March 1, 2015
Round Two Results in PDF Format | Live Results
TUCSON, Ariz. - The San Diego State men's golf team posted the third-lowest score of the second round at the 2015 National Invitational Tournament, firing a collective 7-under par 281 on Sunday to climb four places into a tie for fifth at OMNI Tucson National Golf Club.
With their performance, the 23rd-ranked Aztecs find themselves eight shots in back of front-runner California with a 36-hole total of 3-over 579, heading into Monday's final round on the par-72, 7,200-yard Catalina Course.
All five of SDSU's players managed to lower their scores from the previous round on Sunday, led by Xander Schauffele (San Diego, Calif.), who remains alone in the third position at 5-under 139 after carding a 69. Despite closing with consecutive bogeys, the Aztec senior drained a team-high six birdies on the day, including three straight on holes 2-4 to complete his fifth sub-70 round this spring and 10th of the season.
With his effort, Schauffele sits just three shots in back of Iowa State's Scott Fernandez (-8) who vaulted to the top of the individual leaderboard after shooting a tournament-low 66 on Sunday, while Jere Pelletier (-6) occupies the runner-spot with 18 holes left to play.
Not to be outdone, Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.) climbed into contention as well after matching Schauffele with a second-round 69. The SDSU sophomore overcame four bogeys with five birdies, along with an eagle on the par-5, 587-yard No. 8, catapulting 17 places into a tie for seventh at 2-under 142.
Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.) also made a substantial leap upward Sunday, jumping 22 spots into a tie for 37th at 4-over 148. The junior transfer shaved six strokes off his opening-round total after posting a 71, highlighted by five birdies, including four on the back nine.
In addition, PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii) rebounded from a rocky opening round to climb 14 places into a tie for 64th at 9-over 153. Despite making double-bogey at No. 11, the Aztec freshman trimmed nine shots off Saturday's total with the help of five birdies, including three on his first five holes, to finish with a 72.
Rounding out the SDSU delegation was junior Michael Koeneke (San Diego, Calif.), who ended the second round in a tie for 70th at 11-over 155 after carding a 77. The Torrey Pines High alumnus was just 1-over on the day after converting a birdie on the 14th, before a bogey at No. 16 and a triple-bogey on the 18th thwarted his progress up the leaderboard.
Defending champion California (-5) grabbed a two-shot lead in the team standings over New Mexico (-3), which posted lowest combined score of the day, while Santa Clara (E) occupies the third spot, followed by UTEP (+1), SDSU (+3) and New Mexico State (+3).
The National Invitational Tournament concludes on Monday, with the Aztecs slated to tee off alongside UTEP and New Mexico State, beginning at 8:45 a.m. MT on hole No. 1.
National Invitational TournamentRound Two ResultsOMNI Tucson National G.C.Catalina CourseTucson, Ariz.Par 72, 7,200 yards
Team Scores (Top 6 of 15 teams)1. California 292-279--571 (-5)2. New Mexico 296-277--573 (-3)3. Santa Clara 284-292--576 (E)4. UTEP 287-290--577 (+1)T5. San Diego State 298-281--579 (+3)T5. New Mexico State 283-296--579 (+3)
Individual Leaders (Top 6 of 83 players + SDSU)1. Scott Fernandez, Iowa State 70-66--136 (-8)2. Jere Pelletier, UTEP 69-69--138 (-6)3. Xander Schauffele, SDSU 70-69--139 (-5)4. Gavin Green, New Mexico 72-68--140 (-4)T5. George Cunningham, Arizona 71-70--141 (-3)T5. Luis Medina, New Mexico State 68-73--141 (-3)---T7. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU 73-69--142 (-2)T37. Ryann Ree, SDSU 77-71--148 (+4)T64. PJ Samiere, SDSU 81-72--153 (+9)T70. Michael Koeneke, SDSU 78-77--155 (+11)