Feb. 19, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Men's Golf Weekly Release in PDF Format
AZTEC MEN'S GOLF HEADS TO HAWAII THIS WEEK FOR JOHN BURNS INTERCOLLEGIATE
* The San Diego State men's golf team returns to the fairways this week when it travels across the Pacific Ocean for the John Burns Intercollegiate, Feb. 20-22, in Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. The three-day, 54-hole event will be contested on the 6,918-yard, par-72 Leilehua Golf Course with the University of Hawai'i serving as host school.
A competitive field of 22 teams will venture to the Aloha State, including six squads ranked among the top 50 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin performance index released Feb. 18. Auburn (15) and UNLV (24) are the two highest ranked teams in the tournament, followed by Arkansas (37) and Texas A&M (42), SDSU (45) and Southern Methodist (50).
In addition to the aforementioned programs, four other Mountain West Conference institutions will be on display this week, including Brigham Young, Colorado State, New Mexico and Utah. The field also features Pac-10 members Arizona and California and cross-town rival San Diego.
The Aztecs have become regulars at the John Burns Intercollegiate as the 2008 edition marks their seventh consecutive appearance. SDSU 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.
San Diego State shot a combined 8-under-par 856 at last year's event, finishing in fourth place, 22 strokes behind tournament champion BYU. The Aztecs were led by then-junior Aaron Goldberg, who tied for the 13th spot after carding a 5-under 211.
THIS WEEK'S LINEUP
* A blend of youth and experience will accompany head coach Ryan Donovan to the island of Oahu as five golfers representing the Scarlet and Black will tee off for Wednesday's opening round beginning at 8 a.m. HST. Joining seniors Aaron Goldberg and Chad Moscovic for the Aztecs' second spring tournament of 2008 will be junior David Palm and freshmen Johan Carlsson and Matt Hoffenberg.
Goldberg leads the squad with a 71.50 stroke average and is one of three players, along with Carlsson and Hoffenberg to compete in all six events for SDSU so far this season. Goldberg and Palm are the only golfers of the group with playing experience at the John Burns Intercollegiate. This week's tournament will be Goldberg's fourth at Leilehua Golf Course, while Palm will be making his second appearance. In 2006, Palm fired a final-round 67 to finish in a tie for 25th at 6-under 210, while Goldberg also broke par, shooting a combined 3-under 213 to tie for the 42nd position. Meanwhile, Moscovic will be returning to Hawaii for the first time since November of 2005, when he tied for 30th at the UH Fall Intercollegiate after carding a 10-over 226.
ON DECK
* Following the John Burns Intercollegiate, the Aztecs will return stateside to compete in the Fresno State Lexus Classic, March 10-11, at the 6,765-yard, par-72 Fort Washington Country Club in Fresno, Calif. SDSU is the defending tournament champion after defeating UC Irvine by one stroke in a thrilling finish at last year's event.
HEAD COACH Ryan Donovan
* Armed with a new three-year contract, San Diego State alumnus Ryan Donovan is now in his fifth season as the leader of the Aztec men's golf program. With Donovan at the helm, SDSU captured three tournament titles in 2006-07 en route to its ninth straight NCAA regional appearance. Overall, the Aztecs compiled a 99-65 head-to-head record and finished 50th in Golfstat's final collegiate poll. Under Donovan's tutelage last season, junior Aaron Goldberg had one the program's finest campaigns, finishing with a scoring average of 70.71, while recording seven top-five finishes and capturing medalist honors at the District 7 Fall Shootout. For his efforts, the La Costa Canyon High alumnus earned honorable mention PING All-America honors, the program's first such award since 2001.
The 2005-06 season was equally impressive as Donovan guided SDSU to three team tournament victories and its eighth consecutive NCAA regional appearance. Three Aztec golfers - seniors Andrew Scott and Josh Warthen and sophomore David Palm - all claimed individual titles during the season, while Scott and Goldberg garnered all-Mountain West Conference accolades.
Donovan was a four-year competitor for the SDSU golf squad from 1997- 2001. His most successful season came as a junior when he posted five top-30 finishes.
A LOOK BACK: 2007 JOHN BURNS INTERCOLLEGIATE
* Despite climbing eight spots from 11th place into the third position during the second round, San Diego State settled for a fourth-place finish at the 2007 John Burns Intercollegiate. The Aztecs shot a 1-under 287 over the final 18 holes for a three-round total of 8-under 856.
Once again, SDSU was led by Aaron Goldberg, who carded a 5-under 211 for the tournament. The Encinitas, Calif., native was in contention after creeping to within two shots of the leaders entering the final day of action. After firing consecutive rounds of 4-under 68, Goldberg's score ballooned to a 3-over 75, knocking him out of the race and into a tie for 13th place.
Both Cory Segall and Ryan Citarella finished the tournament on a high note by shooting a 2-under 70 in the final round. With his effort, Segall carded his best round of the season, climbing an additional 13 spots during the final round to finish in a tie for 30th place with a 1-under 215. Thanks to his final round, Citarella also tied for 32nd with an even-par 216. In all, the Santiago Canyon College transfer moved up 47 spots after the first round of play.
Brigham Young carded a 30-under-par 834 to win the team championship, shooting an incredible 18-under-par 270 during the final round to overtake 36-hole leader UNLV (-22) by eight strokes. Frank Wrenn of SMU, who competed as an individual, claimed medalist honors by one stroke over BYU's Nick Ellison after carding a 13-under 203.
THE LAST TIME OUT
* Despite a trio of top-five individual finishes, the San Diego State men's golf team came up short in its quest for city supremacy on Jan. 31, when it finished in second place at the SDSU Intercollegiate Classic at the San Diego Country Club in Chula Vista. The Aztecs shot a 26-over par 602 at the 7,033-yard, par-72 course, completing the 36-hole event just three shots behind tournament champion San Diego (+23). Rounding out the inaugural battle of local schools was Point Loma Nazarene (+37) and UC San Diego (+63) in a field that also included individuals from Cal State San Marcos.
Fresh off his second-place showing at the PING Arizona Intercollegiate, Aaron Goldberg managed another runner-up finish en route to his fourth top-five result of the season. The Encinitas, Calif., product fired a combined 3-over 147 for the tournament, highlighted by five birdies and an eagle for the day. Goldberg was able to overcome three bogeys and a double-bogey on the front nine of the morning session to finish just one stroke in back of San Diego's Blake Trimble (+2), who held on to claim medalist honors despite bogeying his last hole.
Also aiding the Scarlet and Black cause was Jamie Puterbaugh and Matt Hoffenberg who both tied for the third spot after each carded a 6-over 150. In his first action of the spring, Puterbaugh sank seven birdies on the day, including four during a five-hole stretch on the back nine during the afternoon. The La Costa Canyon High alumnus shook off a an opening-round 77 to finish with a 73 for his best score since the first round of the Alister Mackenzie Invitational last October. Hoffenberg, who drained six birdies of his own, scraped off a rusty first-round 78 with an even-par 72 over the final eight holes for his second straight top-10 finish of the week.