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Aztecs’ Nahum Mendoza III, Blake Abercrombie tied for 12th individually
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo Nahum Mendoza III fired a team-low 69 in round one of the Duck Invite on Monday. Courtesy goaztecs.com
March 27, 2017 (Eugene, Ore.) - The San Diego State men’s golf team finds itself in fourth place after shooting a collective 9-over par 577 on Monday during the first 36 holes of the Duck Invitational at Eugene Country Club. The Aztecs carded rounds of 284-293 to remain 17 shots behind front-runner Oregon on the par-71, 7,020-yard course layout.
Arizona occupies the second spot in the standings after firing a 2-over 570, while Oregon State sits in third at 5-over 573, followed by SDSU and Utah (+10) heading into Tuesday’s final round.
Individually, the Aztecs were led by senior Nahum Mendoza III and junior Blake Abercrombie, who landed in a four-way tie for 12th after each posted an even-par 142.
Mendoza played spot-free golf in round one with a 2-under 69, notching 16 pars and two birdies to climb into second place on the leaderboard. In the afternoon session, the Francis Park High alumnus was poised to build on his momentum after another successful drain on the par-3, 228-yard No. 2, which ranked as the second-toughest hole of the day. However, Mendoza slipped nine places in the standings, suffering four untimely bogeys en route to a 73.
Abercrombie, meanwhile posted identical rounds of 71-71, highlighted by five birdies, including three in the second round.
With their totals, Mendoza and Abercrombie find themselves 11 shots off the pace as Sulman Raza of host Oregon grabbed the clubhouse lead with a blazing 11-under 131 (67-64). In addition, fellow Duck teammate Norman Xiong occupies the runner-up with Denver’s Petter Mikalsen at 4-under, while Wyndham Clark, another Oregon competitor, is tied for fourth with Arizona’s Brad Reeves at 3-under.
Meanwhile, Gunn Yang remains two shots behind Mendoza and Abercrombie in a tie for 17th at 2-over 144 after firing a pair of 72s. The Aztec senior played well in stretches, sinking five birdies overall, but seven bogeys on the afternoon prevented a loftier perch.
Elsewhere, Pablo Matesanz sits in a tie for 45th at 7-over 149 on rounds of 72-77. After sinking a pair of birdies in the morning, the Aztec junior found red figures elusive in round two, as six bogeys proved too much to overcome.
The SDSU starting lineup also featured PJ Samiere, who shot an uncharacteristic 11-over 153 to finish the day in a tie for 68th. The Aztec senior opened with a 73, highlighted by birdies at No. 1 and No. 6; however, six bogeys and a triple in the afternoon sabotaged any hopes for a recovery on the leaderboard.
Rounding out the SDSU delegation was redshirt freshman Trevor Norby, an individual competitor who remains tied for 28th at 4-over 146 after posting a 72-74. Among the highlights for Norby was a birdie in the on the par-3, 192-yard No. 5 in round one, which ranked as the third-most difficult hole of the day.
The Duck Invitational concludes on Tuesday with final-round action, as San Diego State tees off with Oregon, Arizona and Oregon State in a shotgun start at 8:30 a.m. PT.
Oregon Duck Invitational
Day One Results
San Diego Country Club
Eugene, Ore.
Par 71, 7,020 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 of 15 teams + SDSU)
1. Oregon 283-277—560 (-8)
2. Arizona 283-287—570 (+2)
3. Oregon State 288-285—573 (+5)
T4. San Diego State 284-294—578 (+10)
T4. Utah 286-292—578 (+10)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 87 players + SDSU)
1. Sulman Raza, Oregon 67-64—131 (-11)
T2. Petter Mikalsen, Denver 69-69—138 (-4)
T2. Norman Xiong, Oregon 70-68—138 (-4)
T4. Wyndham Clark, Oregon 70-69—139 (-3)
T4. Brad Reeves, Arizona 70-69—139 (-3)
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T12. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU 69-73—142 (E)
T12. Blake Abercrombie SDSU 71-71—142 (E)
T17. Gunn Yang, SDSU 72-72—144 (+2)
T28. Trevor Norby, SDSU* 72-74—146 (+4)
T45. Pablo Matesanz, SDSU 72-77—149 (+7)
T68. PJ Samiere, SDSU 73-80—153 (+11)
* - competing as an individual
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