April 29, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
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Aztec Men's Golf Gears Up for Mountain West Conference Championships
The San Diego State men's golf team begins its pursuit of a berth in the NCAA championship series this week when it returns to Tucson, Ariz., for the Mountain West Conference Championships, April 30-May 2, at the famed Omni Tucson National Golf Resort. The 54-hole tournament will contested with one round on each of the three days at the 7,136-yard, par-71 Catalina Course.
The Aztecs are scheduled to tee off with UNLV and TCU on Thursday beginning at 7 a.m. PT, while the pairings for the final two rounds will be based on team standings.
A live scoring link will be available on the home page of GoAztecs.com.
The Competition
The 22nd-ranked Aztecs are one of five Mountain West Conference teams to appear in the top 100 of the latest Golfstat rankings released April 22. No. 17 TCU is the league's highest-ranked squad in the poll, followed by SDSU (22), Colorado State (33), UNLV (34), New Mexico (37) and Brigham Young (72). The nine-team field also includes Air Force, Utah and Wyoming.
For the Record: Aztecs vs. The Field
SDSU will be looking for its first tournament title of the season and its first MWC championship when it hits the fairways in the Grand Canyon State. The Scarlet and Black enter the week with a dazzling 125-27-4 record (.814) in head-to-head competition. SDSU has faced the other eight conference teams at least once this season, posting an impressive 18-2-1 mark. Brigham Young has been SDSU's most frequent MWC opponent during the 2008-09 regular season, squaring off against the Scarlet and Black five times, while the Aztecs have faced Air Force and Utah just once. Below is a capsule look at how San Diego State has fared against its league rivals this season.
SDSU vs. the MWC in 2008-09
Air Force (1-0)
Brigham Young (4-1)
Colorado State (2-1)
New Mexico (4-0)
TCU (1-0-1)
UNLV (3-0)
Utah (1-0)
Wyoming (2-0)
Total (18-2-1)
Back Spin: SDSU In The MWC Championships
The Aztecs have never come away with the team crown in the nine-year history of the MWC Championships, finishing second on three occasions in 2001, 2003 (tie) and 2006. SDSU managed fourth-place showing in 2004 and 2005, while ending up in the fifth spot in 2000 and 2007.
Despite having two golfers finish in the top 15 on the individual leaderboard, the Aztecs finished a disappointing seventh last season at 19-over 871, a distant 21 shots behind winner Colorado State (-2).
Then-senior Aaron Goldberg vaulted five places on the final day into the runner-up position for his sixth top five effort of the season.
Then-freshman Johan Carlsson recorded 11 birdies for the tournament and finished in a tie for 14th at 3-over 216. Carlsson's classmate Matt Hoffenberg also showed dramatic improvement over the final 18-holes, climbing six spots into a tie for 26th at 7-over 220.
This Week's Lineup
Head coach Ryan Donovan will utilize another new lineup at the MWC Championships. Leading the way for SDSU will be the sophomore duo of Johan Carlsson and Matt Hoffenberg, who are tied for the team's lowest stroke average. Senior Bryan Martin will make the trip for the Scarlet and Black, his fifth consecutive outing of the spring. Freshmen Alex Kang and J.J. Spaun return to the lineup for their fifth and third respective trips of the championships season.
Carlsson and Hoffenberg lead the squad with a 72.71 stroke average each, followed closely by Spaun (72.77), Kang (73.32) and Martin (73.83).
Of the group, only Carlsson and Hoffenberg have playing experience on the Catalina Course or at the MWC Championships. As mentioned earlier, Carlsson carded a 3-over 216 to finish tied for 14th in last year's MWC Championships, while Hoffenberg tied for 26th in the 45-golfer field at 7-over 220. Martin, meanwhile, does have conference tournament experience. Last spring at Loyola Marymount, Martin received honorable mention honors after he tied for 14th at the West Coast Conference Championship.
A Look At The Course
For the third straight year, the Mountain West Conference Championships will be held on the Catalina Course at the Omni Tucson National Golf Resort & Spa. Designed by Robert Van Hagge and Bruce Devlin, the Catalina Course is known for its magnificent views, traditional parkland-style layout and tree-lined fairways. Nestled in the foothills of the Santa Catalina Mountains, the course also includes eight sparkling lakes and 80 bunkers, while the 18th hole is considered to be one of the finest and most challenging finishing holes on the PGA Tour. Home to numerous NCAA events and the PGA's prestigious Chrysler Classic of Tucson, the Tucson National has been selected as one of Golf Digest magazine's "75 Best Golf Resorts in North America."
Freshmen Fantastic
San Diego State's freshman class is among America's best. The class currently ranks second on the Golfstat Top 25 Freshman Class Impact Ranking, released April 23. As a class, the SDSU freshmen hold a 73.01 stroke average, according to Golfstat. Only Oregon ranks ahead of the Aztecs.