Feb. 15, 2016
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LA QUINTA, Calif. -- San Diego State's Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.) fired a 3-under-par 68 on Monday to lead the 25th-ranked Aztec men's golf team during the opening round of The Prestige at PGA WEST. With his total, the Aztec senior landed in a five-way tie for third place on the individual leaderboard heading into Tuesday's second round on the par-71, 7,046-yard Greg Norman Course.
Collectively, SDSU ended the day in a tie for the ninth spot, with nine of the top 10 teams separated by 12 shots. The Aztecs posted a combined 10-over 294, along with Gonzaga, to remain six strokes out of the top five, while LSU (-7) opened up a five-shot advantage over co-host Stanford (-2). After 18th holes, USC occupies the third position followed by defending tournament champion Arizona State (+3) and Duke (+4).
Ree was the lone SDSU player to complete round one below par, draining a team-high four birdies, including an impressive make on the par-3, 192-yard No. 13, which ranked as the fourth-toughest green on Monday, as well as his finishing hole, the par-4, 359-yard ninth. In addition, the Aztec senior carded 11 pars and just one bogey en route to his team-leading fifth round of the season in the 60s.
With his total, Ree, sits just two strokes behind the leader, along with Arizona State's Jared du Toit, Maverick McNealy of Stanford, LSU's Zach Wright and Rico Hoey of USC. Pepperdine's Frederick Wedel fired a 5-under 66 to grab a slim one-shot advantage over Brandon Wu of Stanford, who recorded a 68.
SDSU junior Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.) finds himself five strokes in back of Ree in an eight-way tie for 24th after carding a 2-over 73. The Francis Parker High alumnus overcame a double-bogey on his second hole, the par-4, 337-yard 11th, with a trio of birdies, including back-to-back conversions on the third and fourth greens. However, two bogeys on his final five holes stalled his advance.
Elsewhere, Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy) finished the opening round in a massive 10-player logjam for 32nd after firing a 3-over 74. Despite consecutive birdies at Nos. 11-12 and an eagle on the par-5, 537-yard 16th, the Aztec senior was unable to sustain the early momentum, posting a double-bogey at the turn, followed by five bogeys on the back nine to fall out of contention.
Rounding out the SDSU contingent was senior Michael Koeneke (San Diego, Calif.) and sophomore Gunn Yang (Pyeongchang, South Korea), who ended the day in a tie for 71st with three other golfers after each posted a 79. Yang was even through 10 holes after offsetting two bogeys with a pair of birdies, but three double-bogeys and two bogeys down the stretch sandbagged his round.
Koeneke, meanwhile, found himself behind the eight-ball almost immediately, completing the first two holes at 6-over, before sinking three birdies to ease the sting of five additional bogeys.
The Prestige at PGA WEST continues on Tuesday when the Aztecs tee off alongside Saint Mary's and UC Davis for the second round beginning at 7:30 a.m. PT on hole No. 1.
The Prestige at PGA WESTRound One ResultsGreg Norman CourseLa Quinta, Calif.Par 71, 7,046 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 of 15 schools + SDSU)1. LSU ... 277 (-7)2. Stanford ... 282 (-2)3. USC ... 285 (+1)4. Arizona State ... 287 (+3)5. Duke ... 288 (+4)---T9. San Diego State. ... 294 (+10)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 81 players + SDSU)1. Frederick Wedel, Pepperdine ... 66 (-5)2. Brandon Wu, Stanford ... 67 (-4)T3. Ryann Ree, SDSU ... 68 (-3)T3. Jared du Toit, Arizona State ... 68 (-3)T3. Maverick McNealy, Stanford ... 68 (-3)T3. Zach Wright, LSU ... .68 (-3)T3. Rico Hoey, USC ... 68 (-3)---T24. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU ... 73 (+2)T32. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU ... 74 (+3)T71. Gunn Yang, SDSU ... 79 (+8)T71. Michael Koeneke, SDSU ... 79 (+8)