Men's Golf Finishes Fifth at Lamkin SD Classic

CHULA VISTA, Calif. – The San Diego State men's golf team was unable to gain ground at the Lamkin San Diego Classic on Tuesday, remaining in fifth place after shooting a 1-over-par 289 during the final round at San Diego Country Club.

Despite drier weather conditions, the Aztecs completed their lone home tournament of the season with a collective 8-over 872, finishing a distant 11 shots behind fourth-place North Carolina on the par-72, 7,033-yard track.

Arizona State (-10) held off a late charge by Texas (-9) to capture the team title, while Saint Mary's (-4) landed in the third spot after posting the lowest team score of the day with a 278.

SDSU had two starters finish among the individual top 20, led by Puwit Anupansuebsai (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand), who jumped two places into a tie for eighth at 1-under 215 after carding a 71. The Aztec sophomore countered a trio of bogeys with four birdies, including an impressive conversion on the par-4, 401-yard No. 5, which ranked as the fifth-toughest hole of the day. He also posted back-to-back drains on the 14th and 15th greens to help secure his highest placement in a Scarlet and Black uniform.

In addition, Leo Oyo (Tokyo, Japan) finished four shots behind his SDSU teammate, tying for 20th at 3-over 219 on the heels of a final-round 73.  The Aztec freshman recorded 12 pars and sank three birdies, including a pair on the back nine. However, two bogeys and a double bogey on the par-3 No. 6 hastened his drop of two places on the leaderboard.

On the flip side, Joey Moore (Billings, Mont.) made the biggest leap for San Diego State on Tuesday, vaulting 20 places into a tie for 38th at 7-over 223 after matching Anupansuebsai's 71. The Aztec freshman led the team with five birdies, including successive conversions at No. 4 and No. 5, with the former ranking as the third-most difficult hole of the week. He also had a drain on the par-3 No. 13, which was rated as the fourth-toughest hole of the tournament, but two bogeys along with a double bogey on the par-5 eighth prevented a steeper ascent.

Sophomore Zihao Jin (Beijing, China) experienced the opposite fate, however, tumbling 24 places into a tie for 50th at 9-over 225 thanks to a final-round 78. The Rancho Bernardo High alumnus got off to a wobbly start with five bogeys on the front nine and was unable to recover despite birdies on the 12th and 14th greens.

Elsewhere, freshman Youssef Guezzale (San Diego, Calif.) made a slight gain on Tuesday, jumping two spots into a tie for 61st at 11-over 227 after logging a 74. The La Jolla High product drained a birdie of his own at No. 13 after successful drain at the par-5 second. Despite 12 pars, however, Guezzale's progress was hindered by four bogeys, including one on the 18th green at the end of his day.

SDSU also featured four individual competitors at its lone home tournament of the season, including Christian Banke (Danville, Calif.), who logged his second top-20 placement of the year with a tie for 16th at 1-over 217. The Aztec sophomore notched 13 pars and two birdies en route to a 73 but fell six places in the standings, thanks in part to a trio of bogeys.

Newport Laparojkit (Montebello, Calif.) also recorded a 73 on Tuesday, but slipped two spots into a tie for 20th at 3-over 219. The junior transfer from South Carolina Beaufort opened with birdies on his first two holes and sank four on the day, but ran out of steam on the back nine where he witnessed four of his five bogeys.

Rounding out the Aztec delegation were senior Otto Vanhatalo (Espoo, Finland) and junior Ambrose Abbracciamento (Newtown, Pa.), who landed in the 83rd and 86th positions, respectively.

Vanhatalo (+19, 235) saved his best for last, firing a final-round 73 highlighted by birdies on the first and second greens, while Abbracciamento suffered the opposite fate, stumbling to an 81 to finish at 21-over 237 for the tournament.

In addition to its team title, Arizona State boast the individual winner, as Mason Andersen made birdie on the par-4 18th to defeat Cole Hammer of Texas and Blake Hathcoat of Saint Mary's on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff. All three golfers finished regulation at 6-under 210.

San Diego State will play the second of three consecutive events next week when it competes in the Arizona National Invitational Tournament, March 18-19, on the Catalina Course at OMNI Tucson National Golf Club.

Lamkin San Diego Classic
Chula Vista, Calif.
Final Results
San Diego C.C.
Par 72, 7,033 yards
 
Team Standings (Top 5 of 15 teams)
1. Arizona State...280-281-293—854 (-10)
2. Texas...283-288-284—855 (-9)
3. Saint Mary's...283-299-278—860 (-4)
4. North Carolina...285-290-286—861 (-3)
5. San Diego State...288-295-289—872 (+8)             
 
Individual Leaders (Top 7 of 92 players + SDSU)       
T1. Mason Andersen, Arizona State*...69-69-72—210 (-6)
T1. Cole Hammer, Texas...69-75-66—210 (-6)
T1. Blake Hathcoat, Saint Mary's...71-71-68—210 (-6)
T4. Austin Hitt, North Carolina...69-73-71—213 (-3)
T4. Chun An Yu, Arizona State...70-70-73—213 (-3)
T4. Pierceson Coody, Texas...71-65-77—213 (-3)
T4. Trevor Werbyko, Arizona...71-71-67—213 (-3)

*- won three-way playoff on first sudden-death hole
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T8. Puwit Anupansuebsai, SDSU...69-75-71—215 (-1)
T16. Christian Banke, SDSU^...71-73-73—217 (+1)
T20. Leo Oyo, SDSU...74-72-73—219 (+3)
T20. Newport Laparojkit, SDSU^...73-73-73—219 (+3)
T38. Joey Moore, SDSU...77-75-71—223 (+7)
T50. Zihao Jin, SDSU...68-79-78—225 (+9)
T61. Youssef Guezzale, SDSU...80-73-74—227 (+11)
83. Otto Vanhatalo, SDSU^...80-82-73—235 (+19)
86. Ambrose Abbracciamento, SDSU^...77-79-81—237 (+21)
 
^ - competed as an individual