Michael Wynn join freshman Tyler Morris and J.J. Spaun on the Black team. All six have seen action as individuals during the spring season.
A Look At The Course
An award-winning $12 million golf course, Barona Creek takes advantage of the natural beauty and contours of the Barona Indian Reservation. Home of SDSU's Barona Collegiate Cup, Barona Creek offers dramatic changes in elevation and stunning views of the surrounding valley. Designed by Gary Roger Baird Design International, the 7,393-yard, par-72 course boasts nearly 100 bunkers and a series of lakes and ponds that put a premium on shot-making. In October 2007, Barona Creek served as host for the Nationwide Tour Championship and will do so again in 2010.
The Barona Collegiate Cup: A Brief History
Each year, the San Diego State men's golf program plays host to one of the premier events in the country, the Barona Collegiate Cup. Since 2001, the tournament has been held every fall at the Barona Creek Golf Club in Lakeside, Calif.; however since the 2007-08 season, the event has been moved to the spring. Nestled in a scenic valley on the Barona Indian Reservation, the challenging, world-class golf course attracts a field of national championship contenders on an annual basis. Barona Creek is also well known to some of the best golfers in the world as it played host to the PGA Nationwide Tour Championship in October 2007 and will do so again in 2010.
In the spring of 2008, the competition featured seven schools ranked in thetop-50, according to the Golfweek/Sagarin performance index. No. 5 Oklahoma State was the highest-ranked team in the tournament, followed by Wichita State (31), Texas A&M (32), the Aztecs (39) and SMU (47).
Texas A&M (-37) comfortably led the 12-team field wire-to-wire, while San Diego (-13) settled for third place behind SDSU (-15). Oklahoma State (-11) and SMU (-4) rounded out the top five.
Going into the final day, the Aztecs' David Palm shared the top spot with the Aggies' Andrea Pavan and Nacho Elvira. On day tow, Palm and Pavan each recorded a final-round 69, but would each settle for second as Elvira would better them with a 66 on the final day to claim medalist honors.
San Diego State has finished among the top 10 at the Barona Collegiate Cup in six of the past seven years, including winning the team championship in 2002. That season, the Aztecs' John Lepak shared co-medalist honors after carding a 10-under 204, which tied him for third on the school's all-time list for lowest 54-hole score.
In addition to SDSU's team title, Brigham Young posted back-to-back victories in 2004 and 2005, shooting a tournament record 42-under 822 in both years. Rounding out the list of winners are Colorado State, which emerged triumphant in 2003, and Ohio State, which captured the inaugural event in 2001 by one shot over San Diego State.
On Deck
SDSU continues its busy month following the Barona Collegiate Cup when it heads just a few miles north to the Callaway Collegiate Match Play, March 22-24, in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. In its first year, the match play style event will be contested at The Farms Golf Club.
Freshmen Fantastic
San Diego State's freshman class is among America's best. The class currently ranks second on the Golfstat Top 25 Freshman Class Impact Ranking, released March 12. As a class, the SDSU freshmen hold a 73.32 stroke average, according to Golfstat. Only Alabama (72.59) ranks ahead of the Aztecs.
Last Time Out
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.