Sept. 14, 2015
Round One PDF Results | Live Results
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - The 32nd-ranked San Diego State men's golf team finds itself in second place after posting a collective 3-over par 287 on Monday during the opening round of the Saint Mary's Invitational at Poppy Hills Golf Course. With their total, the Aztecs remain eight shots in back of tournament host Saint Mary's (-5) heading into Tuesday's second round on the par-71, 6,868-yard layout.
In its first action of the 2015-16 campaign, SDSU was led by sophomores Blake Abercrombie (Rocklin, Calif.) and Gunn Yang (Pyeongchang, South Korea), who finished the day in a five-way tie for seventh after each carded an even-par 71. Making his first collegiate start, Abercrombie offset three bogeys with a trio of birdies, including his initial varsity conversion on the par-4, 397-yard No. 8.
Meanwhile in his much-anticipated return to the Aztec lineup, Yang experienced a slow start with two bogeys and a double-bogey on his first six holes before righting the ship with consecutive pars and an eagle on the par-5, 535-yard ninth. The 2014 U.S. Amateur champion maintained his momentum after the turn with birdies on holes 10 and 12, followed by six consecutive pars to finish the day just four shots off the pace on the individual leaderboard.
Alex Chiarella of San Diego notched a 67 on Monday to grab a one-stroke advantage over Washington State's Derek Bayley (-3), while four golfers remain tied for the third position at 2-under. In the team standings, WSU and Santa Clara are tied for third just three strokes in back of SDSU with a combined 6-over 290, while a trio of squads, Texas State, Fresno State and UC Davis, are knotted in the fifth position at 9-over 293.
Elsewhere, the Aztecs' Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy) sits one shot behind Abercrombie and Yang in a tie for the 14th spot after firing a 72. Despite draining just one birdie on the day, the SDSU senior was a model of consistency, recording a team-best 15 pars, including seven straight after making bogey on the par-3 11th.
In addition, fellow classmate Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.) found himself among the individual top 20 after day one, landing in a massive 11-way logjam for 19th on the heels of a 74. The 2015 all-Mountain West performer sank birdies at Nos. 9 and 18 and added six pars on the back nine to ease the sting of four bogeys.
Rounding out the Aztec delegation was junior Brian Song (Beverly Hills, Calif.), who ended the day in a tie for 59th after carding a 76. Song was plagued by five bogeys and a double-bogey, but finished strong with two birdies sandwiched around a pair of pars on his final four holes.
The Saint Mary's Invitational resumes on Tuesday when the Aztecs tee off alongside host Saint Mary's and Santa Clara for second-round competition, beginning at 9:10 a.m. PT on the first hole. A live scoring link courtesy of Birdiefire will be available on GoAztecs.com.
Saint Mary's InvitationalRound One ResultsPoppy Hills G.C.Pebble Beach, Calif.Par 71, 6,868 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 of 15 schools)1. Saint Mary's 279 (-5)2. San Diego State 287 (+3)T3. Santa Clara 290 (+6)T3. Washington State 290 (+6)T5. Texas State 293 (+9)T5. Fresno State 293 (+9)T5. UC Davis 293 (+9)
Individual Leaders (Top 6 of 84 players + SDSU)1. Alex Chiarella, San Diego 67 (-4)2. Derek Bailey, Washington State 68 (-3)T3. Jonathan De Los Reyes, Saint Mary's 69 (-2)T3. Roman Aragon, Saint Mary's 69 (-2)T3. Pavan Sagoo, Saint Mary's 69 (-2)T3. Tyler Kertson, Santa Clara 69 (-2)---T7. Blake Abercrombie, SDSU 71 (E)T7. Gunn Yang, SDSU 71 (E)T14. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU 72 (+1)T19. Ryann Ree, SDSU 73 (+2)T59. Brian Song, SDSU 76 (+5)