April 16, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Aztec Men's Golf Heads to Texas This Weekend for Final Regular-Season Tournament
In its final tune-up before the Mountain West Conference Championships, the San Diego State men's golf team heads to the Lone Star state this weekend to compete in the Texas A&M Aggie Invitational, April 18-19, in Bryan, Texas. The first two rounds of the 54-hole event will be contested on Saturday, while the final 18 holes are slated for Sunday at the 7,235-yard, par-72 Traditions Golf Club. A live scoring link will be provided on the home page of GoAztecs.com.
This will be the first appearance by the Aztecs at the Aggie Invite, which is only in its fourth year.
The Field: SDSU Among 10 Top-60 Squads
The three-round event features a highly competitive field of 12 schools, 10 of which are ranked in the top 60, according to the latest Golfstat rankings released April 15. At No. 4, Oklahoma State is the highest-ranked squad in the tournament, followed by Texas Christian (12), Texas Tech (13), the 20th-ranked Aztecs, host school Texas A&M (22), New Mexico (40), Lamar (41), Baylor (43), Kent State (45) and Ohio State (60). Kansas and Wichita State round out the list of competitors. This will be the last chance for SDSU to get an early look at MWC competitors TCU and New Mexico prior to the Mountain West Conference Championships, which are set to begin April 24.
For the Record: Aztecs vs. The Field
SDSU will be looking for its seventh top-6 finish of the spring season when it hits the fairways in Texas. The Scarlet and Black enter the week with a dazzling 118-24-3 record (.824) in head-to-head competition. SDSU has faced seven teams in the 2009 Aggie Invitational field, posting a 9-0 mark this year. The Aztecs will square off against Kansas, Kent State, Lamar and Oklahoma State for the first time this season.
This Week's Lineup
Head coach Ryan Donovan will field his ninth different lineup of the 2008-09 season, however, it will be the same as last week's squad that traveled to the ASU Thunderbird Invitational, with the addition of a sixth player. Leading the way for SDSU will be the sophomore duo of Johan Carlsson and Matt Hoffenberg. Senior Ryan Citarella, whose opening-round 65 at ASU ties for third best in SDSU history, will make his second consecutive start. Fellow senior Bryan Martin will make the trip for the Scarlet and Black, his fourth outing of the spring. Freshman Andrew Cooley returns to the Aztec lineup after competing as an individual at ASU, as does classmate J.J. Spaun.
Carlsson, Cooley, Hoffenberg and Martin were all part of the squad that finished runner-up at both the Barona Collegiate Cup (March 16-17) and the exclusive Callaway Collegiate Match Play Championships (March 22-24), while Carlsson, Hoffenberg and Martin all helped SDSU to the team's runner-up finish at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational (April 10-11).
Spaun leads the squad with a 71.92 stroke average this spring, followed closely by Hoffenberg (72.82), Carlsson (73.24), Citarella (73.31), Cooley (73.41) and Martin (73.85).
A Look At The Course
Traditions Club at Texas A&M is a Jack Nicklaus and Jack Nicklaus II co-design. This 7,146-yard championship course features stately hardwoods, many natural creeks and wetlands, and striking vistas of Kyle Field and the University skyline. The course opened in 2004.
On Deck
Following the Aggie Invitational, San Diego State heads back to the desert for the Mountain West Conference Championships, April 30-May 2, in Tucson Ariz. For the third straight year, the nine league foes will compete for the title on the 7,136-yard, par-71 Catalina Course at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort. Freshmen Fantastic San Diego State's freshman class is among America's best. The class currently ranks third on the Golfstat Top 25 Freshman Class Impact Ranking, released April 16. As a class, the SDSU freshmen hold a 72.91stroke average, according to Golfstat. Only Oregon and Alabama rank ahead of the Aztecs.