Sept. 26, 2014
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -
The San Diego State men's golf team finds itself in second place after shooting a combined 7-under-par 569 on Friday during the first two rounds of the 60th annual William H. Tucker Invitational at UNM Championship Course. Individually, the Aztecs were led by senior Xander Schauffele (San Diego, Calif.), who sits in second place at 8-under 136 heading into Saturday's final 18 holes on the par-72, 7,562-yard track.
After finishing in the runner-up spot at the Husky Invitational earlier this week, Schauffele continued his hot play on Friday, sinking five birdies in the morning session en route to a season-low 67. The Scripps Ranch High alumnus soon followed with a second-round 69, which featured three additional birdies as well as an eagle on the par-5, 539-yard No. 1. With his performance, Schauffele remains just one shot in back of New Mexico's Gavin Green, who fired rounds of 65-70, while the Texas Tech duo of Clement Sordet and Guillermo Pereira, who are tied for third at 6-under 138.
In the team standings, host New Mexico registered a collective 22-under 554 to open a sizeable 15-stroke advantage over the Aztecs (280-289), while Texas Tech (-5), New Mexico State (+5) and UNLV (+10) comprise the rest of the top five.
SDSU boasts three additional players in the top 20, including sophomore Ricky DeSantis (Carlsbad, Calif.) and freshman PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii), who finished the day in a tie for 12th at even-par 144 on identical rounds of 71-73, while sophomore Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.) landed one shot behind in a tie for 17th with a 1-over 145.
Rounding out the Aztec starting five was junior Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy), who completed the first two rounds in a tie for the 24th position with a 3-over 147 (72-75).
SDSU was also represented by senior James Holley (Chatsworth, Calif.), an unattached competitor who finds himself in a tie for 73rd at 11-over 155 on rounds of 78-77.
The final 18 holes of the William H. Tucker Invitational will be contested on Saturday, with the Aztecs slated to tee off alongside New Mexico, New Mexico State and Texas Tech in a shotgun start, beginning at 8 a.m. MT.
William H. Tucker InvitationalDay One ResultsUNM Championship CourseAlbuquerque, N.M.Par 72, 7,562 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 of 15 teams)1. New Mexico 277-277--554 (-22)2. San Diego State 280-289--569 (-7)3. Texas Tech 283-288--571 (-5)4. New Mexico State 295-286--581 (+5)5. UNLV 295-291--586 (+10)
Individual Leaders (Top 6 of 92 players + SDSU)1. Gavin Green, New Mexico 65-70--135 (-9)2. Xander Schauffele, SDSU 67-69--136 (-8)T3. Clement Sordet, Texas Tech 67-71--138 (-6)T3. Guillermo Pereira, Texas Tech 68-70--138 (-6)T5. Andrej Bevins, TCU 72-68--138 (-4)T5. Sam Saunders, New Mexico 72-68--141 (-4)----T12. Ricky DeSantis, SDSU 71-73--144 (E)T12. PJ Samiere, SDSU 71-73--144 (E)T17. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU 71-74--145 (+1)T24. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU 72-75--147 (+3)T73. James Holley, SDSU* 78-77--155 (+11)
* - competing as an individual