SAN DIEGO -- The 21st-ranked San Diego State men's golf team is set to co-host its lone home tournament of the year Monday at the Lamkin San Diego Classic at historic San Diego Country Club in nearby Chula Vista, Calif. The Aztecs and co-host San Diego are two of 20 teams slated to compete in the 14th annual event, which will feature 18-hole rounds on three consecutive days on the par-72, 7,033-yard course layout.
SDSU and New Mexico (No. 25) are the only teams entered in the Lamkin San Diego Classic ranked in the Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll, which was released Friday. In the latest Golfstat rankings (Feb. 24), San Diego State is also the top-ranked team at the Lamkin at No. 20, while UNM (No. 24) and Kansas (No. 25) are also in the top 25. The tournament field also includes co-host USD, Air Force, Brigham Young, Cal Poly, Colorado, Colorado State, Denver, Nebraska, Nevada, Northern Illinois, San José State, Saint Mary's, UC Davis, UCLA, USC, Washington and Wyoming.
San Diego State will tee off from the first hole, beginning 8:50 a.m. PT Monday, and will be playing with Colorado State, USC and Washington. On Tuesday the same four teams will tee off from the 10th hole at 8 a.m. PT. Wednesday's final round gets underway at 7:10 a.m. PT while the leaders start at 8:50 a.m. PT.
In addition to being ranked 21st in the Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll and 20th in the Golfstat rankings, the Aztecs are also 23rd in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin team ratings (as of March 4). SDSU won its first tournament of the season at the Southwestern Invitational from Jan. 25-27 and took ninth at The Prestige from Feb. 15-17.
San Diego State head coach Ryan Donovan has penciled in the lineup of Puwit Anupansuebsai (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand), Zihao Jin (Beijing, China), Steve Sugimoto (San Diego, Calif./Rancho Bernardo HS), Joey Moore (Billings, Mont.) and Callum Bruce (Banff, Scotland).
Anupansuebsai has been consistent through his first two tournaments, tying for 20th at the Southwestern Invitational and then tying for 21st at The Prestige. His 73.33 scoring average is tied with Moore for the second lowest on the team. Additionally the reigning Mountain West Men's Golfer of the Year is one of five Aztecs with a round in the 60s this year.
Jin, meanwhile, leads SDSU with a 72.50 stroke average. Jin was San Diego State's top finisher at The Prestige in the team's last time out, tying for 17th at 2-over 215. His two rounds below par on the season are tied with Moore for the most on the team so far.
Sugimoto is playing in the No. 3 spot this week after working as the No. 5 Aztec golfer in each of the first two tournaments. The senior is tied for fourth on the team with a 74.33 scoring average.
Moore's 73.33 stroke average is tied with Anupansuebsai for the second lowest on the team. He tied for ninth at the Southwestern Invitational at 2-over 218 before tying for 72nd at The Prestige at 9-over 222.
Bruce is in the starting lineup for the first time of the season after not playing in each of the first two tournaments. Last season, Bruce posted a 73.45 scoring average across 20 rounds.
Also competing for SDSU at the Lamkin as individuals are Jackson Moss (San Diego/Point Loma HS), Jack Heath (Charlotte, N.C.), Youssef Guezzale (San Diego/La Jolla HS), Quentin Hill (Dana Point, Calif.), Amadeo Figus (Rome, Italy), Liam Koeneke (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines HS) and Skyler Ngo (Las Vegas, Nev.).
Formerly known as the San Diego Intercollegiate, the tournament was launched in 2008 primarily as an opportunity for local schools to compete against one another. The event has now expanded from local competition to host teams from all across the nation.
This is the 12th time overall and 11th year in a row that the Lamkin San Diego Classic will be held at San Diego Country Club. The inaugural meet took place at the Chula Vista course and moved to the La Jolla Country Club in 2009, followed by a one-year stint at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif., in 2010. Before becoming a two-day tournament in 2011, which lasted through the 2020 season, the event was a one-day, 36-hole challenge.
Tennessee is the defending tournament team champion but is not competing in the event this year. The top returning teams from a year ago are San Diego State (-4), Colorado State (+1), Brigham Young (+3), Colorado (+6) and Saint Mary's (+10).
Following the Lamkin San Diego Classic, the Aztecs will compete at the National Invitational Tournament at Omni Tucson National Golf Club in Tucson, Ariz., from March 20-21.
Men’s Golf Set to Co-Host Lamkin San Diego Classic
