March 4, 2011
SAN DIEGO - San Diego State junior J.J. Spaun has been named the Mountain West Conference Men's Golfer of the Month for February, the league announced Friday. This is the second-consecutive time that an SDSU golfer has earned the award after junior Alex Kang was honored in November of 2010.
Spaun received the selection for his outstanding play throughout February. The junior led San Diego State to two team titles in three events while lowering his overall average on the season to 72.28. His 70.88 stroke average was the best of any Aztec over the course of the three events, and his team-best eight rounds of even-par or better were good enough for at least 15th place in every tournament, including two top-ten finishes.
The San Dimas, Calif., native began the month of February in good form. His 54-hole total of 5-over-par 218 (71-70-77) at the Arizona Intercollegiate, held in Tucson, Ariz., put him in a tie for 14th place, but more importantly gave the Aztecs an eight-stroke victory over Pepperdine.
Spaun improved on his stellar play when SDSU headed to the Battle of the Beach in Newport Coast, Calif. There, he navigated Pelican Hill North Course with precision, finishing fifth in the 82-man field with a 3-under-par 207 (70-69-68). His 12 pars and four birdies on the final day gave him a season-low 68, helping the Aztecs to a seventh-place finish in the 13-team tournament. Spaun finished ahead of five golfers at the event who were ranked in the top 20 nationally.
The junior continued his streak of excellence at the USC Intercollegiate, held at the par-71, 6,869-yard North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif. Spaun shot three consecutive even-par rounds to come in seventh out of 80 golfers, helping lead the Scarlet and Black to its third title of the season and an upset of No. 1 UCLA. The four-year varsity letterman at San Dimas High sank 11 birdies over the course of the event, posting higher than a bogey on only one hole.
Spaun will be headed with the rest of the No. 7 Aztec men's golf team on Monday to the two-day Fresno State Lexus Golf Classic at the San Joaquin Country Club in Fresno, Calif.