A pair of freshmen led the way for the San Diego State men’s golf team at the Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz hosted by San Jose State.
The Aztecs finished in 4th place, one stroke behind No. 6 Washington. No. 9 Texas took home the team title with a team total of 25-over-par, one stroke ahead of the reigning national champions Pepperdine.
SDSU narrowly missed out on finishing in third place. The Aztecs had a one-stroke lead over Washington going into the 18th hole, but an Aztec bogey and a Husky birdie saw the two teams swap places.
Freshman Justin Hastings finished in a tie for fifth and led SDSU with a 3-over-par 213 and shot an even-par 70 in his final round. His performance at the Western Intercollegiate helped him earn the Mountain West Conference Men’s Golf Freshman of the week.
Another Aztec freshman, Shea League, finished inside the top 20. He shot an 8-over-par 218 and finished tied for 17th out of the field of 92 players.
Pepperdine’s Dylan Menante won the individual title with a 1-under-par 209, three strokes ahead of three players tied for second.
SDSU sophomore Youssef Guezzale shot a 1-under-par 69 and finished in a tie for 24th place. His score on the final day of competition moved him up 11 spots. He had an eagle and three birdies to offset his four bogeys on the day.
Junior’s Puwit Anupansuebsai and Zihao Jin finished tied for 34th with a 13-over-par 223. Anupansuebsai had the lowest Aztec round of the tournament with his final round 2-under-par 68. He had to overcome a first-round score of 13-over-par 83, but got better each round after.
Aztec junior Steve Sugimoto overcame back-to-back 8-over-par 78s in his first two rounds and shot a 2-over-par 72 in the final round. His overall score of 18-over-par 228 got him in a tie for 58th place.
That was the men’s golf team’s final tournament before the Mountain West Conference Championship. The Championship will take place April 29-May 1 at Gold Mountain Golf Course in Bremerton, Wash.
