May 2, 2009
TUCSON, Ariz. - No. 22 San Diego State carded a final-round best 281 (3-under par) and was the only team to break par on the final day but the Aztecs dropped a team playoff to 16th-ranked TCU to finish second at the Mountain West Conference Men's Golf Championships at the par-71, 7,136-yard OMNI Tucson (Ariz.) National Golf Club.
The Aztecs started the day seven strokes behind the Horned Frogs, but had all five players shoot 72 or better to make a dramatic run at the conference title. San Diego State, which was looking for its first MWC men's golf championship, has now finished second in the event four times in the 10-year history of the conference.
The final round team score of 281 established a new SDSU record for the lowest team conference championship score. The Scarlet and Black were led by four top seven finishes on the individual leaderboard.
Senior Bryan Martin (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) established new bests on the final day of the conference tournament. His 54-hole total of 209 is the second lowest individual score at a conference championship and also establishes a new three-round low for Martin. The senior finished the tournament in a tie for third place.
Sophomore Johan Carlsson made the biggest improvement on the final day. The Gothenburg, Sweden product fired a final round 3-under 68 to finish tournament play at 2-under 211. He posted four birdies and an eagle en route to his highest finish at the MWC championship. Ranked 88th nationally, Carlsson finished the event in sixth place.
Freshman J.J. Spaun fired a final round 2-under 69 to finish the tournament at 1-under 212. The San Dimas, Calif. product went from a tie for 17th entering the round to finish in a four-way tie for seventh place. Spaun recovered from a double bogey on the first hole and was 3-over after nine holes before making a remarkable comeback. The freshman eagles number 10 and went on to birdie four of the next five holes to play 6-under-par through the first six holes of the back nine. He ended up carding a 31 on the back side.
Classmate Alex Kang (Oak Park, Calif.) ended the championships tied for seventh overall. He shot a one-over 72 on Saturday and finished the 54-hole event at 1-under-par 212.
Sophomore Matt Hoffenberg posted his best round of the tournament on Saturday with a 1-over-par 72. A native of Simi Valley, Calif., Hoffenberg posted a round that included two birdies and three bogeys to go along with 13 pars.
San Diego State will now wait to hear if it receives its 11th straight NCAA regional bid on Monday May 4, when the Regional Advisory Committee announces the pairings for this year's three regional tournaments.
Final-round scores with relation to par May 2, at the 2009 MWC Championships, played at the par-71, 7,136-yard OMNI Tucson National Golf Club in Tucson, Ariz.
Team Scoring
1. TCU 276-280-288--844* (-8)
San Diego State 283-280-281--844 (-8)
3. UNLV 289-271-285--845 (-7)
4. New Mexico 284-279-285--848 (-4)
5. Colorado State 291-272-291--854 (+2)
6. Brigham Young 291-277-288--856 (+4)
7. Wyoming 295-284-294--873 (+21)
8. Air Force 293-298-284--875 (+23)
9. Utah 291-292-296--879 (+27)
* - Won the team title on the first playoff hole.
Individual Leaders
1. Steve Saunders, New Mexico 69-64-71--204 (-9)
2. Ji Moon, UNLV 68-67-73--208 (-5)
3. Bryan Martin, San Diego State 68-69-72--209 (-4)
Johan de Beer, TCU 69-66-74--209 (-4)
Tom Hoge, TCU 67-70-72--209 (-4)
6. Johan Carlsson, San Diego State 72-71-68--211 (-2)
7. Alex Kang, San Diego State 73-67-72--212 (-1)
J.J. Spaun, San Diego State 70-72-69--212 (-1)
Robbie Fillmore, Brigham Young 74-67-71--212 (-1)
Phil Henzlik, Wyoming 73-68-71--212 (-1)
San Diego State
3t. Bryan Martin 68-69-72--209 (-4)
6. Johan Carlsson 72-71-68--211 (-2)
7t. Alex Kang 73-67-72--212 (-1)
7t. J.J. Spaun 70-72-69--212 (-1)
37 Matt Hoffenberg 77-74-72--223 (+10)