Mendoza Ties for Second at SW Jones Invite
Men's Golf

Mendoza Ties for Second at SW Jones Invite

Mendoza Ties for Second at SW Jones InviteMendoza Ties for Second at SW Jones Invite

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)