March 1, 2016
Final Results | Final PDF Results
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. ââ'¬" San Diego State men's golfer Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.) landed in a tie for second place at the Southwestern Jones Invitational on Tuesday after carding a 2-under par 70 during the final round of competition at North Ranch Country Club.
With his total, the Aztec junior completed the 54-hole tournament with a combined 7-under 209 to share the runner-up spot with USC's Jonah Texeira, finishing just one shot in back of another Trojan player Andrew Levitt, who fired a 68 over the final 18 holes to claim medalist honors at 8-under 208.
Despite posting the second-lowest team score of 283 during the final round, SDSU was unable to make a move in the standings from the previous day, remaining in the third position with a collective 1-under 863 on the par-72, 6,992-yard course layout.
With four starters recording top-10 individual finishes, USC (-26) cruised to the team title by a whopping 20 strokes over Pepperdine (-6), while the Aztecs (-1) took third, followed by Oregon (+5) and Sam Houston State (+16), which rounded out the top five.
Mendoza, who led the tournament field with 19 birdies, added six more Tuesday, including an impressive conversion on the par-4, 415-yard No. 11, which ranked as the most difficult hole of the final round. However, the Francis Parker High product was unable to avoid disaster on the par-3 17th, logging a double-bogey, which prevented a climb into the top spot. Despite the hiccup, Mendoza matched his highest finish in an SDSU uniform and registered the fourth top-five placement of his career.
Meanwhile, senior Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.) made a late charge on the individual leaderboard, vaulting 12 places into the fourth position after firing the lowest score of the final round with a blazing 65. The reigning Mountain West Men's Golfer of the Week entered the day in a tie for 16th, but quickly climbed into contention thanks to a team-high eight birdies, including five on his final seven holes. With his card, Ree equaled the lowest 18-hole total of his career, completing the tournament one shot behind Mendoza at 6-under 210.
However, the rest of the Aztec contingent was not as fortunate on Tuesday, including senior Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy), who slipped 10 spots into a tie for 26th at 4-over 220 after shooting an uncharacteristic 75 during the final round. The SDSU captain was 1-under for the day after making birdie on the par-5, 526-yard No. 12, but two straight bogeys followed by a triple-bogey on the par-5 15th hastened his fall out of the top-20.
Elsewhere, PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii) made a modest gain on the leaderboard, climbing seven spots into a tie for 40th at 9-over 225. The Aztec sophomore shot a 73 over the final 18 holes, highlighted by an eagle on the par-5, 493-yard No. 6 to go with a birdie-3 on the 14th, which ranked as the second-toughest hole on Tuesday. However, a double-bogey on the par-5 15th prevented a steeper ascent.
Rounding out the SDSU delegation was Blake Abercrombie (Rocklin, Calif.), who stumbled four places into 58th at 14-over 230 on the heels of a final-round 76. The Aztec sophomore sank a trio of birdies on the day, but three bogeys and two double-bogeys proved too much to overcome.
SDSU returns to the course in two weeks when it serves as co-host for the Lamkin San Diego Classic, March 14-15 at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, Calif.
Southwestern Jones Invitational
Final Results
North Ranch C.C.
Westlake Village, Calif.
Par 72, 6,992 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 of 15 schools)
1. USC ... 280-272-286-838 (-26)
2. Pepperdine ... 285-280-293-858 (-6)
3. San Diego State ... 288-292-283-863 (-1)
4. Oregon ... 291-290-288-869 (+5)
5. Sam Houston State ... 294-304-282-880 (+16)
Individual Leaders (Top 7 of 80 players + SDSU)
1. Andrew Levitt, USC ... 72-68-68-208 (-8)
T2. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU ... 70-69-70-209 (-7)
T2. Jonah Texeira, USC ... 69-67-73-209 (-7)
4. Ryann Ree, SDSU ... 72-73-65-210 (-6)
T5. Maverick Antcliff, Augusta ... 71-71-69-211 (-5)
T5. Frederick Wedel, Pepperdine ... 72-69-70-211 (-5)
T5. Sean Crocker, USC ... 69-68-74-211 (-5)
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T26. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU ... 71-74-75-220 (+4)
T47. PJ Samiere, SDSU ... 76-76-73-225 (+9)
T58. Blake Abercrombie, SDSU ... 75-79-76-230 (+14)