Oct. 13, 2015
Final PDF Results | Final Results
FAIRFAX, Calif. -- Bolstered by two top-six individual efforts, the San Diego State men's golf team placed fourth on Tuesday after firing a 10-under par 274 during the final round of the Alister MacKenzie Invitational at the exclusive Meadow Club. With their result, the Aztecs climbed one spot in the standings from round two, completing the tournament at 31-under 821 on the par-71, 6,734-yard track.
As temperatures soared above 90 degrees for the second day in a row, the competition was equally heated once again, with 10 schools in the 16-team event posting collective totals below par during the final round, while 31 individuals in the 80-golfer field carded red figures, including 25 in the 60s. SDSU, which tied its third-lowest 54-hole score in program history, finished 11 shots in back of host school and team champion California (-42), while Pepperdine (-33) and Arizona State (-33) were deadlocked in the runner-up position.
SDSU was paced by Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.), who landed in the fifth spot on the leaderboard with a collegiate-best 14-under 199 on the heels of a final-round 67. After offsetting two bogeys with a pair of birdies on the front nine, the Aztec senior drained an additional four birdies over the next six holes, including a successful conversion on the par-5, 506-yard 15th, which propelled him into the lead temporarily. However, the former Oregon transfer was unable to sustain the momentum, going par-bogey-par on his last three greens to drop out of contention. Despite the stumble, Ree still managed to record his highest finish of the year and tied former teammate Xander Schauffele for the fourth-best 54-hole tally on the school's all-time charts.
Not to be outdone, fellow classmate Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy) finished one stroke behind Ree in solo sixth at 13-under 200 after firing a 65 to tie Michigan's Kyle Mueller for low honors in the final round. After notching his best 18-hole total in a Scarlet and Black uniform during round two, the native Italian was one shot better on Tuesday, climbing two places on the strength of a team-high seven birdies, including five on the front nine. With his effort, Michelini now shares the sixth spot with Colin Featherstone for lowest three-round figure in SDSU history.
In addition, Ree and Michelini became the first set of Aztec golfers to post three sub-70 rounds in the same tournament since Featherstone and Todd Baek accomplished the feat, ironically, at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational in 2010.
The remainder of the Aztec delegation also displayed upward mobility on Tuesday, including PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii), who climbed eight places into a five-way tie for 30th at 3-under 210. The SDSU sophomore was 2-over for the day after making his second bogey on the par-4, 382-yard No. 12, but closed with a rush, collecting three birdies and three pars down the stretch for a final-round 70.
Elsewhere, Brian Song (Beverly Hills, Calif.) and Gunn Yang (Pyeongchang, South Korea) each recorded their second 71 of the tournament on Tuesday. Song offset three bogeys with a trio of birdies, including back-to-back conversions on the 15th and 16th greens, to jump six spots into a tie for 47th at 2-over 215. Yang, meanwhile, moved up four places in the standings into the 61st position at 5-over 218 despite a bogey on the par-4 18th.
San José State's Cody Blick (-17) outlasted Jon Rahm of Arizona State (-16) and Pepperdine's Frederick Wedel (-16) for medalist honors, while Mueller (-15) took fourth, followed by Ree and Michelini.
San Diego State will have the next three weeks off before wrapping up its fall schedule at the Gifford Collegiate, Nov. 2-4, in Carlsbad, Calif. UCLA will serve as host to the three-day tournament at OMNI La Costa Resort and Spa.
Alister MacKenzie InvitationalFinal ResultsThe Meadow ClubFairfax, Calif.Par 71, 6,734 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 of 16 schools)1. California...268-270-272--810 (-42)T2. Pepperdine...267-278-274--819 (-33)T2. Arizona State...277-269-273--819 (-33)4. San Diego State...277-270-274--821 (-31)5. Michigan...277-269-275--824 (-28)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 80 players + SDSU)1. Cody Blick, San José State...64-65-67--196 (-17)T2. Jon Rahm, Arizona State...68-63-66--197 (-16)T2. Frederick Wedel, Pepperdine...64-67-66--197 (-16)4. Kyle Mueller, Michigan...69-64-65--198 (-15)5. Ryann Ree, SDSU...66-65-68--199 (-14)---6. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU...69-66-65--200 (-13)T30. PJ Samiere, SDSU ...74-66-70--210 (-3)T47. Brian Song, SDSU...71-73-71--215 (+2)T61. Gunn Yang, SDSU...71-76-71--218 (+5)