Men's Golf

Darkness Suspends Second Round at Barona

Darkness Suspends Second Round at BaronaDarkness Suspends Second Round at Barona

Feb. 9, 2015

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LAKESIDE, Calif. - The San Diego State men's golf team finds itself in second place at the Barona Collegiate Cup after play was suspended on Monday toward the end of round two due to darkness. As a team, the Aztecs sit at 13-under par and were one of 10 squads in the 13-school field still on the course at the par-72, 7,324-yard Barona Creek Golf Club when dusk fell.

Currently, SDSU boasts three players on the individual top 10, including senior Xander Schauffele and sophomore Nahum Mendoza III, who share the top spot at 8-under, while fellow classmate Brian Song remains three shots behind in a tie for sixth at 5-under.

Competing as an unattached golfer, Mendoza actually finished both rounds on Monday, firing a combined 136, including a collegiate-low 65 in the morning session where he drained six birdies and made eagle on the par-5, 580-yard No. 17.

On the other hand, Schauffele will have two holes to complete in the second round when competition resumes on Tuesday. After carding a 71 over the first 18 holes, the Scripps Ranch High alumnus sank eight birdies in the afternoon, including a stretch of six straight on the front nine to grab a piece of the lead over UC Riverside's Sam Gillis (-7) and San Diego's Grant Forrest (-7).

Song, meanwhile, posted a bogey-free opening round, shooting an Aztec personal-best 67 before offsetting a pair of double-bogeys with four birdies through 17 holes in the afternoon.

The SDSU starting lineup also featured sophomore Ricky DeSantis (Carlsbad, Calif.), who ended the day in a three-way tie for 20th after finishing all 36 holes with an even-par 144. The Carlsbad High product found himself in a tie for the eighth spot during the morning on the strength of a 68, but could not sustain the momentum, tumbling 12 places after suffering a second-round 76, which included two double-bogeys.

Meanwhile, senior James Holley (Chatsworth, Calif.) was the only other Aztec starter to finish both rounds on Monday, landing in a tie for 44th at 5-over 149. After firing an opening-round 70 where he countered three bogeys with five birdies, Holley was unable to rebound from a triple-bogey at No. 8 in the afternoon en route to a 79.

Elsewhere, PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii) finds himself in a tie for 27th, three shots ahead of Holley after completing all but one hole at 2-over for the day. The SDSU freshman was 3-over through 15 holes in the morning before closing with three straight birdies for a 72. Then in the afternoon, Samiere experienced early trouble with four bogeys over a 10-hole stretch, but finished the day strong with two birdies and four straight pars.

In addition to Mendoza, the Aztecs have six other players competing as individuals in their home tournament, including freshman Pablo Matesanz (Irun, Spain), who sits alone in 11th at 3-under with two holes left to play in the second round, one shot ahead of juniors Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy) and Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.), who find themselves in a seven-way logjam for 12th.

Michelini finished all 36 holes on Monday, carding rounds of 73-69, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5, 506-yard No. 6 in the afternoon. Meanwhile Ree also completed both sessions in his first action of the year after arriving as a mid-semester transfer from Oregon, posting a 68 followed by a 74.

Through 16 holes, USD (-15) ended the day with a two-stroke lead over the Aztecs, while UC Riverside (-7), UC Irvine (-2) and Sacramento State (-1) round out the top five.

The Barona Collegiate Cup resumes on Tuesday with the completion of the second round, starting at 7:30 a.m. PT. UCR, Sac State and Bowling Green were the only schools to finish all 36 holes as a team on Monday and will begin final-round action at the same time in a shotgun start on holes 10-13.

Barona Collegiate CupDay One ResultsBarona Creek G.C.Lakeside, Calif.Par 72, 7,324 yards(Second round suspended due to darkness)
Team Scores (Top 5 of 13 teams)1. San Diego (-15) through 16 holes2. San Diego State (-13) through 16 holes3. UC Riverside 271-292--569 (-7)4. UC Irvine (-2) through 15 holes5. Sacramento State 274-301--575 (-1)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 75 players + SDSU)T1. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU* 65-71--136 (-8)T1. Xander Schauffele, SDSU (-8) through 16 holesT3. Sam Gillis, UC Riverside 64-73--137 (-7)T3. Grant Forrest, San Diego 68-69--137 (-7)5. David Gazzolo, UC Riverside 69-69--138 (-8)---T6. Brian Song, SDSU (-5) through 17 holes11. Pablo Matesanz, SDSU* (-3) through 16 holesT12. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU* 73-69--142 (-2)T12. Ryann Ree, SDSU* 68-74--142 (-2)T20. Ricky DeSantis, SDSU 68-76--144 (E)T27. PJ Samiere, SDSU (+2) through 17 holesT33. Michael Koeneke, SDSU* 78-69--147 (+3)T44. James Holley, SDSU 70-79--149 (+5)T44. Blake Abercrombie, SDSU* 77-72--149 (+5)T64. Wonje Choi, SDSU* (+11) through 16 holes
* - competing as an individual