Nov. 2, 2015
Round One PDF Results | Live Results
CARLSBAD, Calif. -- San Diego State's Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy) fired a 2-under-par 69 on Monday to lead the Aztec men's golf team during the opening round of the Gifford Collegiate at OMNI La Costa Resort and Spa. With his total, the Aztec senior landed in a three-way tie for fourth place on the individual leaderboard heading into Tuesday's second round on the par-71, 6,996-yard Legends Course.
Collectively, SDSU occupies the fifth spot in the team standings, with just seven strokes separating the top nine schools. The Aztecs shot a combined 6-over 290, along with South Florida and Arkansas to remain five strokes in back of co-leaders Stanford and Washington (+1), while host UCLA and Oregon (+3) are knotted in the third position.
Michelini was one of just nine players in the 81-golfer field to complete round one below par, posting a team-high five birdies, including an impressive conversion on his final green, the par-4, 493-yard No. 9, which ranked as the most difficult hole on Monday. Despite three bogeys, including two on the front nine, the SDSU senior notched his fourth straight round in the 60s and sits just two shots behind the leader, along with Colorado's Philip Juel-Berg and Corey Pereira of Washington. UCLA's Cole Madey fired a 4-under 67 to grab a slim one-stroke advantage over Arkansas' Alvaro Ortiz and Thomas Lim of Oregon, who both recorded a 68.
Aztec sophomore Gunn Yang (Pyeongchang, South Korea) finds himself three shots in back of Michelini in an eight-way tie for 17th after carding a 1-over 72. The former U.S. Amateur champion and Torrey Pines High alumnus drained three birdies on the day, including a successful make on the par-3, 155-yard No. 8, which ranked as the fourth-toughest hole of the opening round. However, two bogeys and a double on the par-4 15th stymied his momentum.
Elsewhere, Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.) saw his first varsity action of the season on Monday, landing in a tie for 35th after posting a 3-over 74. The SDSU junior found red numbers elusive, but managed to ease the sting of four bogeys with a team-high 13 pars as well as a birdie on his third-to-last hole, the par-5, 524-yard No. 7.
Meanwhile, Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.) completed the opening round in a tie for 45th after shooting a 4-over 75. The Aztec senior got off to a wobbly start with a bogey on the first green and a double-bogey-7 on No. 3, before reeling off eight pars over his next nine holes, followed by his lone birdie of the day on the par-4, 366-yard No. 4.
Rounding out the SDSU contingent was sophomore Blake Abercrombie (Rocklin, Calif.), who ended the day in a tie for 69th with six other players after carding a 78. Abercrombie opened with two straight pars, but was unable to recover from two double-bogeys and a triple on the par-5 12th.
The Gifford Collegiate continues on Tuesday when the Aztecs tee off alongside Colorado and Texas A&M for the second round beginning at 8 a.m. PDT on hole No. 1.
Gifford CollegiateDay One ResultsOMNI La Costa Resort & SpaCarlsbad, Calif.Par 71, 6,996 yards
Team Scores (Top 7 of 15 schools + SDSU)T1. Stanford...285 (+1)T1. Washington...285 (+1)T3. Oregon...287 (+3)T3. UCLA...287 (+3)T5. San Diego State...290 (+6)T5. South Florida...290 (+6)T5. Arkansas...290 (+6)
Individual Leaders (Top 6 of 81 players + SDSU)1. Cole Madey, UCLA...67 (-4)T2. Alvaro Ortiz, Arkansas...68 (-3)T2. Thomas Lim, Oregon...68 (-2)T4. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU...69 (-2)T4. Philip Juel-Berg, Colorado...69 (-2)T4. Corey Pereira, Washington...69 (2)---T17. Gunn Yang, SDSU...72 (+1)T35. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU...74 (+3)T45. Ryann Ree, SDSU...75 (+4)T69. Blake Abercrombie, SDSU...78 (+7)