May 30, 2015
Round Two PDF Results | Live Results
BRADENTON, Fla. - Teeing off in the midst of a typical hot and humid Florida afternoon, the San Diego State men's golf team slipped four places into a tie for eighth place with TCU after shooting a combined 11-over par 299 during the second round of the 2015 NCAA Championships at The Concession Golf Club. Despite the stumble, the Aztecs still find themselves in prime position to advance to the fourth round of stroke play, needing to remain in the top 15 following Sunday's third round to stay alive in the tournament.
With its total, SDSU sits one stroke in back of seventh-place Georgia Tech (+12) with a 36-hole total of 13-over 589 and four shots behind fifth-place occupiers LSU (+9) and host school South Florida (+9) on the par-72, 7,483-yard course layout.
"Obviously, it was a little disappointing," said Aztec head coach Ryan Donovan. "We didn't really stick to our game plan. It's a golf course that when you get behind the eight-ball you start pressing a little bit, which I saw out there, and we just had too many big numbers overall.
"But we're in a good state of mind. We know what we have to do out here. We just have to execute tomorrow and clean things up. We're going to be just fine; there's a lot of golf left to be played."
After sinking 20 birdies on Friday, SDSU combined for just 12 during the second round, compared to 12 bogeys, five doubles and three triples.
Despite a dearth of birdies on his scorecard, PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii) posted the Aztecs' lowest score on Saturday, firing an even-par 72, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 No. 3 where he holed out from 90 yards away. In addition, the Aztec freshman managed to minimize the damage, offsetting two bogeys with a steady stream of 15 pars to climb 24 places on the individual leaderboard into a tie for 30th at 2-over 146 with teammate Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.).
As big as Samiere's jump, Mendoza suffered almost the exact opposite fate, slipping out of the fifth position after logging a 76. The SDSU sophomore carded 11 pars and three birdies on the day, including back-to-back conversions early on the second and third greens. However, a double-bogey at the par-4 No. 8 and an untimely triple at the par-4 18th sandbagged his round.
In addition, senior Xander Schauffele (San Diego, Calif.) experienced a similar fall, dropping 13 spots into a tie for 48th at 4-over 148 after posting a 75 on Saturday. The three-time all-Mountain West performer found himself in early trouble, notching a bogey, triple and double on three of his first five holes before finishing the front with three straight pars and a birdie at No. 9 to get to 4-over. Schauffele quickly gave two strokes back with a double-bogey on the 10th green, but closed with a vengeance, collecting five pars and three birdies, including a successful drain at the par-5 No. 17.
Elsewhere, Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.) sits one stroke in back of Schauffele in the 50th position at 5-over 149 on the heels of a 76. The Aztec junior was plagued slow start as well, recording four bogeys against one birdie on the front before going par-birdie at Nos. 9 and 10, respectively. Despite pocketing six additional pars after the turn, Ree's recovery was hampered by bogeys on the 13th and 18th greens.
Rounding out the SDSU delegation was Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy), who shot a 78 to finish the day in a tie for 85th at 8-over 152. The Aztec junior was even after sinking a birdie on the par-3 No. 6, but was forced into recovery mode after notching a double and triple, respectively, on his next two holes. Michelini was able to right the ship at the turn, posting eight pars to go with a birdie at No. 11. However, another double at the 15th derailed his momentum.
USC (-2) was one of just two teams to shoot in red figures on Saturday, carding a 3-under 285 to grab the lead in the team standings, while Illinois (+1) slipped to second, followed by Georgia (+5) and LSU (+5).
SMU's Bryson Dechambeau (-7) fired a 67 to forge a two-shot lead over Illinois' Thomas Detry (-5) on the individual leaderboard, while LSU's Zach Wright (-4) follows closely in the third spot.
The Aztecs will tee off alongside Georgia Tech and TCU on Sunday for the third round, beginning at Noon ET/9 a.m. PT on the 10th hole. A link for live results courtesy of Golfstat will be available on GoAztecs.com.
All 30 teams and six individuals will complete 54 holes of stroke play (Friday-Sunday). Following 54 holes of competition, the top 15 teams, along with the top nine individuals not on an advancing team, will advance for one additional day (Monday) of stroke play to determine the eight-team field for match play. The NCAA individual champion will be crowned after 72 holes of stroke play.
2015 NCAA ChampionshipsRound Two ResultsThe Concession G.C.Bradenton, Fla.Par 72, 7,483 yards
Team Scores (Top 10 schools)1. USC 289-285--574 (-2)2. Illinois 286-291--577 (+1)T3. Georgia 288-293--581 (+5)T3. LSU 292-289--581 (+5)T5. South Florida 294-291--585 (+9)T5. Vanderbilt 301-284--585 (+9)7. Georgia Tech 293-295--588 (+12)T8. San Diego State 290-299--589 (+13)T8. TCU 296-293--589 (+13)10. Florida State 298-292--590 (+14)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 156 players + SDSU)1. Bryson Dechambeau, SMU 70-67--137 (-7)2. Thomas Detry, Illinois 68-71--139 (-5)3. Zach Wright, LSU 70-70--140 (-4)T4. Paul Dunne, UAB 72-69--141 (-3)T4. Sean Crocker, USC 73-68--141 (-3)---T30. PJ Samiere, SDSU 74-72--146 (+2)T30. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU 70-76--146 (+2)T48. Xander Schauffele, SDSU 73-75--148 (+4)T50. Ryann Ree, SDSU 73-76--149 (+5)T85. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU 74-78--152 (+8)