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Aztecs’ Gunn Yang ties for 10th individually
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo: Gunn Yang (above) and Blake Abercrombie tied for 10th at the Oregon Duck Invitational this week. Courtesy goaztecs.com
March 28, 2017 (Eugene, Ore.) - The San Diego State men’s golf team finished in fourth place at the Duck Invitational on Tuesday after firing a combined 8-over-par 292 during the final round at Eugene Country Club. The Aztecs were unable to gain ground in the standings, however, completing the 28th annual event with a 54-hole total of 17-over 869 on the par-71, 7,020-yard track.
Individually, SDSU was paced by Gunn Yang, who tied for 10th at 1-over 214. Despite opening with a pair of bogeys, the Aztec senior turned in the team’s low round of the day with a 70, highlighted by four birdies, including an impressive drain on the par-4, 485-yard No. 8, which ranked as the most difficult hole of the tournament. With his card, Yang climbed seven spots on the leaderboard for his second top-10 placement of the season and seventh as a collegian.
Blake Abercrombie finished one shot behind Yang at 2-over 215, slipping one notch in the standings into a tie for 13th after posting a final-round 73. Despite sinking just one birdie at the par-5 13th, the SDSU junior managed to ease the sting of three bogeys with a steady diet of 14 pars, giving him 40 for the week, which ranked second in the field of 87 competitors.
Nahum Mendoza III also lost ground on the leaders, dropping nine places into a tie for 21st at 5-over 218 after shooting a 76 over the final 18 holes. The SDSU senior was unable to rebound from a rocky start on the front nine where he recorded two birdies against four bogeys. Despite seven pars after the turn, Mendoza suffered further damage with a double-bogey at the par-4 10th, followed by an additional bogey at No. 13, which hastened his fall.
Elsewhere, PJ Samiere shaved seven strokes off Monday’s disastrous second-round 80, finishing with a 73 to vault 12 places into a tie for 56th at 13-over 226. The Aztec junior encountered early difficulty with back-to-back double-bogeys at the par-3 fifth and the par-5 sixth, but played spot-free golf the rest of the way, logging 13 pars and two birdies, including a successful conversion on his finishing green, the par-4, 425-yard No. 3.
Meanwhile, Pablo Matesanz rounded out SDSU’s starting lineup, tying for 64th at 15-over 228 following a final-round 79. The Aztec junior was plagued by six bogeys on the day, along with a triple on the par-3 No. 7, which precipitated a drop of 18 places in the standings.
The Scarlet and Black was also represented by Trevor Norby, an individual competitor who completed his first event of the spring in a tie for 18th at 4-over 217 after shooting a 71 over the final 18 holes. The SDSU redshirt freshman offset two bogeys with a pair of birdies, including a successful make at the par-4, 450-yard No. 9, which ranked as the fifth-toughest hole of the day.
Boasting the top three individual finishers, including medalist Sulman Raza, host Oregon (-8) easily captured the team title by 18 strokes over second-place Arizona (+10), while Utah (+15), the Aztecs (+17) and Oregon State (+20) rounded out the top five.
Despite a final-round 74, Raza (-8) took home the individual crown with a three-shot victory over fellow Duck teammate Wyndham Clark (-5), while another UO golfer, Norman Xiong (-4), finished one stroke behind in third.
San Diego State will have one final tune-up before the Mountain West Championship when it competes in the historic Western Intercollegiate, April 8-9, at Pasatiempo Golf Course in Santa Cruz, Calif.
Oregon Duck Invitational
Final Results
Eugene Country Club
Eugene, Ore.
Par 71, 7,020 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 of 15 teams + SDSU)
1. Oregon 283-277-284—844 (-8)
2. Arizona 283-287-292—862 (+10)
3. Utah 286-292-289—867 (+15)
4. San Diego State 284-294-292—869 (+17)
5. Oregon State 288-285-299—872 (+20)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 87 players + SDSU)
1. Sulman Raza, Oregon 67-64-74—205 (-8)
2. Wyndham Clark, Oregon 70-69-69—208 (-5)
3. Norman Xiong, Oregon 70-68-71—209 (-4)
4. Brad Reeves, Arizona 70-69-71—210 (-3)
5. Edwin Yi, Oregon 70-71-70—211 (-2)
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T10. Gunn Yang, SDSU 72-72-70—214 (+1)
T13. Blake Abercrombie SDSU 71-71-73—215 (+2)
T18. Trevor Norby, SDSU* 72-74-71—217 (+4)
T21. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU 69-73-76—218 (+5)
T56. PJ Samiere, SDSU 73-80-73—226 (+13)
T64. Pablo Matesanz, SDSU 72-77-79—228 (+15)
* - competed as an individual
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