WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -- The San Diego State men's golf team is in seventh place at the Southwestern Invitational presented by Topgolf after posting a 2-over-par 290 in the first round Monday at the par-72, 6,992-yard North Ranch Country Club.
The Aztecs, who won last year's Southwestern Invitational, are just a shot back of No. 8 Texas and No. 21 Washington for fifth place at 1-over 289, while UCLA is fourth following an even-par 288. No. 13 Georgia leads after 18 holes at 9-under 279 with No. 3 Arizona State (-5) and No. 7 Pepperdine (-1) also under par.
Freshman Shea Lague (Jamul, Calif./Steele Canyon HS) leads SDSU at 2-under 70, which has him tied for seventh out of 64 golfers. Lague was 1-over through eight holes but went 3-under over his final 10 without a bogey to sign for a 70. Lague got his opening round turned around with a birdie on the par-4, 386-yard ninth hole and another one on the par-4, 385-yard 10th. After four consecutive pars, Lague birdied the par-5, 474-yard 15th, then ended the round with three straight pars. Altogether, Lague tallied five birdies and three bogeys on the day.
Sophomore Jackson Moss (San Diego/Point Loma HS) carded an even-par 72 and is tied for 19th. Making his first career collegiate start, Moss sank four birdies, including the par-4, 415-yard second hole, the par-3, 202-yard 13th, the 15th and the par-4, 424-yard 18th. He had matching 36s on each nine with the four birdies and four bogeys.
Senior Zihao Jin (Beijing/Rancho Bernardo HS (San Diego)) overcame a triple bogey on No. 9 to shoot a 1-over 73, which is tied for 25th. Jin started with five straight pars before birdieing the par-5, 493-yard sixth, notching two back-to-back pars and then the triple bogey on No. 9. Birdies on the par-5, 526-yard 12th and par-4, 416-yard 14th brought him back to even-par for the round, but unfortunately he bogeyed the par-3, 181-yard 17th and had to settle for a 73.
Senior Puwit Anupansuebsai (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand) is tied for 38th at 3-over 75, while classmate Steve Sugimoto (San Diego/Rancho Bernardo HS) is tied for 44th following a 4-over 76. Anupansuebsai opened with a triple bogey on the par-4, 462-yard first and then bogeyed No. 2. He finished with three birdies and two bogeys the rest of the way for his 75.
Sugimoto, meanwhile, rebounded from a double bogey on the par-3, 228-yard third hole with three consecutive birdies (par-5, 581-yard fourth, par-4, 415-yard fifth and the sixth), but a triple bogey on No. 10 and a double bogey on No. 14 gave him a 4-over 76.
Georgia's Trent Phillips leads all competitors at 6-under 66, while UCLA's Devon Bling (-5), Texas' Cole Hammer (-4), SMU's Nathan Petronzio (-4), Arizona State's Mason Andersen (-3) and Pepperdine's Ian Maspat (-3) round out the top 5.
The second round gets underway for San Diego State at 10:20 a.m. PT Tuesday.
Southwestern Invitational
Westlake Village, Calif.
Day One Results (Round 1 of 3)
North Ranch C.C. (Lakes/Oaks)
Par 72, 6,992 yards
Team Standings (Top 5 of 12 teams + SDSU)
1. No. 13 Georgia…279 (-9)
2. No. 3 Arizona State…283 (-5)
3. No. 7 Pepperdine…287 (-1)
4. UCLA…288 (E)
T5. No. 8 Texas…289 (+1)
T5. No. 21 Washington…289 (+1)
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7. San Diego State…290 (+2)
Individual Leaders (Top 6 of 64 players + SDSU)
1. Trent Phillips (Georgia)…66 (-6)
2. Devon Bling (UCLA)…67 (-5)
T3. Cole Hammer (Texas)…68 (-4)
T3. Nathan Petronzio (SMU)…68 (-4)
T5. Mason Andersen (Arizona State)…69 (-3)
T5. Ian Maspat^ (Pepperdine)…69 (-3)
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T7. Shea Lague (San Diego State)…70 (-2)
T19. Jackson Moss (San Diego State)…72 (E)
T25. Zihao Jin (San Diego State)…73 (+1)
T38. Puwit Anupansuebsai (San Diego State)…75 (+3)
T44. Steve Sugimoto (San Diego State)…76 (+4)
^ competing as an individual
Men’s Golf in Seventh After First Day of Southwestern
