May 14, 2015
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The San Diego State men's golf team sits in third place after shooting a combined 4-over par 284 on Thursday during the opening round of the NCAA New Haven Regional. With their total, the 32nd-ranked Aztecs find themselves just three strokes behind front-runner South Florida (+1) and two shots in back of second-place Ohio State (+2) heading into Friday's second round at The Course at Yale.
"Our guys were extremely patient today and stuck to the game plan," said SDSU head coach Ryan Donovan. "We played the percentages, so the golf course sets up well for us."
Individually, the Aztecs were led by the tandem of junior Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy) and senior Xander Schauffele (San Diego, Calif.), who each fired an even-par 70 to land in a seven-way tie for fifth out of 75 golfers on the 6,803-yard course layout.
Michelini offset three bogeys with a trio of birdies, including a successful conversion on the par-3, 225-yard No. 13, which ranked as the sixth-toughest hole of the opening round, while Schauffele countered a pair of bogeys with a back-to-back birdies of his own on the 16th and 17th greens before closing with 10 straight pars.
With their performances, Michelini and Schauffele remain six strokes behind leader Rigel Fernandes of South Florida, who carded a 6-under 64, while Ohio State's Clark Engle (-2) and Dylan Wu of Northwestern (-2) occupy the second spot, followed closely by Vanderbilt's Matthias Schwab (-1).
In addition, SDSU's PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii) recorded a 1-over 71 to finish the day in a tie for 12th place. After notching a double-bogey on his opening hole, the par-4, 396-yard No. 10, the Aztec freshman rebounded quickly, completing the front nine with six pars and two birdies. However, two bogeys sandwiched around another birdie on the par-3 fifth stalled his momentum.
Elsewhere, Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.) tied Michelini and Samiere for team-high honors with three birdies of his own, including an impressive make on his next-to-last hole, the par-4, 406-yard No. 8, which put him at 1-over for the round. However, the SDSU junior ultimately settled for a 73 after experiencing difficulty on the ensuing green with a double-bogey.
Rounding out the Aztec delegation was Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.), who finds himself tied for 46th after logging an opening-round 75. The SDSU sophomore sank two birdies, including one on the back nine at the par-4, 421-yard No. 6, which ranked as the fifth-most difficult hole of the day. However, four bogeys and an untimely triple-bogey on the par-5 18th proved too much to overcome.
The second round of the New Haven Regional gets underway Friday, with the Aztecs slated to tee off alongside South Florida and Ohio State on the first hole, beginning at 9:15 a.m. ET/6:15 a.m. PT. The top five finishing teams will advance to the NCAA championship series, set for May 29-June 2 in Bradenton, Fla.
2015 NCAA New Haven RegionalRound One ResultsThe Course at YaleNew Haven, Conn.Par 70, 6,803 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 advance to NCAA Championships)1. South Florida 281 (+1)2. Ohio State 282 (+2)3. San Diego State 284 (+4)4. Vanderbilt 285 (+5)5. Oklahoma State 286 (+6)T6. Troy 289 (+9)T6. North Carolina State 289 (+9)T8. Iowa 291 (+11)T8. North Texas 291 (+11)10. LSU 294 (+14)11. Arkansas 301 (+21)12. College of Charleston 303 (+23)11. Robert Morris 305 (+25)14. St. Peter's 307 (+27)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 75 players + SDSU)1. Rigel Fernandes, South Florida 64 (-6)T2. Clark Engle, Ohio State 68 (-2)T2. Dylan Wu, Northwestern* 68 (-2)4. Mattias Schwab, Vanderbilt 69 (-1)T5. Xander Schauffele, SDSU 70 (E)T5. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU 70 (E)T5. Hunter Stewart, Vanderbilt 70 (E)T5. Zachary Olson, Oklahoma State 70 (E)T5. Kolton Crawford, Arkansas 70 (E)T5. Tolver Dozier, Troy 70 (E)T5. Brandon Matthews, Temple* 70 (E)---T12. PJ Samiere, SDSU 71 (+1)T30. Ryann Ree, SDSU 73 (+3)T46. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU 75 (+5)
* - competing as an individual