March 2, 2015
TUCSON, Ariz. - San Diego State men's golfer Xander Schauffele (San Diego, Calif.) tied for second on the individual leaderboard at the 2015 National Invitational Tournament on Tuesday after firing a 1-over par 73 during the final round at OMNI Tucson National Golf Club.
With his tally, the Aztec senior completed the 54-hole event at 4-under 212 on the par-72, 7,200-yard Catalina Course, sharing the runner-up spot with George Cunningham of host Arizona, seven shots in back of Iowa State's Scott Fernandez, who fired a final-round 69 to capture medalist honors with a combined 11-under 205.
As a team, the Aztecs slipped one notch into sixth with three-round total of 15-over 879 after logging a 300 on Tuesday. California (-8) was one of just two squads to finish below par collectively during the final round, recording a 285 to successfully defend its team title, while New Mexico (+7) was a distant second, followed by closely by Santa Clara (+9), UTEP (+10) and Iowa State (+11).
On a day when only eight players posted red figures, Schauffele was unable to attach his name to that list despite draining five birdies overall. The Scripps Ranch High alumnus was saddled with two bogeys and a pair of double-bogeys to snap his streak of below-par rounds at eight this spring. Still, Schauffele lost no ground on the leaderboard, finishing with consecutive second-place performances after claiming the individual title at the Barona Collegiate Cup last month.
Conversely, sophomore Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.) tumbled three spots into a tie for 10th at even-par 216 after posting a 74 on Tuesday. The Francis Parker High product sank three birdies of his own, but five bogeys, including three over a six-hole stretch on the back nine, derailed his momentum. Nevertheless, Mendoza managed to record his second-highest placement of the year and fourth career top 10.
Likewise, Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.) fell victim to the downward trend, dropping five places into a tie for 42nd at 8-over 224 after firing a final-round 76. The junior transfer made five consecutive pars after getting to 1-over for the round with a successful birdie putt on the par-5, 511-yard No. 10. However, a bogey at No. 16 and a double-bogey on the 18th prevented a higher finish.
Elsewhere, PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii) moved up one notch into a tie for 63 at 14-over 230 despite posting a final-round 77. The SDSU freshman got off to an inauspicious start with two bogeys and a double-bogey sandwiched around a birdie at No. 3, before finishing with a steady stream of 13 pars over his next 14 holes.
The Scarlet and Black was also represented by junior Michael Koeneke (San Diego, Calif.), who landed in the 74th position with a combined 235 after settling for an 80 on Tuesday.
The Aztecs return to the course next week when they play host to their second home tournament of the spring at the Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic, March 9-10, at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, Calif.
National Invitational TournamentFinal ResultsOMNI Tucson National G.C.Catalina CourseTucson, Ariz.Par 72, 7,200 yards
Team Scores (Top 6 of 15 teams)1. California 292-279-285--856 (-8)2. New Mexico 296-277-298--871 (+7)3. Santa Clara 284-292-297--873 (+9)4. UTEP 287-290-297--874 (+10)5. Iowa State 299-289-287--875 (+11)6. San Diego State 298-281-300--879 (+15)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 83 players + SDSU)1. Scott Fernandez, Iowa State 70-66-69--205 (-11)T2. Xander Schauffele, SDSU 70-69-73--212 (-4)T2. George Cunningham, Arizona 71-70-70--212 (-4)4. KK Limbhasut, California 75-67-71--213 (-3)5. Gavin Green, New Mexico 72-68-74--214 (-2)---T10. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU 73-69-74--216 (E)T42. Ryann Ree, SDSU 77-71-76--224 (+8)T63. PJ Samiere, SDSU 81-72-77--230 (+14)T74. Michael Koeneke, SDSU 78-77-80--235 (+19)