Sept. 15, 2015
Round Two PDF Results | Live Results
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. - With four players among the individual top 10, the San Diego State men's golf team stormed into the lead at the Saint Mary's Invitational on Tuesday after shooting a collective 5-under par 279 during the second round on the par-71, 6,868-yard Poppy Hills Golf Course. As a result, the Aztecs now sit at 2-under 566 for the tournament, owning a seven-shot advantage over host school Saint Mary's (+5) heading into Wednesday's final round.
The lowest score of the day belonged to SDSU's Brian Song (Beverly Hills, Calif.), who fired a career-best 66 to vault 52 places into a tie for seventh at even-par 142. After posting an inauspicious 76 on Monday, the Aztec junior caught fire, notching seven birdies against two bogeys to finish one stroke off the competitive course record for 18 holes since Poppy Hills was refurbished in 2014.
With his total, Song remains two shots in back of Saint Mary's co-leaders Pavan Sagoo and Jonathan De Los Reyes, who occupy the top spot at 2-under and one stroke behind four golfers for third, including teammate Gunn Yang (Pyeongchang, South Korea).
Yang experienced early difficulty with consecutive bogeys on the fifth and sixth greens before closing strong with nine pars and three birdies en route to a 70. Consequently, the Aztec sophomore found himself in a four-way logjam for third at 1-under 141, joining San Francisco's Seb Crookall-Nixon, Jordan Gumberg of Arizona and Oregon State's Chris Tedesco.
Not to be outdone, SDSU senior Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy) and sophomore Blake Abercrombie (Rocklin, Calif.) find themselves in contention as well after each landed in the ninth position at 1-over 143. Despite recording a double-bogey and bogey on the 10th and 12th holes, respectively, Michelini still managed an even-par round of 71 thanks in part to a trio of birdies on the front nine, climbing five spots on the leaderboard in the process. Meanwhile, Abercrombie posted a 72 on Tuesday, easing the sting of four bogeys with three birdies on the back nine.
The Aztec starting lineup also included senior Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.), who landed in the 22nd position at 4-over 146 after firing his second straight 73. Despite four birdies, Ree was unable to generate any momentum, with four bogeys and a double-bogey plaguing his round.
The Saint Mary's Invitational concludes on Wednesday when the Aztecs tee off alongside Saint Mary's and Oregon State for final-round action, beginning at 9:10 a.m. PT on hole No. 1. A live scoring link courtesy of Birdiefire will be available on GoAztecs.com.
Saint Mary's InvitationalRound Two ResultsPoppy Hills G.C.Pebble Beach, Calif.Par 71, 6,868 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 of 15 schools)1. San Diego State 287-279--566 (-2)2. Saint Mary's 279-294--573 (+5)3. Oregon State 294-285--579 (+11)4. UC Davis 293-288--581 (+13)5. Arizona 297-287--584 (+16)
Individual Leaders (Top 6 of 84 players + SDSU)T1. Pavan Sagoo, Saint Mary's 69-71--140 (-2)T1. Jonathan De Los Reyes, Saint Mary's 69-71--140 (-2)T3. Gunn Yang, SDSU 71-70--141 (-1)T3. Jordan Gumberg, Arizona 74-67--141 (-1)T3. Chris Tedesco, Oregon State 73-68--141 (-1)T3. Seb Crookall-Nixon, San Francisco 73-68--141 (-1)---T7. Brian Song, SDSU 76-66--142 (E)T9. Blake Abercrombie, SDSU 71-72--143 (E)T9. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU 72-71--143 (+1)T22. Ryann Ree, SDSU 73-73--146 (+4)