Spaun, Baek Log Top-10 Finishes At NCAA Championships

STILLWATER, Okla. - Junior J.J. Spaun tied for third and freshman Todd Baek tied for 10th to lead the San Diego State men's golf team in the final round of stroke play on Thursday at the 2011 NCAA championships in Stillwater, Okla. As a team, the Aztecs saw their record-breaking season come to a close, as they logged a final-round 302 to tie for 16th place with a 54-hole total of 34-over 898 at the par-72, 7,416-yard Karsten Creek Golf Club.

"The first nine (holes) I was really proud of the guys for coming out so determined," Aztec head coach Ryan Donovan said. "They were in position to make it to the final eight and unfortunately, we fell a little bit short. But I'm so proud of these guys for the way they worked hard all season long. It was one of the best in school history with winning seven tournaments, including conference and regionals."

SDSU posted a furious rally to start the afternoon, vaulting to as high as ninth in the standings before fading back after making the turn to the front nine. The team combined for two double bogeys, two bogeys and one birdie on hole No. 1 and was never able to recover in its quest to finish in the top eight and advance to the match-play segment of the NCAA championships.

Spaun (San Dimas, Calif.) put himself into serious contention for medalist honors after chipping in from the rough for eagle on the par-5 18th. The eagle vaulted Spaun, who started the day in a tie for 14th, into second place on the individual leaderboard just two strokes in back of the leader LSU's John Peterson, who was already in the clubhouse at 5-under. Taking the turn, however, he double bogeyed the first hole and made par the rest of the way to end the round with a 71, his second sub-par effort of the tournament.

Spaun tied for third place at 1-under 215 along with four others, including Oklahoma State's Peter Uihlein, who last month received the Ben Hogan Award as nation's top collegiate golfer. Spaun's NCAA performance is the best in school history since at least 1970, with the previous high coming when Barry Mahlberg took 16th in 1982. His 54-hole total of 215 also ranks second during that time span to only Mahlberg's 1982 effort (213), while it is Spaun's fifth top-five finish of the season.

Aztec freshman Todd Baek (Auckland, New Zealand) was tied with Spaun at even par entering the day and ended up coming in just two strokes behind him to tie for 10th at 1-over 217 to complete his first collegiate campaign. Baek had three birdies, four bogeys and 11 pars to move up four slots on the individual leaderboard with a final-round 73. Later in the evening, the Rancho Bernardo High product was one of five players named to the NCAA Division I all-freshman team by the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA).

SDSU junior Alex Kang (Oak Park, Calif.) had an up and down first nine holes with six bogeys, two birdies and a par. He bogeyed his fourth consecutive hole on the par-5 first, but then settled down with six straight pars and completed the evening with a 78 to take 113th with a three-day total of 17-over 233.

In his final collegiate event, senior Johan Carlsson (Gothenburg, Sweden) tied Kang for 113th place with his final-round 80. Junior Colin Featherstone (Fallbrook, Calif.) helped the Aztecs stay in the race early with his six pars, two bogeys and a birdie through the first nine holes. He then sandwiched three bogeys with a triple bogey and a double bogey and would finish out the day with an 81 to tie for 143rd place with a 245.

Second-seeded UCLA overtook Georgia Tech for the lead with the help of its 298, as the average score per round increased by nearly a stroke in windy conditions at Karsten Creek. The Bruins ended the 54 holes with an 8-over 872, three strokes better than the Yellow Jackets, to earn the No. 1 seed in match play. Individually, LSU's Peterson claimed the NCAA title, which was handed out at the conclusion of stroke play, at 5-under 211, highlighted by his second-round 65.

While SDSU fell short of its goal of advancing in the national championship, the team put together one of the finest seasons in program history, winning seven tournaments, including the Mountain West Conference and NCAA Tucson Regional, and achieving as high as a No. 4 national ranking by golfstat.com. Donovan was tabbed league coach of the year and is a finalist for national coach of the year, three players were named to the PING all-region squad for the first time in three years and two players captured individual titles.