April 13, 2014
SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - San Diego State's Xander Schauffele (San Diego, Calif.) and Ricky DeSantis (Carlsbad, Calif.) tied for sixth place on the individual leaderboard Sunday to lead the Aztec men's golf team during the final round of the Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Course. The SDSU duo completed the 54-hole tournament with a combined score of 3-under 207 on the par-70, 6,615-yard track.
As a team, the Aztecs held on to their fourth-place standing after shooting a collective 356 over the final 18 holes for a three-round total of 15-over 1065 in the six-count-five event. With its performance, SDSU finished seven strokes behind third-place California (+8) and nine shots in back of runner-up Washington (+6). Meanwhile, Stanford (-10) fired a combined 344 on Sunday to capture the team title going away.
Schauffele carded a final-round 68, recording14 pars to go along with a trio of birdies, including back-to-back makes at Nos. 14-15, to offset one lone blemish on his scorecard--a bogey on the 18th. With his effort, the Aztec junior climbed five spots to register his seventh top-10 performance of the year and 17th of his collegiate career.
DeSantis also moved up one notch into sixth after posting a 69 on Sunday to equal his highest finish of the season thus far. The SDSU freshman sank three birdies of his own, including consecutive attempts on the Nos. 9-10, with the latter ranking as the sixth-toughest hole during the final round.
In addition, Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy) displayed upward mobility for the Aztecs, vaulting eight places into a tie for 26th at 4-over 214 after matching his lowest score of the weekend with a 70. Despite three bogeys and a double-bogey at No. 12, the SDSU sophomore salvaged his round with a team-high five birdies, including an impressive conversion on the par-5, 505-yard No. 1, which played as the most difficult hole of the day.
Conversely, freshman Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.) experienced the opposite fate, dropping from the 18th position into a tie for 42nd following a final-round 75. After recording four bogeys over his first seven holes, the Francis Parker High alumnus got back to 1-over thanks to three birdies, including a make on the par-3 15th. However, an untimely double-bogey at No. 16, followed by bogeys at Nos. 1 and 3, short-circuited his momentum.
Elsewhere, junior James Holley (Chatsworth, Calif.) completed his second start of the season in a tie for 60th at 12-over 222 after firing a 74, highlighted by a birdie on the par-5, 527-yard No. 13, while Austin Kaiser (Atascadero, Calif.) ended tournament in a tie for 83rd at 18-over 228. Despite draining three birdies on the back nine, the Aztec senior was forced to settle for a final-round 78.
The SDSU delegation also included sophomore Michael Koeneke (San Diego, Calif.), an individual player who finished in a tie for 72nd with a combined 14-over 224 after notching a 76 over the final 18 holes.
In addition to its team championship, Stanford boasted the individual winner as Cameron Wilson (-7) shot a 69 on Sunday to edge teammate Patrick Rodgers (-5) by two strokes for medalist honors, while UC Irvine's Pete Fernandez, Rico Hoey of USC and Texas' Beau Hossler each tied for third at 4-under.
San Diego State will next have its sights set on a conference title when it competes in the Mountain West Championships, April 25-27, at OMNI National Golf Club in Tucson, Ariz.
Team Results (Top 5 of 14 schools)1. Stanford 347-349-344--1040 (-10)2. Washington 347-355-354--1056 (+6)3. California 345-359-354--1058 (+8)4. San Diego State 357-352-356--1065 (+15)5. Oregon 359-352-356--1067 (+17)---Individual Results (Top 5 of 92 players + SDSU)1. Cameron Wilson, Stanford 67-67-69--203 (-7)2. Patrick Rodgers, Stanford 65-69-71--205 (-5)T3. Pete Fernandez, UC Irvine 69-69-68--206 (-4)T3. Rico Hoey, USC 68-68-70--206 (-4)T3. Beau Hossler, Texas 66-73-67--206 (-4)----T6. Xander Schauffele, SDSU 69-70-68--207 (-3)T6. Ricky DeSantis, SDSU 70-68-69--207 (-3)T26. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU 70-74-70--214 (+4)T41. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU 72-69-75--216 (+6)T60. James Holley, SDSU 76-72-74--222 (+12)T72. Michael Koeneke, SDSU* 70-78-76--224 (+14)T83. Austin Kaiser, SDSU 77-73-78--228 (+18)
* - competed as an individual