SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State men's golf team continues its fall portion of the 2022-23 schedule this weekend when it travels to compete in the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, Sept. 23-24, at UNM Championship Course in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The 54-hole event will be contested over two days with two rounds slated for Friday, beginning with a 7:30 a.m. MT (6:30 a.m. PT) shotgun start, and the final round set for 7:30 a.m. MT (6:30 a.m. PT) Saturday based on the scores of the first two rounds.
The Aztecs and host Lobos will be joined by Brigham Young, Colorado, Denver, Hawai'i, Loyola Marymount, Nebraska, New Mexico State, North Texas, Northern Illinois, San Francisco, San Diego, TCU, UNLV, Utah Tech, UTEP, UTSA and Wyoming, and individuals from Texas.
SDSU head coach Ryan Donovan is going with a similar lineup to its opener two weeks ago, when it took eighth in a loaded 18-team field at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate in Scottsdale, Arizona. This week on the par-72, 7,546-yard UNM Championship Course, Donovan will showcase sophomore Shea Lague (Jamul, Calif./Steele Canyon HS), senior Youssef Guezzale (San Diego/La Jolla HS), sophomore Justin Hastings (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands), and freshmen Dylan Oyama (Carlsbad, Calif./Pacific Ridge HS) and Tyler Kowack (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines HS). Kowack is the only new player in San Diego State's starting five, while freshman Chanachon Chokprajakchat (Bangkok, Thailand) is competing as individual in the 104-man field.
At the Maui Jim Intercollegiate, the Aztecs carded a 24-under 816, highlighted by a school-record low 261 (-19) in the second round. Lague finished in a three-way tie for fifth out of 90 golfers to pace SDSU at 12-under 198, tied with Puwit Anupansuebsai (2019 Bill Cullum Invitational), J.J. Spaun (2012 NCAA Stanford Regional) and Todd Baek (2010 Alister Mackenzie Invitational) for the second-lowest 54-hole recorded score in program history.
Guezzale and Hastings, meanwhile, tied for 31st at 3-under. Guezzale tied a school record with a 62 (-8) in the second round with an eagle, seven birdies and a lone bogey. The 62 tied Alex Kang (2010 at Alister MacKenzie Invitational) and Mark Warman (2003 at U.S. Intercollegiate) for the lowest San Diego State scores in recorded history. Hastings' best round was also the second with a collegiate low 67.
Competing in their first collegiate tournament, Oyama and Chanachon Chokprajakchat finished in a tie for 44th and 51st, respectively, at 1-under 209 and even-par 210.
Playing at the Maui Jim Individual at the Desert Mountain, Outlaw Course, Kowack tied for fourth out of 37 players at 8-under 208, while Jack Townsend (San Diego/Charter School of San Diego) finished 30th at 9-over 225.
The Scarlet and Black will be competing in the Tucker Intercollegiate for the 13th time in the last 16 years - but first since 2019 - while making its 18th appearance overall. In 2019, SDSU placed fourth out of 16 squads at 2-under 862, eight strokes behind team champion New Mexico. No current Aztecs have played a collegiate round at UNM Championship Course.
The Tucker Intercollegiate, which was named in honor of former University of New Mexico groundskeeper William H. Tucker, is the second-oldest men's college tournament in the country behind only the New England Intercollegiate. Previous individual competitors include Tiger Woods, Phil Mickelson, Tommy Armour III, Tim Herron, Duffy Waldorf, Notah Begay and Matt Kuchar.
San Diego State has twice won the Tucker Intercollegiate in recent years, hoisting trophies in 2010 and 2016 to go with second-place efforts in 2007 and 2009. In 2016, the Aztecs posted a winning total of 1-under 863 to outlast Colorado State (+9) and BYU (+14), bolstered by PJ Samiere's (-2) fourth-place individual finish. Meanwhile in 2010, the Scarlet and Black rallied from a seven-stroke deficit during the final round to edge North Texas by one stroke.
Following this weekend's event, the Aztecs will have a 16-day hiatus before making the trip to the Wolf Pack Intercollegiate at Hidden Valley C.C. in Reno, Nevada.