No. 25 SDSU Readies for Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State men’s golf team returns to action Sunday at the Southern Highlands Collegiate in Las Vegas. The three-day event will feature 18-hole rounds on the par-72, 7,510-yard Southern Highlands Golf Club.

The Aztecs enter the tournament ranked 25th in the last NCAA computer rankings, released Feb. 25. All 15 teams in the tournament are among the top-50 in the country, including No. 1 Virginia, No. 2 Auburn, No. 3 Florida, No. 4 Texas, No. 8 Pepperdine, No. 12 Illinois, No. 14 Oklahoma, No. 19 New Mexico, No. 29 Texas A&M, No. 31 UCLA, tournament host No. 33 UNLV, No. 34 Georgia, No. 35 Washington and No. 46 South Carolina.

San Diego State begins the first round begins at 9:20 a.m. PT Sunday, teeing off from the 10th hole playing alongside Texas A&M and UCLA.

SDSU is coming off a 10th-place finish out of 19 teams at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate at the Ocean Course Hokuala in Lihue, Hawai’i on Feb. 12-14 at 11-over-par 851 where many members of the team were battling sickness. It was San Diego State’s worst finish of the season following a pair of runner-up finishes at the Marquette Intercollegiate (Oct. 5-7) and the Southwestern Invitational (Jan. 26-28).

Sophomore Harry Takis (Brisbane, Australia) continued his strong start to the season by coming in second at 7-under 203 on the par-70, 7,098-yard Ocean Course. It was his fourth runner-up finish to go along with a victory over his last eight collegiate tournaments dating back to last season. This season (2025-26), Takis tied for second at the Sahalee Players Championship, Sept. 6-7, at -2, won the Southwestern Invitational at -7 and came in second at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate at -7.

Takis is ranked first in the nation in the NCAA computer rankings, while posting a 68.89 scoring average through three events and nine rounds this season. Other top-25 golfers expected to compete at the Southern Highlands Collegiate include No. 2 Jackson Koivun (Auburn), No. 3 Ben James (Virginia), No. 5 Mahanth Chirravuri (Pepperdine), No. 6 Bryan Lee (Virginia), No. 11 Brady Siravo (Pepperdine), No. 13 Luke Potter (Texas), No. 16 Jase Summy (Oklahoma), No. 18 Josiah Gilbert (Auburn) and No. 21 Willy Walsh (Pepperdine).

Rounding out the scoring leaders for the Aztecs behind Takis are senior Tyler Kowack (San Diego/Canyon Crest Academy) (72.67), senior Chanachon Chokprajakchat (Bangkok, Thailand) (73.40), sophomore Kai Hirayama (Arcadia, Calif.) (73.60), junior Nathan Sampson (Temecula, Calif.) (74.58), junior Dylan Oyama (Carlsbad, Calif./Pacific Ridge HS) (74.67) and junior Phillip Kench (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines HS/UNLV) (75.00).

Takis will play in the top spot for SDSU in Las Vegas, along with Hirayama, Kowack, Chokprajakchat and Oyama.

The Aztecs are playing in the Southern Highlands Collegiate for a fourth straight season, taking 13th in 2023 at 9-over 873, sixth in 2024 at +7 and 11th last season at +29.

Takis tied for 47th at last year’s event at +16. Kowack (T-75th at +19 in 2023, T-21st at +8 in 2024 and T-21st at +11 in 2025) and Chokprajakchat (T-40th at +8 in 2023, T-21st at +8 in 2024 and T-34th at +14 in 2025) have each competed three times at the Southern Highlands Collegiate, while Oyama played in the 2023 edition (T-42nd at +13) and last year’s tourney (T-54th at +17). Like Takis, Hirayama will be competing in the tournament for the first time.

SDSU previously competed in the 2017 event, taking 15th out of 15 at 41-over 905, and in October 2006 when it claimed both the individual and team titles at the District 7 Shootout. San Diego State shot a combined 30-under 852 on Angel Park Golf Club's Mountain Course, topping runner-up Boise State by 14 strokes. The Aztecs also boasted four top-10 individual finishes, including medalist Aaron Goldberg, who carded a then-school record 201 in regulation before defeating Boise State's Troy Merritt on the third hole of a sudden-death playoff.

UNLV’s Caden Fiorini won last year’s event at 9-under 207, while Auburn claimed the team title at 9-under 855 as the only team under par.

Following the Southern Highlands Collegiate, the Aztecs will play host to their lone tournament of the season with the R.E. Lamkin Invitational, March 9-10 at San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista, California.