SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego State men's golf team opens the fall portion of the 2021-22 campaign this weekend when it travels to the desert for the Maui Jim Intercollegiate, Sept. 10-12, at Mirabel Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The 54-hole event will be contested over three days, beginning Friday and Saturday with tee times at 8 a.m. PT. The final round is slated for 7 a.m. PT Sunday and will be based on the scores of the first two rounds on the par-70, 7,115-yard course layout.
The Aztecs enter the season opener ranked 21st by Golfchannel.com and 23rd by Golfweek. Other teams competing in the tournament ranked in the top-30 by Golfchannel.com include No. 12 Clemson, No. 13 Georgia Tech, No. 22 Washington, No. 28 New Mexico and No. 29 Auburn. Alabama, Arizona, Augusta, California, Colorado State, host Georgia State, Louisville, Oregon and Utah complete the 15-team field.
Now in his 19th season at the helm of the Aztecs, head coach Ryan Donovan has penciled in the starting lineup of seniors Puwit Anupansuebsai (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand), Zihao Jin (Beijing, China/Rancho Bernardo HS), Steve Sugimoto (San Diego/Rancho Bernardo HS) and Youssef Guezzale (San Diego/La Jolla HS), and freshman Shea Lague (Jamul, Calif./Steele Canyon HS). Freshman Jack Townsend (San Diego/Charter School of San Diego), meanwhile, will be competing as an individual in the tournament.
SDSU is expected to be one of the strongest teams on the West Coast this season as Anupansuebsai, Jin and Sugimoto all utilized their extra year of eligibility offered by the NCAA due to COVID-19, and Guezzale is back for his senior campaign. In all, San Diego State returns five of its six regular starters from a year ago when it tied for 25th at the NCAA Championship, had two team victories, seven top-5 finishes and three individual titles.
Last year, Anupansuebsai was named a PING third-team All-American and received honorable-mention All-America accolades from Golfweek. Anupansuebsai, who led the Aztecs in scoring average (70.93), rounds in the 60s (10), rounds below par (13), even-par rounds (6) and team count percentage (.926), also is a preseason Golfweek third-team All-American this year. He finished the season ranked 34th in the Sagarin/Golfweek ratings, despite SDSU only competing in the spring. Anupansuebsai was SDSU's top finisher in each of the final five tournaments, including a tie for 56th at the NCAA Championship from May 28-30 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. Prior to the NCAA Championship, Anupansuebsai had an individual win at the NCAA Kingston Springs Regional (May 17-19), a playoff victory at the MW Championship (April 29-May 1), a playoff loss at the Western Intercollegiate (April 12-14) and a tie for second at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic (April 5-6).
Jin, meanwhile, was one of three San Diego State golfers to start all nine tournaments a year ago, ranking fifth on the team with a 73.19 stroke average. Jin also was third in rounds in the 60s (5), rounds below par (7, tied) and even-par rounds (4, tied), while racking up three top-20 finishes.
Sugimoto garnered all-Mountain West honors last season, starting all nine tournaments, while ranking third on the team with a 72.56 scoring average. Sugimoto also was tied for third on the team in rounds below par (7), tied for fourth in rounds in the 60s (4) and was fifth in even-par rounds (3). His .833 count percentage ranked third on the squad and he logged three top-20 finishes.
Lague will be making his collegiate debut this weekend after a storied high school career at Steele Canyon High School.
Guezzale joined Anupansuebsai, Jin and Sugimoto by playing all nine tournaments, starting eight times. Guezzale ranked second on the team with a 72.52 scoring average, rounds in the 60s (8), rounds below par (10) and team count percentage (.875). He also had a pair of top-5 finishes and three top-10 showings.
This year will be the fifth annual Maui Jim Intercollegiate after last year's event was canceled due to COVID-19. The Aztecs will be competing in the event for the first time. Arizona State has won two of the four Maui Jim Intercollegiate events (2017 and 2019), while Georgia Tech (2018) and LSU (2016) also have a team title in Scottsdale.
Following the Maui Jim Intercollegiate, SDSU next competes in the Husky Invitational, Sept. 20-21, in Bremerton, Washington. San Diego State will utilize its trip to Gold Mountain Golf Club as a preview for next spring's Mountain West Championship, which will be held on the same course.
Men’s Golf Set for Opener at Maui Jim Intercollegiate
