Feb. 17, 2015
Round Two Results | Live Results
LA QUINTA, Calif. - The San Diego State men's golf team moved up one spot into fourth place on Tuesday after shooting a collective 8-under par 280 during the second round of The Prestige at PGA WEST. With their total, the Aztecs find themselves five shots in back of third-place Stirling University of Scotland at 12-under for the event heading into Wednesday's final round at the par-72, 7,204-yard Jack Nicklaus Tournament Course.
Individually, senior Xander Schauffele (San Diego, Calif.) continued his torrid spring, carding a 4-under 68 during the second round to climb nine spots into a six-way tie for sixth with a combined 6-under 138. The reigning Mountain West Golfer of the Week posted six birdies overall, including successful conversions at Nos. 2, 9 and 13, which ranked among the eight toughest holes on Tuesday.
With his performance, Schauffele sits just two strokes behind the Arizona State tandem of Max Rottluff and Jon Rahm, who share the lead at 8-under 136, while the Oklahoma State duo of Jordan Niebrugge and Kristoffer Ventura, along with Stanford's Maverick McNealy, landed in the third position at 7-under 137 with 18 holes left to play.
The SDSU cause was also aided by sophomore Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.), who vaulted 17 places into a tie for 13th at 4-under 140 after notching a second-round 68 of his own, highlighted by an eagle at the par-5, 549-yard fourth hole. The Francis Parker High alumnus played bogey-free golf, sinking birdies on Nos. 3 and 11 en route to his third sub-70 round of the spring.
In addition, PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii) displayed upward mobility during the second round, jumping six spots into a tie for 24th after carding a 71. After posting bogeys on two of his first three holes, the Aztec freshman rebounded with three straight birdies and five overall, including an impressive make on the par-4, 453-yard 18th, which played as the second-most difficult hole on Tuesday.
With his score Samiere sits at 1-under 143 for the tournament, joining teammate Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.), who tumbled out of the 15th position after carding a second-round 73. The junior transfer found himself at 3-over following a bogey and a double-bogey on the sixth and eighth holes, respectively, before rebounding nicely with seven pars and two birdies on the back nine.
Rounding out the Aztec delegation was Brian Song (Beverly Hills, Calif.), who landed in a tie for 47th at 3-over 147. The SDSU sophomore drained just one birdie against four bogeys, but closed with five straight pars to finish the day with a 75.
In the team standings, Arizona State (-23) and Oklahoma State (-21) leaped over first-round leader Stirling University (-17) to snare the top two spots, respectively, while the Aztecs occupy the fourth position, followed by Texas Tech (-9) and USC (-9).
The Prestige at PGA WEST concludes on Wednesday, with San Diego State slated to tee off for the final round alongside the aforementioned Texas Tech and USC squads, starting at 8:15 a.m. PT on hole No. 1.
The Prestige at PGA WESTDay Two ResultsJack Nicklaus Tournament CourseLa Quinta, Calif.Par 72, 7,204 yards
Team Scores (Top 6 of 14 teams + SDSU)1. Arizona State 279-274--553 (-23)2. Oklahoma State 280-275--555 (-21)3. Stirling University 276-283--559 (-17)4. San Diego State 284-280--564 (-12)T5. Texas Tech 284-283--567 (-9)T5. USC 283-284--567 (-9)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 79 players + SDSU)T1. Max Rottluff, Arizona State 70-66--136 (-8)T1. Jon Rahm, Arizona State 66-70--136 (-8)T3. Maverick McNealy, Stanford 68-69--137 (-7)T3. Jordan Niebrugge, Oklahoma State 69-68--137 (-7)T3. Kristoffer Ventura, Oklahoma State 68-69--137 (-7)---T6. Xander Schauffele, SDSU 70-68--138 (-6)T13. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU 72-68--140 (-4)T24. Ryann Ree, SDSU 70-73--143 (-2)T24. PJ Samiere, SDSU 72-71--143 (-1)T47. Brian Song, SDSU 72-75--147 (+3)