April 12, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
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AZTEC GOLFERS HEAD TO THE DESERT FOR THE COMPETITIVE ASU THUNDERBIRD INVITATIONAL
- Following a two-week hiatus, the San Diego State men's golf team returns to the links this weekend when it heads east for the ASU Thunderbird Invitational, April 13-15, in Tempe, Ariz. First-round action at the 54-hole tournament commences on Friday with a 7:30 a.m. tee time at the 7,037-yard, par-72 Karsten Golf Course.
The three-day event features a competitive field of 15 teams, including five schools ranked in the top 30, according to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin Ratings released April 9. At No. 5, USC is the highest-ranked participant, followed by Mountain West Conference-foe UNLV (No. 7), Texas A&M (15th), Arizona State (19th) and defending tournament champion Arizona (23rd). Rounding out the field are Baylor, California, Central Florida, Fresno State, Kansas State, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Oregon and Texas Tech.
Host school Arizona State has won the Thunderbird Invitational on 13 occasions, while nine Sun Devil golfers have claimed the tournament's individual title, including Phil Mickelson (1991 and 1992).
SDSU will be looking for its fourth team title of the season when it tees off this weekend. The Aztecs claimed the top spot at the District 7 Fall Shoout in October, before capturing back-to-back crowns at the Callaway Golf Invitational and Fresno State Lexus Classic last month.
Following the Thunderbird Invitational, San Diego State will have two weeks off to prepare for the MWC Championships, April 26-28, at the Omni National Resort in Tucson, Ariz.
THIS WEEK'S LINEUP
- Head coach Ryan Donovan will take five golfers to the Grand Canyon State this week with the top four finishers counting towards the team score. Leading the way are juniors Aaron Goldberg and Jamie Puterbaugh, who have played in all nine events for the Aztecs this season. Sophomore transfer Adam Porzak gets the nod for the third straight tournament while senior Cory Segall earns a starting spot for the fourth time this spring.
The lone newcomer to the Aztec lineup is freshman Joacim Hultman, who will be making his first appearance since the Barona Collegiate Cup last October. The Gothenburg, Sweden, native competed as a member of the SDSU Black team at the event, finishing in a tie for 80th out of 100 players with a combined 10-over 226.
THE LAST TIME OUT: OREGON DUCK INVITE
- San Diego State fired a final round 10-over-par 298 to finish in ninth-place at the Oregon Duck Invitational, March 25-26, in Eugene, Ore. The Aztecs carded a 29-over 893 for the tournament after posting scores of 298 and 297 on the first day. USC captured the team title at the 7,033-yard, par-72 Eugene Country Club with a combined 4-over 868, followed by Oregon State (+10), Arizona and host school Oregon (+11) and Stanford (+16).
After completing the first two rounds just five strokes off the pace, Jamie Puterbaugh and Aaron Goldberg stumbled over the final 18 holes as both players shot a 3-over 75 to finish in a tie for 17th place with a combined 5-over 221. Still, Puterbaugh managed his second top-20 effort of the spring, while Goldberg kept his streak of top-20 performances alive through nine straight tournaments.
SDSU's best score of the day was turned in by Chad Moscovic and Adam Porzak as both golfers carded a 2-over 74 during the final round. Moscovic climbed seven spots on the individual leaderboard after tying for 31st with a 9-over 225. Porzak, meanwhile, improved by 10 places on the second day, finishing in a tie for 36th at 226, just one shot behind his Aztec teammate.
Rounding out the San Diego State lineup were Cory Segall and Ryan Citarella, who finished in the 67th and 71st positions, respectively.
Just three players completed the tournament in red figures as Washington's Alex Prugh, Kevin Chappell of UCLA and USC's Jamie Lovemark each finished with a 2-under 214 to share medalist honors.
FLASHBACK: 2006 ASU THUNDERBIRD INVITATIONAL
- The San Diego State men's golf team saw its hopes for a third straight tournament victory come to a disappointing end at Arizona State's Thunderbird Invitational at ASU Karsten Golf Course. Despite having four players finish below par, the Aztecs had to settle for a third-place tie with Kansas State after shooting a 17-under-par 835. Arizona overcame a nine-shot deficit with a furious rally on the final day to claim the team title, one stroke ahead of UNLV and five in front of both SDSU and KSU.
Had the Aztecs held on for the victory, San Diego State would have captured three consecutive tournament wins for the first time since the 2001-02 season.
Individually, Aaron Goldberg recorded his lowest score as an Aztec since the 2003 U.S. Intercollegiate, firing a 6-under 207 to finish alone in fifth place for his second straight top-five showing. During the second round, Goldberg carded a 6-under 65, which tied him for third on SDSU's all-time list for lowest 18-hole score. Right behind Goldberg was sophomore David Palm, who posted his lowest total as a member of the Scarlet and Black with a 5-under 208 to finish in a tie for sixth. Palm also found the magic touch in the second round, shooting an Aztec career-best 5-under 66, which ranks as the seventh-lowest 18-hole score in school history.
Seniors Andrew Scott and Josh Warthen tied for 19th with three other golfers after completing the tournament with a 1-under 212. Cory Segall also competed in the event, finishing in a tie for 28th out of 83 individuals with a 1-over 214.
GOLDBERG GOLDEN
- As a result of his stellar play this season, Aaron Goldberg earned MWC Golfer of the Month honors in October, November and March, becoming the first SDSU player to be recognized on three occasions since the conference's inception in 1999.
Goldberg received his third award of the season last month after finishing fourth out of 80 competitors at the Callaway Golf Invitational, March 5-6, helping the Scarlet and Black successfully defend its tournament crown from a year ago. One week later at the Fresno State Lexus Classic, March 12-13, he tied for fifth as the Aztecs pulled out a dramatic one-stroke victory over then-No. 36 UC Irvine for their first win at the Fresno event since 1967 and their first back-to-back team titles since the 2005-06 campaign.
During the fall season, the La Costa Canyon High alumnus was SDSU's top finisher in all five tournaments, completing 11 of 15 rounds below par. He also led the team with a 70.00 stroke average and four top-5 finishes, including the individual title at the District 7 Shootout.
After finishing in a tie for 17th in his fourth outing of the spring at the Oregon Duck Invitational, Goldberg enters this week ranked 37th in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin individual performance index released April 9.
HEAD COACH Ryan Donovan
- San Diego State alumnus Ryan Donovan is in his fourth season at the helm of the Aztec men's golf program. Under Donovan's tutelage last year, SDSU captured three tournament titles en route to its eighth straight NCAA regional appearance. Overall, the Aztecs compiled a 253-32 head-to-head record, finishing 29th in Golfweek/Sagarin's final collegiate poll.
Three Aztec golfers - seniors Andrew Scott and Josh Warthen and sophomore David Palm - also claimed individual titles during the season, while Scott and sophomore Aaron Goldberg garnered all-Mountain West Conference accolades.