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Aztecs junior tied for second through 36 holes
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo: Blake Abercrombie courtesy goaztecs.com
March 13, 2017 (Chula Vista) - San Diego State men’s golfer Blake Abercrombie finds himself in a four-way tie for second place after firing a 4-under-par 140 Monday during the first two rounds of the 10th annual Lamkin San Diego Classic at San Diego Country Club.
As a team, the Aztecs remain tied for sixth place with Middle Tennessee after carding rounds of 288-289 for a 36-hole total of 1-over 577 heading into Tuesday’s final round on the par-72, 7,014-yard track. With its score, SDSU sits seven shots behind front-runner Texas (-6), while New Mexico (-2) occupies the second position, followed closely by third-place denizens Colorado State and Ole Miss at 1-under.
Abercrombie shot a tournament-low 67 in the morning session, propelled by seven birdies, including back-to-back conversions on the par-4 No. 4 and the par-4 No. 5, which ranked among the four toughest holes on Monday. The SDSU junior overcame two bogeys on the front with spotless golf after the turn, where he tallied six pars and three additional bogeys for his lowest 18-hole total of the season.
Abercrombie drained three more birdies in round two, but had to settle for a 73 after four bogeys on the front proved too much to overcome. Despite the stumble, the Rocklin, Calif., native remains in a logjam with UCLA’s Cole Madey, along with the Ole Miss duo of Ben Wolcott and Kerry Sweeney for second place, one stroke behind first-round leader Thomas Rosenmuller of North Texas (-5).
The Aztecs’ PJ Samiere sits two shots in back of Abercrombie in a tie for 11th at 2-under 142 after posting rounds of 72-70. The SDSU junior finished with nine birdies on the day, including five in round one, which helped ease the sting of five bogeys. The Kailua, Hawaii, product sank four more birdies in the afternoon to go with 12 pars to climb 12 places up the ladder.
Nahum Mendoza III jumped into the top 20 through 36 holes, landing in a nine-way tie for 18th at even-par 144 on a pair of 72s. The Aztec senior matched Abercrombie with 10 birdies of his own, but was unable to maintain the momentum down the stretch, suffering a combined three bogeys on his final two holes of each round. Still, Mendoza remains just five shots off the pace on a crowded leaderboard.
Elsewhere, the rest of the SDSU delegation struggled for the most part on Monday, including Gunn Yang, who finds himself tied for 63rd at 7-over 151 after notching cards of 77-74. Despite leading the field with 28 pars for the day, the Aztec senior drain just two birdies, while suffering three bogeys and three doubles.
Making his second straight start, sophomore Otto Vanhatalo finds himself one stroke in back of Yang at 8-over 152 after shooting a 77-75. The Torrey Pines High alumnus recorded seven birdies overall, but inconsistency doomed his day.
SDSU also has three individuals competing at their lone home tournament of the season, including junior Pablo Matesanz, who sits in a tie for 77th at 10-over 154, while senior Brian Song remains one shot behind in a tie for 79th at 155 (80-75), followed by freshman Ryan Hoffenberg, who is tied for 87th at 160 (79-81).
Matesanz was the only Aztec to make birdie on the par-5, 460-yard 18th, which ranked as the most difficult hole on Monday, converting in the second round.
San Diego State wraps up play at the Lamkin San Diego Classic on Tuesday, teeing alongside Duke and North Carolina for final-round action, beginning at 8 a.m. PT on hole No. 1. Admission to the tournament is free.
Lamkin San Diego Classic
Day One Results
San Diego Country Club
Chula Vista, Calif.
Par 72, 7,014 yards
Team Scores (Top 5 of 15 teams + SDSU)
1. Texas 283-287—570 (-6
2. New Mexico 284-290—574 (-2)
T3. Colorado State 292-283—575 (-1)
T3. Ole Miss 286-289—575 (-1)
5. Saint Mary’s 288-288—576 (E)
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T6. San Diego State 288-289—577 (+1)
Individual Leaders (Top 5 of 92 players + SDSU)
1. Thomas Rosenmueller, North Texas 69-70—139 (-5)
T2. Blake Abercrombie SDSU 67-73—140 (-4)
T2. Cole Madey, UCLA 69-71—140 (-4)
T2. Ben Wolcott, Ole Miss 70-70—140 (-4)
T2. Kerry Sweeney, Ole Miss* 70-70—140 (-6)
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T11. PJ Samiere, SDSU 72-70—142 (-2)
T18. Nahum Mendoza III, SDSU 72-72—144 (E)
T63. Gunn Yang, SDSU 77-74—151 (+7)
T67. Otto Vanhatalo, SDSU 77-75—152 (+8)
T77. Pablo Matesanz, SDSU* 74-80—154 (+10)
T79. Brian Song, SDSU* 80-75—155 (+11)
T87. Ryan Hoffenberg, SDSU* 79-81—160 (+16)
* - competing as an individual
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