Men's Golf Finishes Ninth at Western Intercollegiate

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – In its final tune-up before the Mountain West Championship, the San Diego State men's golf team finished in ninth place at the Western Intercollegiate presented by Topgolf after posting an even-par 350 on Wednesday during the final round at Pasatiempo Golf Course.

Despite shaving 14 shots off their team score from the previous day, the Aztecs remained stuck in the standings, completing the tournament with a 54-hole total of 33-over 1,083 to finish six strokes behind Arizona (+27) on the scenic par-70, 6,615-yard course layout.

Thanks to a second-round 340, Stanford (-10) surged to the team title, overtaking California (-4) and host school San José State (+1), while USC (+2) and Pepperdine (+10) rounded out the top five.

Individually, SDSU was paced by Christian Banke (Danville, Calif.), who carded a final-round 70 to move up two spots into a tie for 17th at 2-over 212. Starting on the 10th tee, the Aztec sophomore countered four bogeys with four birdies, including a pair of drains after the turn at the par-5 sixth and the par-5 ninth to highlight his second straight top-20 placement and third in his last four outings.

However, the Scarlet and Black's biggest gain on the leaderboard was made by Puwit Anupansuebsai (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand), who catapulted 24 places into a tie for 33rd after shooting a season-low 66.  The SDSU sophomore recorded just one blemish on his scorecard, a bogey at the par-4 No. 14, which was easily offset by a team-high five birdies. Among his conversions was a successful make on the par-4, 391-yard No. 11, which ranked as the fifth-toughest hole of the week.

With his total, Anupansuebsai completed an aggregate 5-over 215 for the event, finishing one stroke behind senior teammate Otto Vanhatalo (Espoo, Finland), who slipped three places into a tie for 26th after firing his second consecutive 71. After notching the last of his three bogeys on the par-4 No. 1, Vanhatalo played spot-free golf the rest of the way, featuring birdies on the par-4 fourth and the par-5 sixth.

In addition, the Aztec cause was aided by sophomore Steve Sugimoto (San Diego, Calif.), who jumped eight places into a tie for 54th at 10-over 220 after matching Banke with a 70. The Rancho Bernardo High alumnus was a model of consistency throughout, logging a team-high 16 pars while sinking a birdie at No. 4 to cancel out a bogey on the previous green.

Zihao Jin (Beijing, China) also figured in SDSU's team total on Wednesday after shooting a 73 to tie for 63rd at 13-over 223. The Aztec sophomore endured three bogeys on the front nine before countering an additional blemish at No. 3 with a birdie on his final hole at the par-5 No. 9. Despite the strong finish, Jin still slipped one place in the standings.

Rounding out the SDSU delegation was freshman Youssef Guezzale (San Diego, Calif.), who tied for 76th at 19-over 229 after posting a 76. The La Jolla High grad drain a birdie at the par-4 No. 2, but four bogeys and a double bogey proved too much to overcome.

In the race for the tournament's coveted blue jacket, which is presented annually to the individual winner, Stanford's Isaiah Salina defeated SJSU's Sean Yu on the fifth hole of a sudden-death playoff after both golfers finished regulation at 8-under 202.

San Diego State will have just over a week to prepare for the Mountain West Championship, set for April 26-28 on the Catalina Course at OMNI Tucson National Golf Club in Arizona.
 
Western Intercollegiate
Santa Cruz, Calif.
Final Results
Pasatiempo G.C.
Par 70, 6,615 yards
 
Team Standings (Top 5 teams of 13 schools + SDSU)
1. Stanford...354-346-340—1040 (-10)      
2. California...354-351-341—1046 (-4)
3. San José State...346-353-352—1051 (+1)
4. USC...348-357-347—1052 (+2)
5. Pepperdine...356-351-353—1060 (+10)    
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9. San Diego State...369-364-350—1083 (+33)                      
 
Individual Leaders (Top 6 of 84 players + SDSU)       
T1. Isaiah Salinda, Stanford*...64-68-70—202 (-8)
T1. Sean Yu, San José State...64-71-67—202 (-8)
3. Clay Feagler, Pepperdine...67-68-68—203 (-7)
4. K.K. Limbhasut, California...70-70-64—204 (-6)
T5. Kaito Onishi, USC...69-67-70—206 (-4)
T5. Cameron Henry, USC^...66-69-71—206 (-4)                
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T17. Christian Banke, SDSU...71-71-70—212 (+2)
T26. Otto Vanhatalo, SDSU...72-71-71—213 (+3)
T33. Puwit Anupansuebsai, SDSU...75-74-66—215 (+5)
T54. Steve Sugimoto, SDSU...77-73-70—220 (+10)
T63. Zihao Jin, SDSU...75-75-73—223 (+13)
T76. Youssef Guezzale, SDSU...76-78-75—229 (+19)
 
* - won sudden-death playoff
^ - competed as an individual