March 6, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
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Aztec Men's Golf Looks to Defend Team Title This Week at Fresno State Lexus Golf Classic
The San Diego State men's golf team returns to the fairways this week when it travels north for the 46th annual Fresno State Lexus Classic, March 9-10, in Fresno, Calif. The first two rounds of the 54-hole tournament will be contested on Monday with 8 a.m. (PST) shotgun start, while final-round action from the 6,503 yard, par-72 Belmont Country Club commences on Tuesday with the same morning time start. A link to Golfstat's live scoring will be available on the home page of GoAztecs.com.
SDSU will be looking to defend its team title from the last two years. Last season, San Diego State was buoyed by a trio of top-10 finishes to capture its second event title of the season. The Aztecs shot a combined 23-under par 841 to outlast Texas (-20) and California (-20) by just three strokes. The race for medalist honors was even more dramatic as freshman Matt Hoffenberg and Charlie Holland of Texas completed regulation in a tie atop the individual leaderboard at 9-under 207. Holland prevailed on the third sudden-death hole. In 2007, the Aztecs held off UC Irvine by one stroke in a thrilling finish. Bolstered by three top-five finishes, the Scarlet and Black carded a combined 15-under par 849 to take home their third tournament crown of the 2006-07 season.
The two-day event features a field of 20 teams, including four schools which currently rank in the top 40 according to Golfstat. San Diego State leads the field with a No. 20 ranking, followed by No. 23 Arizona State, 27th-ranked Washington and No. 33 UC Irvine. In addition to the host Bulldogs (94th), the Aztecs will also meet Boise State (89th), Brigham Young (92nd), CSU Bakersfield, Fresno City College, Hawai'i, Nevada, CSU Northridge, Oklahoma (63rd), Pacific (95th), Sacramento State, San Diego (84th), San Jose State, UC Davis (81st), UC Santa Barbara (90th) and UTEP.
This Week's Lineup
Head coach Ryan Donovan will employ his sixth different lineup of the 2008-09 season this week as the Aztecs head north to Fresno, Calif. Leading the way are sophomores Johan Carlsson and Matt Hoffenberg. The lineup also includes a trio of freshman with Colin Featherstone, Alex Kang and J.J. Spaun making the trip for the Scarlet and Black. Freshman Andrew Cooley will also represent SDSU and play as an individual.
This tournament marks the spring debut for Featherstone, who has only competed as an individual for the Scarlet and Black. Carlsson, Cooley, Hoffenberg and Kang were all part of the squad that finished as runner-up at the Arizona Invitational (Feb. 2-3). Spaun made his spring debut at the USC Collegiate (Feb. 23-24).
Carlsson is currently first on the squad this year with a 72.39 stroke average, carding a season-best 4-under-par 68 in the third round of the USC Collegiate en route to a 18th-place tie with a 4-over-par 217 overall. Hoffenberg is not far behind, currently holding a 72.67 stroke average and having finished second at the Arizona Invitational. Spaun, meanwhile, has a 73.13 average and sits just above Kang (73.53 stroke average). Featherstone fired an even-par 216 (72-74-70) at the Sycuan Collegiate Invitational during the fall to tie for 35th position on the final individual leaderboard. He currently owns a stoke average of 74.20. Cooley, who has participated in every event for the Aztecs, is third on the squad with a 73.11 stroke average. He competed as an individual at the season-opening Washington Husky Invitational, firing an even-par 216 (71-73-72) to finish in a tie for 3rd. On Deck
Following the USC Invitational, SDSU will return home for its second home tournament of the season, the Barona Collegiate Cup, March 16-17, at the 7,448-yard, par-72 Barona Creek Golf Club in Lakeside, Calif. The eighth annual event was moved to SDSU's spring schedule in March 2007, after the resort played host to the 2007 Nationwide Tour Championship in October. In its place, San Diego State has since held the Sycuan Collegiate Invitational at Sycuan Resort in El Cajon.
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 5. As a class, the SDSU freshmen hold a 73.22 stroke average, according to Golfstat. Only Alabama (72.59) ranks ahead of the Aztecs.