No. 22 SDSU Men’s Golf Set for John A. Burns Intercollegiate

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State men’s golf team continues its season this weekend at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate at the Ocean Course at Hokuala, Feb. 12-14, in Lihue, Kaua‘i, Hawaii.

The Aztecs enter the tournament 22nd in the latest NCAA golf computer rankings, which were released on Wednesday. SDSU is one of seven in the 17-team field who are in the top-50 of the rankings, including No. 19 New Mexico, No. 23 Utah, No. 30 Brigham Young, No. 32 Texas A&M, No. 38 UNLV and No. 42 Long Beach State. Other competitors are host Hawai’i, California, Fresno State, Grand Canyon, LMU, Miami (OH), Missouri, Saint Mary's, San Francisco, Santa Clara, UTEP and Washington State.

The event will feature 18-hole rounds on three consecutive days at the par-70, 7,098-yard course.

San Diego State is coming off an impressive runner-up finish at the Southwestern Invitational, Jan. 26-28, shooting a 6-over-par 846, only behind host and then No. 15 Pepperdine (-11). Rounding out the top 10 behind SDSU was UNLV (+7), No. 41 Washington (+16), No. 24 USC (+18), San Diego (+18), No. 17 New Mexico (+30), No. 19 Utah (+36), No. 21 UCLA (+36) and No. 47 SMU (+37). It was the second consecutive runner-up finish for the Aztecs at the Southwestern Invitational.

Sophomore Harry Takis (Brisbane, Australia) captured his first career collegiate title at the same Southwestern Invite, carding a 7-under 203 on the par-70, 6,764-yard North Ranch Country Club. It was the first career victory for the 2025 Mountain West Freshman of the Year after three runner-up finishes over his last six collegiate tournaments, dating back to last season. For his efforts, Takis was named the MW Golfer of the Week on Jan. 29.

It was the second straight tournament that an Aztec has earned medalist honors after senior Tyler Kowack (San Diego/Canyon Crest Academy) won the Marquette Intercollegiate in SDSU’s last event of the fall from Oct. 5-7 at Erin Hills Golf Club in Erin Hills, Wisconsin.

Senior Chanachon Chokprajakchat (Bangkok, Thailand) and sophomore Kai Hirayama (Arcadia, Calif.) each tied for 20th at 5-over 215, while Kowack tied for 28th at 7-over 217. Junior Dylan Oyama (Carlsbad, Calif./Pacific Ridge HS) finished in a tie for 39th at +11 and freshman Beau Sahr (Eagle, Idaho) came in 70th at +27 while competing as an individual.  

Takis leads San Diego State with a 69.50 scoring average through six rounds on the season. Kowack ranks second at 73.00, while Chokprajakchat (73.33), Oyama (73.67), Hirayama (74.17), junior Nathan Sampson (Temecula, Calif.) (74.56) and junior Phillip Kench (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines HS/UNLV) (75.00) have also started for the Aztecs this season.

Head coach Ryan Donovan has gone with the lineup of Takis, Kowack, Chokprajakchat, Hirayama and Oyama. Additionally, Sampson will be competing as an individual.

The Aztecs will tee off between the 10th and 12th holes, beginning at 9 a.m. HT (11 a.m. PT) in Thursday’s opening round and will play along with Brigham Young, Hawai’i and New Mexico.

SDSU is playing in the John Burns Intercollegiate for the fourth straight year since taking fourth in the 2008 event. The 2008 John Burns Intercollegiate was the seventh straight year San Diego State played in the tournament. Back then, the tournament was played in Leilehua. San Diego State has had a history of success in the tournament, capturing the team championship in 2002 and finishing second in 2003. Two Aztecs have also grabbed the individual spotlight with John Lieber and Lars Johansson each taking home medalist honors in 2002 and 2003, respectively. In 2023, SDSU came in fifth at 24-under 840 before taking 12th in 2024 at +8 and tying for fifth at -3 last year. Chokprajakchat (T-45th, -2) competed in the 2023 event, while in 2024 Kowack tied for 36th (+2) and Chokprajakchat tied for 58th (+6). At last year’s event, Takis tied for 14th (-3), Chokprajakchat tied for 45th (+4) and Kowack tied for 58th (+7).

Past individual winners of the John Burns Intercollegiate include notable golfers Steve Pate (1983), Notah Begay (1995), Tiger Woods (1996), Bo Van Pelt (1997), Ryan Moore (2005), Shotaro Ban (2015), Beau Hossler (2016) and Sam Bennett (2023). Oklahoma State has a won record six Burns titles while California captured five straight titles from 2011-15. UNLV and Utah each tied for the team championship last year, UNLV’s fifth John Burns Intercollegiate title.

In its 49th year, the John A. Burns Intercollegiate is considered the University of Hawai’i’s premiere golf tournament. The tournament was held primarily at Kane’ohe Klipper Golf Course before moving to Leilehua Golf Course in 2000 for an 11-year run. The tournament then moved to Turtle Bay Resort from 2011-13 and then to Wailua Golf Course on Kaua‘i in 2014 for the next seven years. The tournament remained on Kaua‘i, relocating to Ocean Course Hokuala.

The tournament is named after former governor of the state of Hawai’i, John A. Burns, who took part in initiating statehood in 1959 and had a hand in upgrading UH’s athletics program. Shortly after his death, his namesake tournament was founded. This tournament reflects back to Burns, the political power who was really a “sportsman at heart.”

Following the John Burns Intercollegiate, San Diego State plays in the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas from March 1-3 before hosting its lone home tournament, the R.E. Lamkin Invitational, March 9-10, at San Diego Country Club in nearby Chula Vista, California.