May 17, 2016
Round Two PDF Results | Live Results
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Battling windy conditions, the San Diego State men's golf team shot a combined 24-over-par 312 on Tuesday to remain in a sixth-place tie with New Mexico following the second round of the 2016 NCAA Albuquerque Regional at UNM South Championship Course.
With their score, the Aztecs find themselves just two strokes out of the fifth spot with a 36-hole total of 29-over 605 heading into Wednesday's final round on the par-72, 7,555-yard layout. The top five finishing teams will clinch a berth in the NCAA championship series, slated for May 27-June 1 in Eugene, Ore.
Just 10 strokes separate the second-place team from the eighth-place squad, with Arizona State (+6) taking complete control of the standings after logging the lone sub-300 score on Tuesday with an 8-over 296. Despite carding a 305, TCU (+21) jumped three places into second ahead of South Florida (+24), while USC (+26) occupies the fourth spot, followed closely by Texas A&M (+27), SDSU (+29), host New Mexico (+29) and Texas Tech (+31).
On a day when the average individual round ballooned by over four strokes from 75.36 to 79.91, the Aztecs had just two individuals break 80, led by Gunn Yang (Pyeongchang, South Korea), who carded a 75. The SDSU sophomore was hampered by three bogeys and a double on his first eight holes before closing strong with seven pars and two birdies. With his score, the 2014 U.S. Amateur champion vaulted 11 places into a tie for fifth on the individual leaderboard, along with fellow teammate Ryann Ree (Redondo Beach, Calif.) at 4-over 148.
Ree was the only other Aztec to display upward mobility, jumping five places from the previous day after posting a second-round 76. The SDSU senior was 5-over through No. 10 and appeared to have righted the ship on his ensuing four holes with three pars to go with a birdie at the par-4, 508-yard 13th, which ranked as the fifth-toughest green on Tuesday.
However, Ree had his momentum temporarily derailed with a double-bogey at No. 15, before finishing with two pars and an eagle on the par-5, 544-yard 18th. On the final hole, the two-time all-Mountain West performer drained a clutch 40-foot putt after hitting his second shot with a hybrid from 230 yards out into a stiff wind.
With their respective rounds, Yang and Ree share the fifth position with Texas Tech's Hannes Ronneblad and Rigel Fernandes of South Florida, remaining eight strokes in back of Arizona State's front-runner Jon Rahm (-4), who was the lone golfer in the 75-player field to break par, while Ryan Books of TCU and USC's Sean Crocker are tied for second at even-par 144, followed by Jared duToit of ASU (+1), who sits in fourth.
The remainder of the Aztec starting lineup lost ground on Tuesday, including PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii), who slipped into a tie for 35th at 10-over 154 after carding an 80. The SDSU sophomore recorded eight pars on the front, but a triple-bogey on the par-4 fifth proved to be a harbinger of things to come. However, Samiere struggled after the turn, posting four bogeys and one double to tumble 11 places on the leaderboard.
Similarly, junior Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.) experienced tough sledding after opening with a birdie on the par-5 No. 1. The reigning Mountain West Player of the Year was saddled with eight bogeys and a double en route to an 81, dropping six spots into a tie for 41st at 12-over 156.
The day was also unkind to Riccardo Michelini, who suffered a more precipitous drop, tumbling 33 places into a tie for 57th at 16-over 160 on the heels of an 86. The Aztec senior's lone bright spot of the round featured a birdie on the par-4, 360-yard 15th.
The NCAA Albuquerque Regional concludes on Wednesday when San Diego State tees off with USC and Texas A&M for final-round action, starting at 7:50 a.m. MT/6:50 a.m. PT on hole No. 1.
NCAA Albuquerque Regional
Round Two Results
UNM South Championship Course
Albuquerque, N.M.
Par 72, 7,555 yards
Team Scores (14 schools)
1. Arizona State ... 286-296--582 (+6)
2. TCU ... 292-305--597 (+21)
3. South Florida ... 289-311--600 (+24)
4. USC ... 291-311--602 (+26)
5. Texas A&M ... 296-307--603 (+27)
T6. San Diego State ... 293-312--605 (+29)
T6. New Mexico ... 294-311--605 (+29)
8. Texas Tech ... 291-316--607 (+31)
T9. Liberty ... 297-319--616 (+40)
T9. Iowa ... 302-314--616 (+40)
11. NC State ... 305-314--619 (+43)
13. Cleveland State ... 312-316--628 (+52)
11. Army ... 303-330--633 (+57)
14. Wagner ... 316-329--645 (+69)
Individual Leaders (Top 8 of 75 players + SDSU)
T1. Jon Rahm, Arizona State ... 69-71--140 (-4)
T2. Sean Crocker, USC ... 70-74--144 (E)
T2. Ryan Books, TCU ... 70-74--144 (E)
4. Jared duToit, Arizona State ... 72-73--145 (+1)
T5. Gunn Yang, SDSU ... 73-75--148 (+4)
T5. Ryann Ree, SDSU ... 72-76--148 (+4)
T5. Rigel Fernandes, South Florida ... 69-79--148 (+4)
T5. Hannes Ronneblad, Texas Tech ... 73-75--148 (+4)
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T35. PJ Samiere, SDSU ... 74-80--154 (+10)
T41. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU ... 75-81--156 (+12)
T57. Riccardo Michelini, SDSU ... 74-86--160 (+16)