SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State men's golf team begins its 2021 season Monday at the Southwestern Invitational presented by Topgolf at North Ranch Country Club, Jan. 25-27, in Westlake Village, Calif.
The Aztecs are one of 12 schools slated to compete in the event, which will feature 18-hole rounds on three consecutive days at the par-72, 6,992-yard Lakes and Oaks courses. The invitational will be televised on the Golf Channel from 1:30-4:30 p.m. PT each day.
Pepperdine is the host of the invitational, which also includes the 2020-21 debuts of SDSU, California, San Jose State, SMU and USC. Saint Mary's, Arizona State, Augusta, East Tennessee, Georgia Tech and Louisville are also competing in the event.
San Diego State will tee off from the first hole, beginning at 8 a.m. PT Monday, and will be playing with Pepperdine, Georgia Tech and California for the first round.
Aztec head coach Ryan Donovan has penciled in the lineup of Puwit Anupansuebsai (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand), Zihao Jin (Beijing, China), Youssef Guezzale (San Diego, Calif./La Jolla HS), Joey Moore (Billings, Mont.) and Steve Sugimoto (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo HS).
SDSU hasn't played competitively as a team since tying for second at the Lamkin San Diego Classic on March 9-10, 2020 before the rest of the competitive spring season and the fall campaign was canceled due to the COVID pandemic.
Anupansuebsai is San Diego State's top returner after posting a 69.59 scoring average in six events during the shortened 2019-20 campaign en route to being named the Mountain West Golfer of the Year and a third-team PING All-American. Anupansuebsai was the team's top finisher in four of the six events he competed in last season. Anupansuebsai is coming off an impressive showing at the Arnold Palmer Cup in December, when he led the Internationals to a 21-point win. He went 3-0 for the week and was the co-recipient of the Michael Carter Award, which is presented to the Arnold Palmer Cup participant that best represents the qualities and ideals of sportsmanship, integrity and upholding of the game.
Jin, meanwhile, compiled a 72.29 stroke average last year with three top-10 finishes in the six events he competed in. Jin's best outing was a runner-up showing at the CSUSM Fujikura Invitational at 2-under 214.
Sugimoto almost equaled Jin a year ago, posting a 72.60 average in seven events. Sugimoto edged Jin at the CSUSM Invitational, earning medalist honors at 8-under 208, buoyed by a 6-under 66 in the final round.
Moore and Guezzale only competed in one event last season. Moore tied for third at the Coronado Invitational at 3-under 213, while Guezzale tied for 34th at the Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic at 3-over 219.
San Diego State skipped last year's Southwestern Invite after taking eighth at the 2019 version. The Southwestern Invitational is the merger of two previously existing tournaments: the Southwestern Intercollegiate, launched by USC in 1978, and the Jones Invitational, hosted by Pepperdine in 2014 and 2015.
Pepperdine is the defending champion of its own tournament after posting a two-day total of a 14-under 850 (284-287-279), 17 shots clear of Arizona State and USC.
The Waves also boasted the individual medalist as well in Sahith Theegala, who is no longer on the active roster. Theegala beat USC's Leon D'Souza by one shot at 12-under 204. D'Souza is competing this week.
Following the Southwestern Invitational, the Aztecs will compete in The Prestige presented by Charles Schwab at PGA West, Feb. 15-17, in La Quinta, Calif.
Men’s Golf Opens Season at Southwestern Invitational
