Sept. 9, 2014
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. - The San Diego State men's golf team maintained its fourth-place standing on Tuesday after shooting a combined 293 during the final round of the Southwestern Intercollegiate at the par-71, 6,964-yard North Ranch Country Club.
The Aztecs were unable to gain ground from the previous day, completing their season-opening tournament with a 24-over 876, three shots in back of third-place Washington State (+21), while Stanford (-4) easily outdistanced USC (+11) for the team title.
SDSU placed an unattached golfer among the individual leaders as PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii) finished alone in fifth place at 1-over 214. Despite carding one birdie against four bogeys, the Aztec freshman slipped just one spot in the standings after finishing with a final-round 74.
With his effort, Samiere completed his first collegiate event six strokes behind a trio of golfers for the runner-up position, including Kevin DeHuff and Sean Crocker of respective co-hosts Pepperdine and USC, along with Stanford's Jim Liu. Meanwhile, another Cardinal golfer, Maverick McNealy (-10), rallied to capture medalist honors after firing a 65 over the final 18 holes.
Among the SDSU starters, junior Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy) and senior Xander Schauffele (San Diego, Calif.) each shot a 74 on Tuesday to tie for the 18th position at 7-over 220. Michelini was plagued by four bogeys and a triple bogey before the turn, but still managed to salvage his round with six pars and three birdies on the back nine. Likewise, Schauffele drained three birdies of his own, but could not overcame the sting of three bogeys and an untimely triple-bogey on the par-4 No. 14.
While Michelini and Schauffele slipped one notch on the leaderboard, senior James Holley (Chatsworth, Calif.) and sophomore Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.) were able to reverse their fortunes from the previous day.
Following a double-bogey at No. 8, Holley reeled off six pars and three birdies over a nine-hole stretch, eventually logging the Aztecs' low score of the day with a 72 to vault 12 spots into a tie for 26th at 9-over 222. On the other hand, Mendoza made a more modest gain, leaping seven places into a tie for 42nd at 13-over 226, following a final-round 73. The Francis Parker High alumnus offset four bogeys with 12 pars and a pair of birdies, including a successful conversion on the par-4 18th.
However, the Aztecs' remaining starter Ricky DeSantis (Carlsbad, Calif.) was not as fortunate as the SDSU sophomore tumbled 13 spots into a tie for 51st at 15-over 228 after shooting a 78 on Tuesday. DeSantis was unable to recover from a rocky front nine that witnessed four bogeys and a double bogey on the par-5 No. 4.
The Aztecs were also represented by junior Michael Koeneke (San Diego, Calif.), who carded a 75 over the final 18 holes to complete the tournament in a tie for 61st at 19-over 232.
San Diego State will have two weeks off before traveling to the Pacific Northwest for the Husky Invitational, scheduled for Sept. 22-23, at Gold Mountain Golf Club in Bremerton, Wash.
Southwestern IntercollegiateFinal ResultsNorth Ranch Country ClubWestlake Village, Calif.Par 71, 6,964 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 of 12 teams)1. Stanford 280-292-276--848 (-4)2. USC 288-292-283--863 (+11)3. Washington State 292-286-295--873 (+21)4. San Diego State 292-291-293--876 (+24)5. UC Davis 298-295-287--880 (+28)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 72 + SDSU)1. Maverick McNealy, Stanford 66-72-65--203 (-10)T2. Kevin DeHuff, Pepperdine 67-71-70--208 (-5)T2. Jim Liu, Stanford 69-69-70--208 (-5)T2. Sean Crocker, USC 68-72-68--208 (-5)5. PJ Samiere, SDSU* 70-70-74--214 (+1)----T18. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU 74-72-74--220 (+7)T18. Xander Schauffele, SDSU 77-69-74--220 (+7)T26. James Holley, SDSU 69-81-72--222 (+9)T42. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU 81-72-73--226 (+13)T51. Ricky DeSantis, SDSU 72-78-78--228 (+15)T61. Michael Koeneke, SDSU* 78-79-75--232 (+19)
* - competed as an individual