May 12, 2014
SDSU Tournament Notes | Live Results | Video Preview
SAN DIEGO - The San Diego State men's golf team continues its postseason trek this week when it heads to the Show Me State to compete in the NCAA Columbia Regional, May 15-17, at The Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia, Mo. The 38th-ranked Aztecs, who are making their 16th consecutive regional appearance and 19th overall, will be among the field vying for a spot in the NCAA national championship series, slated for May 23-28 in Hutchinson, Kan.
SDSU received the No. 7 seed out of 14 teams in the Columbia Regional, grabbing one of 50 at-large bids to the NCAA tournament after finishing in the runner-up spot at the Mountain West Championship on April 27. A total of 81 NCAA Division I schools received invitations to play in one of six regional events that will be held concurrently this week in Eugene, Ore. (Oregon), San Antonio, Texas (UTSA), Auburn, Ala. (Auburn), Raleigh, N.C. (NC State) and Sugar Grove, Ill. (Northern Illinois).
Joining the Aztecs on the par-72, 7,141-yard Old Hawthorne layout this week will be 13 other teams, including eight foes ranked in the Golfstat.com Top 50, along with five individual competitors (75 golfers overall). The top five squads and the low individual not on an advancing team will move on to nationals from each of the six regionals.
Teams will complete 18 holes (54 total) of stroke play each of the three days, following a practice round on Wednesday, May 15. SDSU will be paired with host Missouri and Iowa State for Thursday's first round, which is set to get underway from the first tee at 8:50 a.m. CT (6:50 a.m. PT), while Friday's second round starts as early as 8 a.m. CT (6 a.m. CT). The competition then concludes on Saturday, with final-round action slated to begin at 7:30 a.m. CT (5:30 a.m. PT). -- Live hole-by-hole stats will be available on Golfstat.com, as well as GoAztecs.com for all three rounds.
Aztec Lineup For This Week
For the second tournament in a row, San Diego State head coach Ryan Donovan will utilize the starting lineup of junior Xander Schauffele (San Diego, Calif.), freshman Ricky DeSantis (Carlsbad, Calif.) sophomore Riccardo Michelini (Carpi, Italy), freshman Nahum Mendoza III (San Diego, Calif.) and junior James Holley (Chatsworth, Calif.). The combination was also employed at the MW Championship and comprised five-sixths of the SDSU contingent at the Western Intercollegiate last month.
Michelini is the Aztecs' top returning regional competitor after tying for the 16th position last season at Washington State University with a combined 4-under 212, followed by Holley (T-37th), who finished at even-par 216, while Schauffele (T-41st) wound up one stroke behind at 1-over 217. Conversely, this week's tournament will mark the regional debut for both DeSantis and Mendoza.
Schauffele, who owns a team-best 71.67 scoring average, landed in the 41st position nationally in the latest Golfstat Cup standings.
Aztecs At NCAA Regionals
Since the NCAA regional tournaments were inaugurated in 1989, SDSU has received a bid on 19 occasions, including a current streak of 16 straight from 1999 to 2014. However, this year marks the farthest east the Aztecs will participate in a regional event after traveling to Albuquerque, N.M., in 1995 and 2002.
SDSU has placed in the top 10 on eight occasions, highlighted by a team title at OMNI Tucson National Golf Club in 2011. The lowest score in regional competition for the Scarlet and Black also occurred that season when it posted a combined 19-under 833 en route to the seven-stroke victory.
Two-time All-American J.J. Spaun set three Aztec regional records at Stanford Golf Course in 2012, including lowest score (12-under 198), lowest round (7-under 63) and best individual finish (2nd). The record for best single round by an SDSU golfer at a regional was previously held by Magnus Carlsson, who shot a 6-under 66 in 1999.
The Aztecs have advanced to the national championships 27 times in school history, including five times (1999, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2012) since the regional format made its debut.
A Look At The Course
The University of Missouri will serve as host to the 2014 NCAA Columbia Regional at The Club at Old Hawthorne in Columbia, Mo. Designed by Art Schaupeter, the par-72, 7,141-yard track is situated on 631 acres of what was once a horse farm.
Although the course opened in May of 2007, the original portion of the clubhouse was built in 1938 as an exact replica of President Andrew Jackson's home, The Hermitage. The interior has since been remodeled, increasing its space from 6,000 to 30,000 square feet, offering spacious areas for its many amenities.
From the championship tees, Old Hawthorne maintains a course rating of 74.8 with slope of 134. In addition to this week's event, the course has played host to the 2011 Big 12 Women's Golf Championship, as well as the Missouri Open.
Just A Chip Shot Away
The top five schools and two individuals (not on those qualifying teams) will advance out of the Columbia Regional to the NCAA championships, May 23-28, at Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kan. The Aztecs have qualified for the national championships 27 times in school history, including six occasions (1999, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2011, 2012) since the regional format made its debut.
A total of 30 teams and six individuals will play 54 holes of stroke play over a three-day period to determine the individual national champion. The final three days will feature match play between the top eight squads for the national team title.
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