Aug. 24, 2015
2015-16 SDSU Men's Golf Schedule
SAN DIEGO - The defending Mountain West champion San Diego State men's golf team revealed its 2015-16 schedule Monday, with two home tournaments and a season-opening visit to exclusive Pebble Beach among the highlights on this year's slate.
The Aztecs, who finished 15th at the NCAA Championships last season, kick off their campaign in earnest next month when they compete in the Saint Mary's Invitational, Sept. 14-16, at a refurbished Poppy Hills Golf Course, which served as the host site for the PGA Tour's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am from 1991-2009.
After its excursion to the Monterey Peninsula, SDSU will make the first of two trips away from the Golden State during the regular season when it participates in the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, Sept. 25-26, in Albuquerque, N.M. The Aztecs have played the event seven times in the last 10 years, including a third-place finish in 2014.
The Scarlet and Black will return to another familiar setting shortly thereafter for the Alister MacKenzie Invitational, Oct. 12-13, at Marin County's esteemed Meadow Club in Fairfax, Calif. SDSU has played the event on seven previous occasions, including a sixth-place standing a year ago.
SDSU will put the finishing touches on its autumn docket closer to home when it makes its first-ever appearance in the Gifford Collegiate, Nov. 2-4, at La Costa Resort in Carlsbad. UCLA will serve as host to the 11th annual tournament, which was conducted in northern California last season at CordeValle Country Club in San Martin.
Following a near four-month hiatus, the Aztecs resume their 2016 spring schedule Feb. 15-17, when they travel to the Palm Springs region for the Prestige at PGA West in La Quinta. SDSU is coming off its highest finish at the tournament a year ago when it placed third out of 14 schools, besting five top-20 squads in the process.
The Aztecs will then trek north to the San Fernando Valley to play the Southwestern Jones Invitational, Feb. 29-March 1, at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village. SDSU captured the team title in 2014 when it topped USC by one stroke at Saticoy Country Club in Somis, Calif., before skipping the event last season.
After a two-week break, SDSU returns to action for consecutive home tournaments at the Lamkin San Diego Classic, March 14-15, at San Diego Country Club, followed by the reinstated Barona Collegiate Cup, March 21-22 at Barona Creek Golf Club. The Aztecs were crowned champions in the latter event a year ago after posting a season-best 31-under-par 833, which ranks eighth among 54-hole team scores in program history.
As the calendar flips pages, SDSU enters a busy stretch with three tournaments, starting with a return trip to the always-challenging ASU Thunderbird Invitational, April 2-3, in Tempe, Ariz., followed by its sixth consecutive appearance in the historic Western Intercollegiate, April 11-13, at scenic Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, Calif. SDSU will then head back to the Grand Canyon State for the Mountain West Championship, April 22-24, in Tucson, Ariz. The Aztecs will be aiming for their fourth league title in the last six years.
Should all the pieces fall into place once again this season, the Scarlet and Black will likely land its 18th straight regional berth, scheduled for May 16-18 at one of six sites across the nation. This year's regional championships will be held in Tucson, Ariz., Albuquerque, N.M., Stillwater, Okla., Kohler, Wis., Nashville, Tenn., and Tuscaloosa, Ala.
If the Aztecs qualify for the NCAA finals, they will compete in the national championship series, May 27-June 1, at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore.
Under the direction of head coach Ryan Donovan, who is entering his 13th season on Montezuma Mesa, SDSU returns six letterwinners, including four starters from the NCAA tournament squad in Ryann Ree, Riccardo Michelini, Nahum Mendoza III and PJ Samiere.