April 24, 2016
Final Results | Final PDF Results
TUCSON, Ariz. -- San Diego State's Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.) finished in a tie for third place on Sunday after firing a 5-under-par 67 to lead the Aztec men's golf team during the final round of the 2016 Mountain West Championship at OMNI Tucson National Golf Club.
As a team, SDSU came up short in its bid for a second straight conference title, completing the 54-hole tournament in a tie fourth with Colorado State at 4-under 860.
Despite shaving four strokes off their second-round total with an even-par 288, the Aztecs were unable to make a move in the standings, finishing 14 shots behind champion UNLV (-18), while New Mexico (-15) landed in the runner-up spot ahead of third-place Fresno State (-5) on the par-72, 7,194-yard Catalina Course.
Individually, Mendoza vaulted 14 spots on the leaderboard after matching his lowest single-round card in three MW tournament appearances, highlighted by four birdies to go with an eagle on the par-5, 511-yard No. 10. With his effort, the SDSU junior finished just three shots of the pace, along with Sam Kim of New Mexico and UNLV's Zane Thomas, as Trevor Clayton of Fresno State (-9) took home medalist honors, while Nevada's 36-hole leader Corey Eddings (-7) slipped into second. In addition, Mendoza completed his fourth top-five placement of the spring and sixth of his career.
The Aztecs' Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy) also saved his best for last, climbing six places into a four-way tie for 11th at 3-under 213 on the strength of a final-round 70. The SDSU senior captain offset four bogeys with a team-high six birdies, including an impressive conversion on the par-4, 470-yard 18th, which ranked as the toughest hole of the tournament. The 55-player field recorded just 11 birdies on the aforementioned green for the entire weekend.
PJ Samiere (Kailua Hawaii) was the only other Aztec starter to complete the MW Championship in red figures, landing in a tie for 20th at 1-under 215 after firing a 74 on Sunday. Despite shooting 2-under over his final 11 holes, the SDSU sophomore was plagued by rough stretch on the front, suffering two bogeys as well as a triple on the par-3 No. 4 to tumble out of the eighth position.
Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.) also lost ground on the leaderboard, slipping seven places into a tie for 43rd at 9-over 225 after logging a 77. The Aztec senior countered two bogeys with four birdies and eight pars; however, two doubles and an untimely triple on No. 18 precipitated his drop.
Rounding out the Scarlet and Black delegation was Blake Abercrombie (Rocklin, Calif.), who posted his second consecutive 80 to complete his first-ever conference championship in 52nd at 15-over 231. The SDSU sophomore shot 1-under after the turn, highlighted by a birdie on the par-5 10th; however, two double-bogeys and a triple on the front proved too much to overcome.
The Aztecs will await word of their postseason fate on Thursday, May 5, when regional bids are announced live on The Golf Channel at 9:30 a.m. ET/6:30 a.m. PT. This year's regional sites are Tucson, Ariz., Albuquerque, N.M., Stillwater, Okla., Kohler, Wis., Nashville, Tenn., and Tuscaloosa, Ala.
2016 Mountain West Championship
Final Results
OMNI Tucson National G.C.
Catalina Course
Tucson, Ariz.
Par 72, 7,194 yards
Team Scores (11 schools)
1. New Mexico ... 280-285-279--846 (-18)
2. UNLV ... 286-281-284--849 (-15)
3. Fresno State ... 275-295-288--859 (-5)
T4. San Diego State ... 280-292-288--860 (-4)
T4. Colorado State ... 281-292-287--860 (-4)
6. Wyoming ... 290-290-281--861 (-3)
7. Nevada ... 282-291-293--866 (+2)
8. San José State ... 295-289-285--869 (+5)
9. Boise State ... 291-289-292--872 (+8)
10. Air Force ... 287-293-298--878 (+14)
11. Utah State ...293-291-298--882 (+18)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 55 players + SDSU)
1. Trevor Clayton, Fresno State ... 66-72-69--207 (-9)
2. Corey Eddings, Nevada ... 65-71-73--209 (-7)
T3. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU ... 69-74-67--210 (-6)
T3. Zane Thomas, UNLV ... 71-72-67--210 (-6)
T3. Sam Kim, New Mexico ... 69-68-73--210 (-6)
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T11. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU ... 71-72-70--213 (-3)
T20. PJ Samiere, SDSU ... 69-72-74--215 (-1)
T43. Ryann Ree, SDSU ... 74-74-77--225 (+9)
52. Blake Abercrombie, SDSU ...71-80-80--231 (+15)