Men's Golf Climbs to Eighth at Duck Invitational

CRESWELL, Ore. – The San Diego State men's golf team climbed one notch into eighth place at the Duck Invitational after shooting a combined 7-over-par 295 on Tuesday during the final round at the par-72, 7,145-yard Emerald Valley Golf Club.

With their score, the Aztecs completed their fifth tournament of the spring and third straight in March with a 54-hole total of 27-over 891, finishing seven strokes behind Mountain West rival Nevada (+20) for fifth place, while another conference foe San José State (+21) took sixth, followed by San Francisco (+25).

Four of the five SDSU starters made gains on the individual leaderboard as well, including Christian Banke (Danville, Calif.), who jumped eight places into a tie for 16th a 4-over 220 after shooting a final-round 73. The Aztec sophomore drained consecutive birdies after the turn on the par-3 No. 2 and the par-5 No. 3 to secure his second top-20 placement this spring and third of the season.

In addition, Puwit Anupansuebsai (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand) and Steve Sugimoto (San Diego, Calif.) matched their fellow classmate with a 73 of their own on Tuesday.

Like Banke, Anupansuebsai eased the sting of four bogeys with two birdies as well, including an impressive conversion on the par-4, 405-yard No. 4, which ranked as the fifth-toughest hole of the tournament. The SDSU sophomore, who made a team-leading 37 pars for the week, added 13 more on Tuesday to move up seven spots into a tie for 29th at 6-over 222.

Sugimoto, meanwhile, made the Aztecs' biggest leap of the afternoon, vaulting 14 places into a tie for 38th at 9-over 225. Among the highlights for the Rancho Bernardo High alumnus was the second of his two birdies at the par-4, 440-yard No. 16, which ranked as the fourth-most difficult hole of the week.

On the flip side, Leo Oyo (Tokyo, Japan) was not as fortunate, slipping 13 spots into a tie for 56th at 13-over 229 thanks to a second consecutive 79. The SDSU freshman made eagle on the par-5 No. 3, but it wasn't enough to ease the sting of seven bogeys and one double bogey.

Rounding out the Aztec delegation was Joey Moore (Billings, Mont.), who made a modest gain of five places into a tie for 67th at 16-over 232 after carding a 76. After recording four bogeys on his first six holes, the SDSU freshman play spot-free golf through the turn, notching eight pars to go with birdies on the second and seventh greens. However, bogeys on his two finishing holes prevented a steeper ascent.

Oregon State (-3) was the lone school to compile a red figure as a team on Tuesday, firing a collective 4-under 284 to capture the team title by 10 strokes over intrastate adversary Oregon (+7), while Boise State (+11) landed in the third spot, followed by Seattle University (+18).

The Ducks' Ryan Gronlund (-5) edged Cameron Kaneko of Hawai'i (-4) for medalist honors, while Oregon State's Nolan Thoroughgood (-2) climbed nine places into third.

San Diego State will have one final tune-up before the Mountain West Championship when it travels to the Santa Cruz region for the historic Western Intercollegiate, April 15-17, at Pasatiempo Golf Club. The 73rd tournament will be aired live on the Golf Channel all three days.
 
Duck Invitational
Creswell, Ore.
Final Results
Emerald Valley G.C.
Par 72, 7,145 yards
 
Team Standings (Top 5 of 16 teams)
1. Oregon State...292-285-284—861 (-3)
2. Oregon...286-291-294—874 (+7)
3. Boise State...296-298-290—875 (+11)
4. Seattle...296-292-294—882 (+18)
5. Nevada...281-299-304—884 (+20)
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8. San Diego State...295-301-295—891 (+27)           
 
Individual Leaders (Top 7 of 88 players + SDSU)       
1. Ryan Gronlund, Oregon...70-72-69—211 (-5)
2. Cameron Kaneko, Hawai'i...71-69-72—212 (-4)
3. Nolan Thoroughgood, Oregon State...73-72-69—214 (-2)
4. Sam Meek, Nevada...71-72-72—215 (-1)
T5. Kevin Velo, San José State...72-72-72—216 (E)
T5. Toby Briggs, San Francisco...77-68-71—216 (E)
T5. Skylar Eubank, Boise State...75-71-70—216 (E)
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T16. Christian Banke, SDSU...73-74-73—220 (+4)
T29. Puwit Anupansuebsai, SDSU...73-76-73—222 (+6)
T38. Steve Sugimoto, SDSU...78-74-73—225 (+9)
T56. Leo Oyo, SDSU...71-79-79—229 (+13)
T67. Joey Moore, SDSU...79-77-76—232 (+16)