Aztecs Tie for Third at Southwestern Invitational

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -- The San Diego State men's golf team finished in a tie for third place at 9-under-par 843 Wednesday at the Southwestern Invitational in Westlake Village, California.
 
The Aztecs, who are 34th in the latest NCAA computer rankings, fired a 3-under 281 in today's final round on the par-71, 6,800-yard North Ranch Country Club to tie with No. 31 UCLA in the 13-team field. SDSU was in a tie for eighth after a 1-over 285 in Monday's opening round, before moving into sixth with a 7-under 277 yesterday and following with the mentioned 281 on Wednesday.  
 
No. 27 Ohio State held onto its second-round lead and finished at -13 for the tournament with a matching 281 on Wednesday, while UNLV (-12), San Diego State (-9), UCLA (-9) and No. 4 Washington (-8) rounded out the top 5. Four other top-50 teams in the NCAA rankings were also behind the Aztecs.
 
Sophomore Tyler Kowack (Del Mar, Calif./La Jolla HS) was the top SDSU finisher, tying for sixth out of 75 golfers at 7-under 206. Kowack completed his tournament with a 1-under 70 today, getting to 2-under through seven holes before opening his back nine with a bogey, followed by a birdie and then an unfortunate double bogey on the par-5 12th hole. He regrouped with a birdie and five pars to settle for a hard-fought 70. It was the third straight top-10 finish for Kowack.
 
Sophomore Chanachon Chokprajakchat (Bangkok, Thailand) carded an even-par 71 and finished in a tie for 11th at 4-under 209 with two birdies, two bogeys and 14 pars.

Senior Jackson Moss (San Diego/Point Loma HS) and junior Jack Townsend (San Diego/Charter School of San Diego) each tied for 38th at 4-over 217. Moss shot a 3-over 74 today, recording his lone birdie on the par-4 16th. Competing as an individual, Townsend carded a 75 on Wednesday with four birdies, four bogeys and two double bogeys.
 
Junior Shea Lague (Jamul, Calif./Steele Canyon HS) made the biggest move in the final round for the Aztecs with a 2-under 69, moving from a tie for 61st to a tie for 42nd at +5. Lague sank six birdies in the final round, including three over his final seven holes. The 2022-23 all-Mountain West selection also had two bogeys and a double bogey on the par-4 11th hole.
 
Junior Justin Hastings (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands) shot an even-par 71 on Wednesday to finish at 6-over 219 for the tournament, tied for 47th overall. Hastings came up with a pair of birdies, including the final par-4 18th, which were offset by two bogeys.  
 
Ohio State's Neal Shipley captured medalist honors at -12, thanks to a final-round 65, one shot ahead of Washington's Taehoon Song (-11). Texas Tech's Tyran Snyders (-10), UNLV's Caden Fioroni (-10) and Houston's Santiago De La Fuente (-9) rounded out the top 5.
 
SDSU next competes in the John A. Burns Intercollegiate at the Ocean Course Hokuala, Feb. 15-17, in Lihue, Hawaii.
 
Southwestern Invitational
Westlake Village, Calif.
Day Three Results (Jan. 31, 2024)
North Ranch Country Club
Par 71, 6,800 yards
 
Team Standings (top 5 of 13)
1. No. 27 Ohio State…285-273-281—839 (-13)
2. UNLV…279-281-280—840 (-12)
T3. No. 34 San Diego State…285-277-281—843 (-9)
T3. No. 31 UCLA…280-281-282—843 (-9)
5. No. 4 Washington…286-280-278—844 (-8)
 
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 75 players + SDSU)
1. Neal Shipley (Ohio State)…69-67-65—201 (-12)
2. Taehoon Song (Washington)…70-68-64—202 (-11)
T3. Tyran Snyders (Texas Tech)…66-68-69—203 (-10)
T3. Caden Fioroni (UNLV)…62-73-68—203 (-10)
5. Santiago De La Fuente (Houston)…67-68-69—204 (-9)
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T6. Tyler Kowack (San Diego State)…69-67-70—206 (-7)
T11. Chanachon Chokprajakchat (San Diego State)…71-67-71—209 (-4)
T38. Jackson Moss (San Diego State)…73-70-74—217 (+4)
T38. ^Jack Townsend (San Diego State)…69-73-75—217 (+4)
T42. Shea Lague (San Diego State)…76-73-69—218 (+5)
T47. Justin Hastings (San Diego State)…72-76-71—219 (+6)
^competing as an individual