SALEM, S.C. -- The San Diego State men's golf team put up a furious rally down the stretch but came up one shot short of making a playoff at the NCAA Salem Regional Wednesday afternoon in Salem, South Carolina. The Aztecs fired a 16-under-par 272 in today's final round on the par-72, 7,126-yard The Cliffs at Keowee Falls, tying with No. 26 Georgia Southern at 28-under 836.
SDSU's counting four players - senior Youssef Guezzale (San Diego/La Jolla HS), sophomore Justin Hastings (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands), sophomore Shea Lague (Jamul, Calif./Steele Canyon HS) and freshman Dylan Oyama (Carlsbad, Calif./Pacific Ridge HS) - went a combined 8-under over the final three holes. Lague had a chance to put San Diego State into the playoff for the final spot for the NCAA Championship, slated for May 26-31, at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, but was unable to birdie the par-5, 546-yard 18th hole and settled for a par. Texas A&M's Sam Bennett, meanwhile, birdied the hole to move the Aggies into a team playoff with host Clemson.
Texas A&M (-3) then beat Clemson (-1) in the playoff, joining No. 11 Georgia Tech (-53), No. 35 Arkansas (-45), No. 2 North Carolina (-43) and No. 47 New Mexico (-42) as NCAA Championship qualifiers.
The Aztecs tied with No. 26 Georgia Southern for seventh in the 14-team field with the mentioned final-round 272 after opening with a 284 and 280.
Guezzale fired a 6-under 66 in today's final round to move up 17 places into a tie for 20th at 7-under 209. Playing in his last collegiate event, Guezzale birdied five of his first 10 holes, including three straight on the par-5, 582-yard second, par-4, 369-yard third and par-4, 476-yard fourth. Following his lone bogey on the par-5, 597-yard 14th, he bounced back with birdies on the par-5, 537-yard 16th and the 18th to complete his 66.
Hastings equaled Guezzale's 66 and tied for 23th at 6-under 210, moving up 22 places on the final day. Hastings was at 1-under through the first 13 holes with three birdies and two bogeys, but went 5-under over his final five holes, birdieing No. 14, recording a par on the par-5, 537-yard 15th, then finishing eagle-birdie (par-3, 235-yard 17th)-birdie.
Lague and Oyama each tied for 39th at -3 following matching 2-under 70s today. Both golfers had five birdies and three bogeys for the round.
Freshman Chanachon Chokprajakchat (Bangkok, Thailand) played his second consecutive round and shot a 1-under 71 with six birdies, three bogeys and a double-bogey on the fourth.
North Carolina's Ryan Burnett completed his wire-to-wire victory with a 68 today to finish at 17-under 199, two strokes ahead of Furman's Sam Lape. Lake advanced to Scottsdale as the top individual not on a qualifying team. Georgia Tech's Connor Howe and Christo Lamprecht tied for third at -14, while Segundo Pinto (Arkansas) was fifth at -13.
SDSU finished with three team championships on the season, claiming New Mexico's William H. Tucker Intercollegiate (Sept. 23-24) at 16-under 848, the Wyoming Cowboy Classic (April 3-4) title for a third straight year at 7-under 857 and the MW Championship (April 28-30) for a second straight year at 60-under 804. According to Golfstat, San Diego State's 281.85 stroke average this season was the best in program history, while at the MW Championship the Aztecs set program lows for a 54-hole score (804) and 18-hole score (260 in the final round).
2023 NCAA Salem Regional
Day Three Results (May 17, 2023)
Salem, S.C.
The Cliffs at Keowee Falls
Par 72, 7,126 yards
Team Standings (Top 6 of 14 + SDSU; Top 5 advanced to NCAA Championship)
1. No. 11 Georgia Tech…278-266-267—811 (-53)
2. No. 35 Arkansas…266-271-282—819 (-45)
3. No. 2 North Carolina…273-278-270—821 (-43)
4. No. 47 New Mexico…272-279-271—822 (-42)
T5. ^No. 14 Texas A&M…281-283-271—835 (-29)
T5. Clemson…282-278-275—835 (-29)
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T7. No. 23 San Diego State…284-280-272—836 (-28)
^ Texas A&M (-3) defeated Clemson (-1) in playoff
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 75 players + SDSU)
1. Ryan Burnett (North Carolina)…63-68-68—199 (-17)
2. Sam Lape (Furman)…65-72-64—201 (-15)
T3. Connor Howe (Georgia Tech)…71-65-66—202 (-14)
T3. Christo Lamprecht (Georgia Tech)…71-62-69—202 (-14)
5. Segundo Pinto (Arkansas)…65-67-71—203 (-13)
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T20. Youssef Guezzale (San Diego State)…73-70-66—209 (-7)
T23. Justin Hastings (San Diego State)…68-76-66—210 (-6)
T39. Shea Lague (San Diego State)…71-72-70—213 (-3)
T39. Dylan Oyama (San Diego State)…72-71-70—213 (-3)
nr. Chanachon Chokprajakchat (San Diego State)…DNC-67-71 (-6)
nr. Tyler Kowack (San Diego State)…78-DNC-DNC (+6)
SDSU Ties for Seventh at NCAA Salem Regional
