The Ross Report - Johan Carlsson

Christina Ross was a three-year letterwinner for the Aztec softball team from 2006-08. Last month, Ross became the second All-American in program history when she was named to the Easton Second Team. Over her career, Ross twice earned MWC Pitcher of the Year honors and was a three-time all-league selection. Ross is the career SDSU record holder in solo shutouts (23), shutouts (tied - 28) and strikeouts (612), despite playing just three seasons for the Aztecs. Ross is currently interning in the Aztec media relations office.

SAN DIEGO -- Coming off a 14th-place finish at last year's NCAA Championships, the San Diego State men's golf team started the 2008-09 season off on the right foot by finishing in third place at the Husky Invitational. Leading the way for the Aztecs was sophomore Johan Carlsson, who completed the 54-hole tournament in second place with a 2-under 214. Carlsson was one of just two players in the highly-competitive field to finish under par.

Carlsson's hot start should be of no surprise as he joined All-American Aaron Goldberg as the only two Aztecs to compete in all 44 rounds last year, while finishing third on the team in stroke average at 73.14. Additionally in his first year on campus last season, he posted three top-5, four top-10 and 10 top-20 finishes. His best individual finish came at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational where he finished in a tie for fourth place after shooting an 8-under 205.

Carlsson recently spoke with Christina Ross about the upcoming season for The Ross Report.

Ross Report: Johan Carlsson

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On his play at the Husky Invitational:
I played really good I think. I kind of found my game maybe 2 or 3 weeks ago when I started playing really good and I just kept it going. Overall I had a good tournament.

On the team's third place finish:
I think the coaches were a bit disappointed. We had higher expectations than that. But it's just in the beginning of the season, and we have a lot of tournaments in front of us.

On his transition to San Diego from Sweden:
It's really different. The weather is totally different. I have a lot better opportunities here. Now I'm on a team, before I wasn't, I was an individual golfer before. It's really different.

On whether playing at home course Sycuan is an advantage:
Absolutely. I definitely think we have advantages such as pin positions, we know the course, and course management.

On the loss of Aaron Goldberg:
Goldberg was a really good player. This year we have bigger depth on our team. We have 5 or 6 freshman that are all capable of playing really good.

On how the team can make it back to the NCAA tournament:
We're going to work hard during the whole season as we did before. We're going to stick together as a team.

On how Coach Ryan Donovan has helped his game:
He helps us a lot. He's there for us all the time. He comes with tips when we're on the golf course. He helps us with course management. We have a lot of good talks together before each tournament. He does a lot of things I'm really grateful for.