May 1, 2015
Day One Results | Live Results
TUCSON, Ariz. - The San Diego State men's golf team finds itself tied for second place with Nevada after posting a collective 4-under par 280 on Friday during the opening round of the 2015 Mountain West Championship at OMNI Tucson National Golf Club.
With their total, the Aztecs remain seven shots in back of UNLV (-11) for the top spot, while New Mexico (-2) and Colorado State (+3) round out the top five heading into Saturday's second round on the par-71, 7,144-yard Catalina Course.
SDSU was led by the tandem of Xander Schauffele (San Diego, Calif.) and Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.), who each fired a 4-under 67 to tie for third on the individual leaderboard after 18 holes. Schauffele registered a team-high five birdies on the day, including four on the front nine, while carding just one bogey. With his effort, the Aztec senior completed his second-lowest round ever in conference tournament play and sits just two shots behind front-runner Kurt Kitayama of UNLV, who fired a 65, while Nevada's Corey Eddings ended the day in second after logging a 66.
Mendoza was also up to the task on Friday, draining four birdies of his own to go with an eagle-3 on the par-5, 511-yard No. 10 for his lowest round ever in MW championship competition. The Aztec sophomore was 5-under for the round after sinking a birdie at the par-5 15th, before a bogey-5 on the ensuing hole stalled his advance. Despite the hiccup, Mendoza still finds himself in the thick of race, sharing the third position with teammate Schauffele and Grant Booth of Nevada, while New Mexico's Sean Romero and Carl Jonson of UNLV each ended the day in a tie for sixth at 3-under 68.
Meanwhile, Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.) was the third SDSU player to finish in the top 15 after the opening round, landing in a five-way tie for 13th at 71. Despite closing with his third bogey of the day on the par-5th 18th, the junior transfer managed to stay even on the strength of three birdies, along with seven consecutive pars on the back nine.
Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy) also figured in the Aztecs' team score on Friday, tying for the 35th spot with nine other golfers after posting a 75. The SDSU junior opened with a birdie on the first hole, but was plagued by five bogeys the rest of the way, including three after the turn.
Rounding out the Aztec delegation was PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii), who completed his first conference tournament round with a 76. The SDSU freshman began with eight straight pars, but three bogeys and a double bogey over his next five holes derailed his momentum. However, Samiere regrouped with a birdie on the par-4 14th, followed by three additional pars to finish the day in a tie for 45th.
The MW Championship continues on Saturday with second-round action when the Aztecs tee off alongside Silver State adversaries UNLV and Nevada, starting at 9:30 a.m. PT.
2015 Mountain West ChampionshipRound One ResultsOMNI Tucson National G.C.Catalina CourseTucson, Ariz.Par 71, 7,144 yards
Team Scores1. UNLV 273 (-11)T2. San Diego State 280 (-4)T2. Nevada 280 (-4)4. New Mexico 282 (-2)5. Colorado State 287 (+3)T6. San José State 293 (+9)T6. Fresno State 293 (+9)T8. Utah State 295 (+11)T8. Wyoming 295 (+11)T8. Boise State 295 (+11)11. Air Force 296 (+12)
Individual Leaders (Top 7 of 55 players + SDSU)1. Kurt Kitayama, UNLV 65 (-6)2. Corey Eddings, Nevada 66 (-5)T3. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU 67 (-4)T3. Xander Schauffele, SDSU 67 (-4)T3. Grant Booth, Nevada 67 (-4)T6. Sean Romero, New Mexico 68 (-3)T6. Carl Jonson, UNLV 68 (-3)---T13. Ryann Ree, SDSU 71 (E)T35. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU 75 (+4)T45. PJ Samiere, SDSU 76 (+5)