RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif. – The San Diego State men's golf team had four individuals participate in The Farms Invitational this week, led by Christian Banke (Danville, Calif.) and Newport Laparojkit (Montebello, Calif.), who tied for seventh place on Tuesday after each completed the tournament with a collective 2-over-par 218 at The Farms Golf Club.
Banke entered the final round in a tie for second after carding a 2-under 144 (74-68) through 36 holes. However, the Aztec sophomore finished with a 76 to tumble five places on the leaderboard. Banke had things rolling with a birdie on his first hole, the par-5, 569-yard No. 12, followed by consecutive pars. He also added another conversion at the par-5 18th, but four bogeys, along with a double bogey at the par-3 No. 16, derailed his momentum. Despite the hiccup, Banke still racked up his highest finish of the season and his second top-10 placement in an SDSU uniform.
Laparojkit, meanwhile, slipped one notch in the standings on Tuesday after recording his second straight 71. Starting on No. 18, the Aztec junior played spot-free golf through 14 holes, highlighted by five birdies, including a successful drain on the par-4, 435-yard 10th, which ranked as the second-most difficult hole of the week. Sitting at 5-under for the day, Laparojkit followed with three consecutive pars before faltering down the stretch with a double bogey at the par-3 14th to go with bogeys at No. 16 and No. 17. Despite the stumble, the transfer from South Carolina Beaufort still equaled his best finish of the season.
Elsewhere, Joey Moore (Billings, Mont.) was the third Aztec to finish among the top 20 this week, tying for 18th at 8-over 224 after matching Laparojkit with a 71 on Tuesday. The SDSU freshman sank a team-high seven birdies, including an impressive conversion on the par-3, 207-yard No. 5, which ranked as the toughest hole of the final round and third-most difficult of the tournament. Although Moore climbed 13 places on the leaderboard, three bogeys and a double bogey on the front nine prevented a steeper ascent.
The Aztec contingent also included Ambrose Abbracciamento (Newtown, Pa.), who shaved five strokes of his second-round total with a 73 on Tuesday to tie for 36th at 14-over 230. The SDSU junior managed to offset four bogeys and a triple bogey with four birdies, as well as an eagle-3 on No. 18.
California's Collin Morikawa (-13) ran away with medalist honors after shooting a final-round 65, easily outdistancing Loyola Marymount's Riley Elmes (-2), while fellow teammates Sebastian Crampton (-1) and K.K. Limbhasut (-1) tied for third, propelling the Golden Bears to the team title.
San Diego State will officially open its spring season next week when it competes in The Prestige at PGA West, Feb. 18-20, in La Quinta Calif.
The Farms Invitational
Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.
Final SDSU Results
The Farms G.C.
Par 72, 6,947 Yards
T7. Christian Banke, SDSU^... 74-68-76—218 (+2)
T7. Newport Laparojkit, SDSU^...76-71-71—218 (+2)
T18. Joey Moore, SDSU^...77-76-71—224 (+8)
T36. Ambrose Abbracciamento, SDSU^...79-78-73—230 (+14)
^ - competed as individuals
Four Men’s Golfers Compete at The Farms Invite
