April 9, 2009
SAN DIEGO -
Complete Release in PDF Format
Aztec Men's Golf Returns to Action This Weekend at ASU Thunderbird Invitational
Following a two-week break, the San Diego State men's golf team returns to the fairways this weekend when it heads to the desert for the 37th annual ASU Thunderbird Invitational, April 10-11, 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. A live scoring link will be provided on the home page of GoAztecs.com.
The three-round event features a highly competitive field of 16 schools, 10 of which are ranked in the top 60, according to the latest Golfstat rankings released April 8. At No. 9, TCU is the highest-ranked squad in the tournament, followed by the 20th-rankedAztecs, UNLV (24), host school Arizona State (28), Arizona (33), Colorado State (34), California (36), Oregon (38), New Mexico (39) and UC Irvine (56). In addition to Colorado State, New Mexico and UNLV, SDSU will also get an early look at MWC competitors BYU prior to the Mountain West Conference Championships, which are set to begin April 24. Ball State, Cal State Northridge, Denver, Fresno State and Oklahoma round out the list of competitors.
The Scarlet and Black will be making its fourth straight appearance in the ASU Thunderbird Invitational and sixth in the last seven years. During that span, SDSU's highest team finish came in 2006, when it tied for third along with Kansas State. Last season, Matt Hoffenberg placed 14th for the Aztecs' top individual showing at the tournament.
This Week's Lineup
Head coach Ryan Donovan will field his eighth different lineup of the 2008-09 season. Leading the way for SDSU will be the sophomore duo of Johan Carlsson and Matt Hoffenberg. Senior classmates Ryan Citarella and Bryan Martin will make the trip for the Aztecs, along with redshirt freshman Colin Featherstone. Fellow freshman Andrew Cooley will make the trip to Tempe, but will participate as an individual.
This tournament marks the spring debut for Citarella, who has only competed as an individual for the Scarlet and Black this season. Carlsson, Featherstone, Hoffenberg and Martin were all part of the squad that finished runner-up at the Barona Collegiate Cup (March 16-17). Carlsson, Hoffenberg and Martin were also part of the fivesome that finished second in medal play and sixth in match play at the exclusive Callaway Collegiate Match Play Championships (March 22-24).
On Deck
SDSU will have one final tune-up before heading to the Mountain West Conference Championships. The Aztecs will head to the Lone Star State to compete at the Texas A&M Aggie Invitational, April 18-19, at the par 72, 7,235 yard Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, Texas.
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 8. As a class, the SDSU freshmen hold a 72.90 stroke average, according to Golfstat. Only Alabama ranks ahead of the Aztecs.