April 10, 2008
SAN DIEGO -
SDSU Men's Golf Weekly Release in PDF Format
SDSU MEN'S GOLF RETURNS TO ACTION THIS WEEKEND AT ASU THUNDERBIRD INVITATIONAL
* Following a two-week layoff, the San Diego State men's golf team returns to the fairways this weekend when it heads to the desert for the 36th annual ASU Thunderbird Invitational, April 11-13, in Tempe, Ariz. First-round action at the 54-hole tournament gets underway on Friday at the 7,057-yard, par-71 Karsten Golf Course as the Aztecs tee off with players from Texas A&M and host school Arizona State beginning at 8:12 a.m. PDT. A live scoring link will be provided on the home page of GoAztecs.com.
The three-day event features a highly competitive field of 15 schools, seven of which are ranked in the top 60, according to the latest Golfweek/Sagarin performance index released April 7. At No. 17, Texas A&M, which captured the team title at SDSU's Barona Collegiate Cup last month, is the highest-ranked squad in the tournament, followed by Arizona State (27), the Aztecs (30), Oregon (50), California (56), Arizona (57) and UC Irvine (60). SDSU will also get an early look at league rivals Colorado State and New Mexico prior to the Mountain West Conference championships, which are set to begin April 24. Meanwhile, Baylor, Cal State Northridge, Connecticut, Denver, Oklahoma and Pacific round out the list of competitors.
The Aztecs will be gunning for their fourth team title of the season when it hits the links in Tempe. SDSU claimed the top spot at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational in October before hoisting trophies at the Fresno State Lexus Classic and Oregon Duck Invitational last month.
The Scarlet and Black will be making its third straight appearance in the ASU Thunderbird Invitational and fifth in the last six years. During that span, SDSU's highest team finish came in 2006, when it tied for third along with Kansas State. Last season, Aaron Goldberg placed fourth for the Aztecs' top individual showing at the tournament.
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, who took home medalist honors in 1991 and 1992.
THIS WEEK'S LINEUP
* For the first time in head coach Ryan Donovan's five-year tenure, SDSU will utilize the same lineup for a fifth consecutive tournament as five Aztec golfers make the trek eastward to the Grand Canyon State. Heading the list is senior extraordinaire Aaron Goldberg, who will be joined by fellow classmate Chad Moscovic, junior David Palm and freshmen deluxe Johan Carlsson and Matt Hoffenberg. Goldberg leads the squad with a 70.93 stroke average, followed closely by Hoffenberg (71.85), Palm (71.96) and Carlsson (72.43), while Moscovic (75.86) ranks sixth on the team.
Of the group, only Goldberg and Palm have playing experience at the Thunderbird Invitational. Goldberg, a three-time participant, recorded his best showing at the event last season when he finished alone in fourth place. Goldberg also landed in fifth as a sophomore in 2006. That same season, Palm tied for the sixth spot in his only appearance at the tournament.
A LOOK AT THE COURSE
* Karsten Golf Course has a classic Pete Dye links-style design, featuring lakes, mounds and pot bunkers. Strategy and precision are critical as numerous greens are partially hidden and well guarded by water and bunkers. Located in the shadows of Sun Devil Stadium on the Arizona State campus, Karsten has welcomed the likes of professionals such as Phil Mickelson, Billy Mayfair and Grace Park, all who have sharpened their skills at the course.
FLASHBACK: 2007 THUNDERBIRD INVITATIONAL
* Aaron Goldberg shot a 1-under-par 71 to lead the Aztec men's golf team during the final round of action at the 2007 ASU Thunderbird Invitational. Goldberg carded a 9-under 207 for the tournament to finish alone in fourth place for his third top-five showing in five spring events and seventh overall for the season.
