Oct. 31, 2017
Final Results | Final PDF Results
PRINCEVILLE, Hawaii -- The San Diego State men's golf team finished in second place at the Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational on Tuesday after posting the lowest collective score of the final round with a 19-under-par 269 at Princevillle Makai Golf Club.
With their total, the Aztecs climbed two spots in the standings, completing the tournament with a 47-under 817, marking the second-lowest 54-hole score in program history. Consequently, SDSU ended the day nine shots behind champion Louisville (-56), while Missouri (-40) slipped into third, followed by UCLA (-37) and Wake Forest (-33).
Individual scores increased by over a stroke (71.11 to 72.25) between the second and final rounds on the par-72, 7,223-yard loop, but four of SDSU's five starters still managed to gain ground on the leaderboard Tuesday.
Blake Abercrombie (Rocklin, Calif.) was the Aztecs' No. 1 golfer this week, jumping three places into the sixth position with a career-best 16-under 200 after logging a 66 over the final 18 holes. The SDSU senior snared the team lead with eight birdies, including three straight on holes 8-10. The reigning California State Fair Amateur champion also recorded an impressive drain on the par-4, 476-yard 17th, which ranked as the toughest green of the tournament.
With his round, Abercrombie registered his highest placement of the season, finishing five strokes in back of Louisville's Simon Zach, who took home medalist honors with a 21-under 195. In addition, Missouri's Hayden Buckley (-19) landed in the runner-up spot, while the Cardinals' Mattias Schmid and Georgia Southern's Steven Fisk tied for third at 18-under, followed by Sam Houston State's Noah Steele (-17).
However, the low round of the day belonged to the Aztecs' Trevor Norby (Carlsbad, Calif.), who carded a career-best 63 to vault 29 places into a tie for eighth at 12-under 204. The SDSU sophomore played spot-free golf on Tuesday, sinking seven birdies, including a successful make on the par-3, 202-yard 16th, which ranked as the fourth-most difficult hole of the week. To top off his collegiate-high finish, the San Marcos High alumnus also recorded an eagle on his final hole of the day at the par-4, 464-yard No. 1.
Norby's 63 marked the Aztecs' lowest 18-hole figure in relation to par since Alex Kang carded a 9-under 62 in the opening round of the 2010 Alister MacKenzie Invitational, where he captured the individual title. J.J. Spaun also notched a 63 at the NCAA Stanford Regional, which was contested on the par-70 Stanford Golf Course.
Elsewhere, PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii) was SDSU's third golfer to post a sub-70 round, firing a 69 to leap two spots into a tie for 13th at 9-under 207. The Aztec senior matched Norby with seven birdies, including an impressive string of five straight to end the day. However, four bogeys prevented a steeper ascent.
For third straight round, Steve Sugimoto (San Diego, Calif.) shot a 71, moving up four places into a tie for 41st at 3-under 213 in his first varsity appearance for the Scarlet and Black. The SDSU freshman notched 15 pars while offsetting a bogey with a pair of birdies. One of his conversions was collected at the par-4, 385-yard No. 4, which ranked as the fifth-toughest hole of the tournament.
Also making his first collegiate start this week was freshman Zihao Jin (Beijing, China), a prep teammate of Sugimoto's at Rancho Bernardo High who dropped 31 places into tie for 46th at 2-under 214 after stumbling to a 76 on Tuesday. Jin managed to ease the sting of three bogeys with a pair of birdies at No. 2 and No. 11. However, a triple bogey on the par-5 18th precipitated his drop.
San Diego State returns to the fairways next week when it competes in the Saint Mary's Invitational, Nov. 6-8, at the famed Poppy Hills Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California. The Aztecs are the two-time defending champions.
Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational
Final Results
Princeville Makai G.C.
Princeville, Hawaii
Par 72, 7,223 yards
Team Standings (Top 5 of 20 teams)
1. Louisville...266-269-273--808 (-56)
2. San Diego State...274-274-269--817 (-47)
3. Missouri...270-270-284--824 (-40)
4. UCLA...279-268-280--827 (-37)
5. Wake Forest...281-271-279--831 (-33)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 110 players + SDSU)
1. Simon Zach, Louisville...66-63-66--195 (-21)
2. Hayden Buckley, Missouri...66-61-70--197 (-19)
T3. Steven Fisk, Georgia Southern...71-60-67--198 (-18)
T3. Mattias Schmid, Louisville...66-66-66--198 (-18)
5. Noah Steele, Sam Houston State...68-64-67--199 (-17)
---
6. Blake Abercrombie, SDSU...65-69-66--200 (-16)
T8. Trevor Norby, SDSU...69-72-63--204 (-12)
T13. PJ Samiere, SDSU...73-65-69--207 (-9)
T41. Steve Sugimoto, SDSU...71-71-71--213 (-3)
T46. Zihao Jin, SDSU...69-69-76--214 (-2)