SDSU MEN'S GOLF FINISHES 10TH AT GOPHER INVITATIONAL

Aztec senior PJ Samiere ties for 13th individually

Source:  goaztecs.com

Photo courtesy goaztecs.com

September 11, 2017 (Independence, Minn.) - The San Diego State men's golf team recorded a 10th-place performance at the Gopher Invitational on Monday after carding a collective 5-over-par 289 during the final round at the par-71, 7,388-yard Windsong Farm Golf Club.

After completing Sunday’s suspended second round in a tie for 10th, the Aztecs were unable to gain ground, finishing the tournament at 23-over 875, one shot behind Purdue (+22) for ninth place and two shots in back of eighth-place Charlotte (+21).

Arkansas maintained its perch atop the standings to capture the team title with a combined 4-under 848, while Baylor (+6) was a distant second, followed by Oklahoma (+7), Kent State (+8) and Pepperdine (+14).

Individually, PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii) was SDSU’s top finisher, vaulting 28 places on the leaderboard into a tie for 13th at 3-over 216 after shooting a 68 over the final 18 holes. The Aztec senior offset two bogeys with a team-high five birdies, including back-to-back conversions at No. 14 and No. 15, with the latter ranking as the fourth-toughest green of the tournament.  With his effort, Samiere notched the 12th top-20 placement of his career.

Trevor Norby (Carlsbad, Calif.) was not as fortunate, however, slipping from the 16th position into 22nd at 5-over 218, following a final-round 74. The SDSU sophomore collected a team-high 15 pars on Monday, but a trio of bogeys, including two on his final four holes, hastened his drop.

Conversely, Puwit Anupansuebsai (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand) completed his first collegiate tournament on a positive note, posting the Aztecs’ second-best score of the round with a 73. Despite a double bogey on the par-3 10th and two additional bogeys, the SDSU freshman drained birdies at No. 9 and No. 14 to jump four places into an 11-way logjam for 31st at 7-over 220.

Elsewhere, Blake Abercrombie (Rocklin, Calif.) finished one shot behind Anupansuebsai in a tie for 42nd at 8-over 221 after shooting a 74 on Monday. After starting with a bogey the par-4 sixth, the Aztec senior recorded three birdies over his next five holes, including consecutive makes on the eighth and ninth greens. However, double bogeys at No. 10 and No. 15 proved too much to overcome.

Rounding out the Aztec contingent was Eric Ghim (Glendale, Ariz.), who tied for 71st with a combined 17-over 230 after carding a 75 over the final 18 holes. Despite four bogeys and a double, the SDSU sophomore managed back-to-back birdies on his back nine with conversions at No. 18 and No. 1, the latter of which ranked as the fourth-most difficult green of the day.

Kent State’s Ian Holt (-10) captured medalist honors after shooting a 66 on Monday to win by three strokes over Arkansas’ Mason Overstreet (-7), while Pepperdine’s Sahith Theegala (-6) took third, followed by Arizona State’s Alex Del Rey Gonzalez (-5).

The Aztecs also had two golfers compete in the Gopher Invitational auxiliary individual tournament, held at the par-72, 6,953-yard Pioneer Creek Golf Club in Maple Plain, Minnesota, where senior Pablo Matesanz (Irun, Spain) and Otto Vanhatalo (Espoo, Finland) tied for 21st at 15-over 231. Despite two birdies, Matesanz was unable to ease the sting of five bogeys, finishing with a final-round 75. Vanhatalo, meanwhile, was plagued by inconsistency as well, draining four birdies of his own against six bogeys and two doubles en route to a 78.

San Diego State will have an 11-day break from competition before returning to the fairways for the William H. Tucker Intercollegiate, Sept. 22-23, in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Aztecs are the defending tournament champions.

Gopher Invitational

Final Results

Windsong Farm G.C.

Par 71, 7,388 yards

Team Standings (Top 5 of 16 teams + SDSU)

1. Arkansas                                        284-285-279—848 (-4)

2. Baylor                                             283-287-288—858 (+6)

3. Oklahoma                                      292-281-286—859 (+7)

4. Kent State                                      293-291-276—860 (+8)

5. Pepperdine                                    293-290-283—866 (+14)

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10. San Diego State                          287-299-289—875 (+23)

Individual Leaders (Top 7 of 87 players + SDSU)        

1. Ian Holt, Kent State                                                     70-67-66—203 (-10)

2. Mason Overstreet, Arkansas                                     72-67-67—206 (-7)

3. Sahith Theegala, Pepperdine                                     68-70-69—207 (-6)

4. Alex Del Rey Gonzalez, Arizona State                        71-67-70—208 (-5)

T5. Alvaro Ortiz, Arkansas                                              70-74-68—212 (-1)

T5. Mark Lawrence, Virginia Tech                                  72-69-71—212 (-1)

T5. Matthew Perrine, Baylor                                          68-73-71—212 (-1)

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T13. PJ Samiere, SDSU                                                   74-74-68—216 (+3)

T22. Trevor Norby, SDSU                                               71-73-74—218 (+5)

T31. Puwit Anupansuebsai, SDSU                                 72-75-73—220 (+7)

T42. Blake Abercrombie, SDSU                                     70-77-74—221 (+8)

T71. Eric Ghim, SDSU                                                      78-77-75—221 (+8)

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Gopher Invitational

Individual Tournament

Final Results

Pioneer Creek G.C.

Maple Plain, Minn.

Par 72, 6,953 yards

SDSU Individual Scores Only

T21. Pablo Matesanz, SDSU                                           80-76-75—231 (+15)

T21. Otto Vanhatalo, SDSU                                            77-76-78—231 (+15)

Final results