Goldberg entered the last day of competition just five strokes off the pace, but was unable to close the gap after recording a pair of bogeys on the front nine. Still, the Encinitas, Calif., native posted his second-best tournament score of the 2006-07 campaign and became the squad's top finisher for the ninth time in 10 outings. New Mexico's Charlie Beljan capped off a late surge to take home medalist honors with a 15-under 201, three strokes ahead of second-round leader Derek Sipe of Oregon (-12).
One day after moving up four places in the team standings, SDSU slipped one notch over the final 18 holes, finishing in 12th after shooting an 8-over-296 for a three-round total of 14-over 878. Oregon led the 15-team field wire-to-wire, capturing the tournament crown with a 20-under 844, followed by host school Arizona State (-17), USC (-15), Texas A&M (-14) and Arizona (-12).
Three other Aztec players finished within three shots of one another, including Jamie Puterbaugh, who climbed six spots over the final 18 holes into a tie for 62nd. Puterbaugh led the team with four birdies on the day en route to a 1-over 73, ending the tournament with a combined 7-over 223. Meanwhile, Adam Porzak tied for 64th at 8-over 224, followed by Cory Segall, who tied for 72nd with a combined 10-over 226.
ON DECK
* Following the ASU Thunderbird Invitational, San Diego State will have one final tune-up before the Mountain West Conference championships when it travels north to compete in the U.S. Intercollegiate, April 19-20, in Stanford, Calif. The Aztecs last competed at the tournament in 2006, when they tied for sixth out of 17 teams after rain forced the cancellation of the third round.
THE LAST TIME OUT: OREGON DUCK INVITATIONAL
* A balanced lineup once again proved fruitful for the San Diego State men's golf squad as the Aztecs captured their third team title of the season on March 25 with a victory at the 20th annual Oregon Duck Invitational in Creswell, Ore. Paced by three top-11 individual finishes, SDSU completed the tournament at 9-over-par 873 after shooting a 4-over 292 during the final round at the 7,093-yard, par-72 Emerald Valley Golf Club. With its effort, the Scarlet and Black took home its fourth Duck Invite crown (2001, 2004, 2006, 2008), winning by 11 strokes over Oregon State (+20) and host school Oregon (+20).
Individually, the Aztecs' best round of the final day belonged to freshman Matt Hoffenberg who was the only SDSU player to shoot in red figures after firing a 1-under 71. The Simi Valley, Calif., product finished the tournament at 5-over 221, but was able to climb 17 spots into a tie for 11th place. Hoffenberg, who also made a significant jump into the top 20 at the Barona Collegiate Cup on March 18, logged his team-leading 10th below-par round this spring.
Fellow classmate Johan Carlsson also crept up the leaderboard over the final 18 holes, tying for the fifth position after carding his best round of the week at even-par 72. With his performance, the Gothenburg, Sweden, native posted a combined 3-over 219 en route to his highest finish of the spring season.
The course was not kind to Aaron Goldberg, however, as the Aztec senior shot an atypical 3-over 75 on the day to finish alone in third place with a combined even-par 216. Goldberg entered the final round in the second spot just five strokes off the pace, but was betrayed by five bogeys and settled for third behind medalist T.J. Bordeaux of Pacific (-5) and Oregon's Joey Benedetti (-1). Despite the stumble, Goldberg still managed his fifth top-five showing of the season and third of the spring.
Meanwhile, senior Chad Moscovic's score counted for the second round in a row, as the Stockton, Calif., product climbed five places into a tie for 33rd after carding a 74 over the final 18 holes to finish at 10-over 226. Rounding out the Aztec delegation was junior David Palm, who just missed out on a top-20 finish, tying for 21st at 8-over 224 following a final-round 76.
GOLDBERG NAMED MWC GOLFER OF MONTH
* Aaron Goldberg was named the Mountain West Conference men's golfer of the month for March as announced by the league office on April 3. The Aztec senior earned his second straight monthly honor of the 2007-08 season and the fifth of his career, joining UNLV's Ryan Moore as the only players to have won the award at least five times since the conference's inception in 1999.