Oct. 24, 2016
Round One PDF Results | Live Results
PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. -- The San Diego State men's golf team finds itself in ninth place after shooting a 15-over-par 299 on Monday during the opening round of the Saint Mary's Invitational at Poppy Hills Golf Course.
Despite the high number, the Aztecs remain just nine strokes off the pace heading into Tuesday's second round on the par-71, 6,927-yard layout.
With tougher-than-expected conditions due to high winds, none of the schools in the 14-team field finished in red figures on Monday, as Gonzaga and Fresno State each carded a 6-over 290 to grab a share of the lead, while host Saint Mary's, Oregon State, Arizona and Santa Clara find themselves in a four-way tie for third at 12-over 296. In addition, San Francisco (+13) and UC Santa Barbara (+14) occupy the seventh and eighth spots, respectively, on a crowded leaderboard.
Individually, SDSU was paced by Blake Abercrombie (Rocklin, Calif.), who ended the day in a tie for sixth after posting a 1-over 72. Despite three bogeys on his last five holes, the Aztec junior tied for the team lead with four birdies, including back-to-back conversions on the third and fourth greens. With his round, Abercrombie sits just three shots in back of co-leaders Eduardo Carrete of Saint Mary's and San Francisco's Tim Widing, who each fired a 2-under 69.
The rest of the SDSU lineup finished within three shots of one another, including seniors Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.) and Gunn Yang (Pyeongchang, South Korea), who¬ landed in a tie for 29th after each recorded an opening-round 75.
Following a trio of bogeys on the front nine, Mendoza sank consecutive birdies after the turn to get to 1-over for the day. However, the Francis Parker High alumnus was unable to sustain the momentum, suffering three additional bogeys down the stretch, including one on the par-4, 399-yard No. 13, which ranked as the toughest hole on Monday.
Yang, meanwhile, registered four birdies of his own, including consecutive drains at No. 9 and No. 10. However, three bogeys and a double on his next four holes thwarted his advance.
Elsewhere, PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii) finds himself in a tie for 53rd after notching a 77. The Aztec junior capped each nine with a birdie, but those weren't enough to overcome the sting of six bogeys and a double on the par-4, 414-yard No. 7.
Rounding out the SDSU rotation was redshirt freshman Trevor Norby (Carlsbad, Calif.), who finished the day in a tie for 63rd on the heels of a 78. The San Marcos High product made four birdies as well, but two untimely triples on the front nine sandbagged his round.
The Aztecs were also represented by sophomore Otto Vanhatalo (Espoo, Finland), an individual competitor who remains tied for 78th after stumbling to an 82 despite opening with a birdie on his first hole, the par-5, 527-yard No. 10.
San Diego State will tee off alongside San Francisco and UC Santa Barbara for the second round of the second round of the Saint Mary Invitational, which gets underway Tuesday at 7:40 a.m. PT on hole No. 1.
Saint Mary's Invitational
Round One Results
Poppy Hills G.C.
Pebble Beach, Calif.
Par 71, 6,927 yards
Team Scores (Top 6 of 14 teams + SDSU)
T1. Gonzaga...290 (+6)
T1. Fresno State...290 (+6)
T3. Saint Mary's...296 (+12)
T3. Oregon State...296 (+12)
T3. Arizona...296 (+12)
T3. Santa Clara...296 (+12)
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9. San Diego State 299 (+15)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 84 players + SDSU)
T1. Eduardo Carrete, Saint Mary's...69 (-2)
T1. Tim Widing, San Francisco...69 (-2)
T3. Justin Avery, Fresno State...71 (E)
T3. Tyler Munetake, Gonzaga...71 (E)
T3. Matthew McCarty, Santa Clara...71 (E)
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T6. Blake Abercrombie SDSU...72 (+1)
T29. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU...75 (+4)
T29. Gunn Yang, SDSU...75 (+4)
T53. PJ Samiere, SDSU...77 (+6)
T63. Trevor Norby, SDSU...78 (+7)
T78. Otto Vanhatalo, SDSU* ...82 (+11)
* - competing as an individual