May 16, 2015
Final Results | Final Results in PDF Format
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - For the third time in the last five seasons, the San Diego State men's golf team secured a berth in the NCAA Championships after logging a runner-up finish on Saturday at the NCAA New Haven Regional at Yale University. The Aztecs, who entered the day tied for third, climbed one notch in the standings after posting a collective 7-under 273 over the final 18 holes for a three-round total of even-par 840.
With its performance, SDSU finished 14 shots in back of South Florida (-14), the No. 3 seed in the regional, while Oklahoma State (+2), Vanderbilt (+4) and LSU (+9) claimed the other three national qualifying spots on The Course at Yale's par-70, 6,803-yard layout.
"We had a two-hour rain delay this morning, so we decided to change our game plan before the round," said Aztec head coach Ryan Donovan. "We played aggressive and the team executed well. Our goal was to win today, and now we get to prepare for the national championships. I am very proud of the hard work that the team put in and (assistant coach) Evan Emerick played a huge part this week as well."
Four of the Scarlet and Black's five starters finished with scores of par or better on Saturday, including senior Xander Schauffele (San Diego, Calif.) and junior Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.), who each carded a final-round 67.
After making bogey at No. 1, Schauffele played spot-free golf the rest of the way, tying for team-high honors with four birdies, including three during a six-hole stretch on the front nine. With his effort, the Scripps Ranch High alumnus posted his highest finish in three regional events as a collegian, landing in a six-way logjam for fifth place with a combined 3-under 207. In addition, Schauffele completed his team-best eighth top-five placement this season and 13th round in the 60s.
Similarly, Ree drained four birdies of his own, including two straight conversions at the 11th and 12th greens as part of a bogey-free back nine. Saving his best round for last, the Oregon transfer vaulted 11 places into a tie for 25th in his first-ever regional appearance.
SDSU had two additional players finish among the individual top 25, including Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy), who tied for the 17th position with a 1-over 211 after firing an even-par 70 on Saturday. The Aztec junior offset two bogeys with a pair of birdies, including an impressive make on the par-4, 365-yard No. 14, which ranked as the sixth-toughest hole of the final round.
Meanwhile, PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii) logged his third-highest placement of the year after landing in the 22nd spot at 2-over 212. Despite back-to-back bogeys on holes 9 and 10, the SDSU freshman still completed his 11th round in red figures this season, finishing with a 69, highlighted by a trio of birdies.
The SDSU contingent also included Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.), who dropped into 49th at 10-over 220 after shooting a final-round 75. The Aztec sophomore started strong with four straight pars and a birdie-2 at No. 5; however, four bogeys and a double-bogey on the 13th green proved too much to overcome.
Oklahoma State's Jordan Niebrugge, who set a course record with a 62 on Friday, captured medalist honors after completing the tournament at 7-under 203, while Tolver Dozier of Troy University, Ohio State's Addison Coll and Mattias Schwab of Vanderbilt finished regulation in a three-way tie for the runner-up spot at 4-under 206. Dozier holed out a pitching wedge from 138 yards away on his second shot of the first playoff hole with Coll to grab the New Haven Regional's lone individual qualifying spot at the national championships.
San Diego State will be among the 30 teams and 156 total individuals that will compete for the national title, May 29-June 3, at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla. The field will play 72 holes of stroke play over a four-day period to determine the individual national champion. The final two days will feature match play between the top eight squads for the national team title. The Aztecs finished fifth in their last appearance in 2012 at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif., after falling to California 3&2 in the quarterfinals of match play.
2015 NCAA New Haven RegionalFinal ResultsThe Course at YaleNew Haven, Conn.Par 70, 6,803 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 advance to NCAA Championships)1. South Florida 281-276-269--826 (-14)2. San Diego State 284-283-273--840 (E)3. Oklahoma State 286-284-272--842 (+2)4. Vanderbilt 285-282-277--844 (+4)5. LSU 294-287-268--849 (+9)T6. Iowa 291-280-279--850 (+10)T6. North Carolina State 289-277-284--850 (+10)8. Ohio State 282-291-279--852 (+12)9. North Texas 291-282-280--855 (+15)10. Troy 289-289-278--856 (+18)11. Arkansas 301-289-281--871 (+31)12. College of Charleston 303-285-285--873 (+33)13. Robert Morris 305-292-282--879 (+39)14. St. Peter's 307-294-306--907 (+67)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 75 players + SDSU)1. Jordan Niebrugge, Oklahoma State 72-62-69--203 (-7)T2. Addison Coll, Ohio State 72-70-64--206 (-4)T2. Tolver Dozier, Troy 70-69-67--206 (-4)T2. Mattias Schwab, Vanderbilt 69-67-70--206 (-4)T5. Xander Schauffele, SDSU 70-70-67--207 (-3)T5. Carter Page, North Carolina State 71-68-68--207 (-3)T5. Hunter Stewart, Vanderbilt 70-71-66--207 (-3)T5. Claudio Correa, South Florida 73-73-67--207 (-3)T5. Clark Engle, Ohio State 68-73-66--207 (-3)T5. Dylan Wu, Northwestern* 68-70-69--207 (-3)---T17. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU 70-71-70--211 (+1)T22. PJ Samiere, SDSU 71-72-69--212 (+2)T25. Ryann Ree, SDSU 73-73-67--213 (+3)T49. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU 75-70-75--220 (+10)