CRESWELL, Ore. -- The back-to-back Mountain West champion San Diego State men's golf team fired a 6-under-par 282 to take a two-shot lead over Colorado State after the first day of the MW Championship Friday on the par-72, 7,210-yard Emerald Valley Golf Club in Creswell, Oregon. It is the fifth consecutive round at a MW championship that the Aztecs have finished in solo possession of first place.
The Aztecs, who entered the tournament 31st in the latest Scoreboard powered by Clippd team rankings (April 24), lead the 11-team field at 6-under, while Colorado State (-4), Fresno State (-3), Nevada (-3) and No. 20 New Mexico (-2) round out the top 5. San Jose State and UNLV are also under par at -1.
SDSU junior Shea Lague (Jamul, Calif./Steele Canyon HS) is tied for the individual lead with UNLV's Yuki Moriyama at 5-under 67. Lague sank eight birdies on the day with three bogeys. At 1-under through 12 holes, Lague reeled off three straight birdies from holes 13-to-15 and finished with another on the par-5, 577-yard 18th. It was his lowest 18-hole round of the spring and lowest since a second-round 66 at the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate on Sept. 25.
Junior Justin Hastings (Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands) is in solo sixth out of 55 golfers after a 3-under 69, one shot behind UNLV's Caden Fioroni (UNLV), Nevada's Jonathan Kim and Fresno State's Matthew Sutherland, who are all tied for third at -4. Hastings had five birdies in his first round, including three consecutive on holes 5-to-7. After logging those three birdies and two bogeys for a front-nine 35, he had two birdies and no bogeys for a back-nine 34 to sign for a 69.
Competing in his first MW Championship, sophomore Chanachon Chokprajakchat (Bangkok, Thailand) is tied for 18th at even-par 72. Chokprajakchat's round featured three birdies, three bogeys and 12 pars.
Tyler Kowack (San Diego/Canyon Crest Academy) is tied for 33rd at 2-over 74. Kowack was at even-par following a birdie on the par-4, 424-yard 12th hole, but he had two bogeys and no birdies the rest of the way to settle for a 74. For the day, he logged three birdies and five bogeys.
Senior Jackson Moss (San Diego/Point Loma HS) shot a 5-over 77 with an opening birdie on the par-4, 428-yard first hole, but none the rest of the way with six bogeys. Moss is tied for 46th.
San Diego State (-6) will tee off in Saturday's second round at 10:40 a.m. PT, playing along side second-place Colorado State (-4) and third-place Fresno State (-3).
Mountain West Championship
Emerald Valley Golf Club - Creswell, Oregon
Par 72, 7,210 yards
Day One Results (April 26, 2024)
Team Standings
1. No. 31 San Diego State…282 (-6)
2. Colorado State…284 (-4)
T3. Fresno State…285 (-3)
T3. Nevada…285 (-3)
5. No. 20 New Mexico…286 (-2)
T6. San Jose State…287 (-1)
T6. UNLV…287 (-1)
8. Wyoming…290 (+2)
9. Utah State…294 (+6)
10. Boise State…295 (+7)
11. Air Force…304 (+16)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 55 players + SDSU)
T1. Shea Lague (San Diego State)…67 (-5)
T1. Yuki Moriyama (UNLV)…67 (-5)
T3. Caden Fioroni (UNLV)…68 (-4)
T3. Jonathan Kim (Nevada)…68 (-4)
T3. Matthew Sutherland (Fresno State)…68 (-4)
---
6. Justin Hastings (San Diego State)…69 (-3)
T18. Chanachon Chokprajakchat (San Diego State)…72 (E)
T33. Tyler Kowack (San Diego State)…74 (+2)
T46. Jackson Moss (San Diego State)…77 (+5)
Aztecs Lead after Day One of MW Championship
