Men's Golf Remains in Fourth at MW Championship

TUCSON, Ariz. –  Through 36 holes, the San Diego State men's golf team still finds itself in fourth place at the 2019 Mountain West Championship after shooting a combined 8-under-par 280 during the second round Saturday at OMNI Tucson National Golf Club.

With their score, the Aztecs completed the first two dayswith a collective 15-under-par 561, trailing front-runner Colorado State (-22) by seven strokes heading into Sunday's final round on the par-72, 7,194-yard Catalina Course.

The Rams fired a second-round team total of 275 to maintain a two-shot advantage over hard-charging UNLV (-20), which vaulted three places into the second spot after carding a 274, while New Mexico (-19) waits in third, followed by SDSU (-15) and Fresno State (-13).

Three Aztec golfers are among the individual top 20 through two rounds, including Puwit Anupansuebsai (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand) and Christian Banke (Danville, Calif.), who slipped five notches into a tie for eighth at 5-under 139 after each carded a 71 on Saturday.

Despite four birdies and an eagle on the par-5, 535-yard No. 2, Anupansuebsai lost ground, thanks to an untimely double bogey at the par-3 fourth, as well as three additional bogeys on the back nine.

Banke, meanwhile, tied for the team lead with 13 pars to go with a trio of birdies, including back-to-back conversions on the second and third greens. However, bogeys on the par-3 seventh and the par-4 13th precipitated his drop.

Still, the SDSU sophomore teammates remain just four shots off the pace, where New Mexico's Sean Carlon (-9) maintains his lofty perch atop the standings with a one-stroke advantage over fellow Lobo Galven Green (-8), while Fresno State's Alex Lee (-7) and Justin Kim (-7) of UNLV are tied for third. Kim catapulted 31 places on the leaderboard after tying a tournament record with an 8-under-par 64.

In addition, the Aztecs' Leo Oyo (Tokyo, Japan) made a significant gain of his own, vaulting 16 spots into a tie for 18th at 3-under 141 after firing a team-best 68 in round two. The SDSU freshman drained a team-high five birdies, including three after the turn, highlighted by an impressive make on the par-3, 186-yard No. 17, which ranks as the sixth-toughest hole of the tournament. However, a bogey on the par-4 18th prevented a steeper ascent.

Not to be outdone, sophomore Steve Sugimoto (San Diego, Calif.) displayed upward mobility, leaping 12 places into a tie for 30th at even-par 144 on the heels of a second-round 70.  The Rancho Bernardo High product carded 13 pars, offsetting a bogey on the par-4 13th with a trio of birdies as well, including consecutive drains on the 10th and 11th greens.

However, Otto Vanhatalo (Espoo, Finland) experienced the opposite fate, dropping 12 places into a tie for 41st at 3-over 147 after recording a 75. The Aztec senior was even for the day after sinking the second of his two birdies with an impressive drain at No. 13, which ranks as the third-most difficult hole of the weekend.  However, a bogey at the par-4 16th, followed by a double bogey at No. 18 hastened his fall.

Average individual scores shrank on the second day of the tournament from 71.93 to 71.49.  Anupansuebsai, Green and Lee lead the field with 12 birdies for the event, while Colorado State's Parathakorn Suyasri and Kim have recorded two eagles this weekend.

The Mountain West Championship concludes on Sunday when San Diego State tees off with Fresno State for the final round, starting at 9 a.m.MST/PDT.

2019 MW Championship
Tucson, Ariz.
Round Two Results
OMNI Tucson National G.C.
Catalina Course
Par 72, 7,194 yards
 
Team Standings (11 schools)
1. Colorado State...279-275—554 (-22)
2. UNLV...282-274—556 (-20)
3. New Mexico...279-278—557 (-19)
4. San Diego State...281-280—561 (-15)
5. Fresno State...282-281—563 (-13)
6. Boise State...280-285—565 (-11)
7. Nevada...283-283—566 (-10)
8. Wyoming...284-282—566 (-10)
9. San José State...290-282—572 (-4)
10. Utah State...288-294—582 (+6)
11. Air Force...294-292—586 (+10)
 
Individual Leaders (Top 7 of 55 players + SDSU)       
1. Sean Carlon, New Mexico...67-68—135 (-9) 
2. Galven Green, New Mexico...70-66—136 (-8) 
T3. Justin Kim, UNLV...73-64—137 (-7) 
T3. Alex Lee, Fresno State...67-70—137 (-7)
T5. Sam Meek, Nevada...72-66—138 (-6)
T5. Cameron Barzekoff, Boise State...70-68—138 (-6)
T5. A.J. Ott, Colorado State...69-69—138 (-6)
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T8. Puwit Anupansuebsai, SDSU...68-71—139 (-5)
T8. Christian Banke, SDSU...68-71—139 (-5)
T18. Leo Oyo, SDSU...73-68—141 (-3)
T30. Steve Sugimoto, SDSU...74-70--144 (E)
T41. Otto Vanhatalo, SDSU...72-75—147 (+3)