No. 18 San Diego State won their second team title of 2025 at the 78th Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Club in Santa Cruz, California, with a score of six-under-par (1,044).
San Jose State University hosts the Western Intercollegiate and has a rich history of winners. The course, Pasatiempo Golf Club, is a top course in California and is held in high regard across the golf world. San Diego State head coach Ryan Donovan praised both the tournament and the course in his post-win interview on Golf Channel.
“This is one of my favorite tournaments since I have been coaching, and I love this golf course,” said Donovan. “The restoration was just unbelievable. It is such a good test for these college kids.”
The Western Intercollegiate is one of the few tournaments in college golf that requires a team to count five of the six total scores accrued by a team every round. The style of this tournament, combined with the difficulty of Alister MacKenzie’s taxing course design, meant that the Aztecs would need to display a great deal of precision to top the star-studded field in Santa Cruz.
SDSU answered the bell in round one, carding 24 birdies or better and only 12 bogeys or worse. All five of the counting scores were even-par or better.
Senior Justin Hastings and his protégé, freshman Harry Takis, had the rounds of the day for the Aztecs as they both fired opening round 66s.
Hastings joined the Aztecs after playing at another famous Alister MacKenzie course, Augusta National Golf Club. He joked on Golf Channel after the tournament about how Pasatiempo is “about 1,000 yards shorter” than Augusta National. The 6,521-yard course allowed Hastings to accumulate five birdies in round one.
Takis topped his senior mentor with seven first-round birdies, which was more than any other Aztec on Monday.
The other three counting scores for the Scarlet and Black to begin the 78th Western Intercollegiate came courtesy of junior Chanachon Chokprajakchat (three-under 67), sophomore Dylan Oyama (one-under 69), and junior Tyler Kowack (even-par 70). Oyama also had a stellar eagle on the par-5 13th.
The Aztecs’ masterful team effort enabled them to finish Monday’s opening round at 12-under, leading the field by seven shots heading into round two.
The second round of the Western Intercollegiate was not as seamless for SDSU. Chokprajakchat was the only Aztec under par (one-under 69). Also, the team only accumulated 18 birdies or better, which were negated by 22 bogeys or worse.
The other four counting scores (put forth by Takis, Kowack, Hastings, and sophomore Nathan Sampson) were a combined nine-over-par.
SDSU’s second round was the polar opposite of their Monday masterclass. The Aztecs dropped a spot on the leaderboard and trailed No. 22 Pepperdine by two shots as the sun set over Pasatiempo Golf Club on Tuesday
Round three was a true grind for the Aztecs as only two golfers finished under par. The team began four shots under par through their first nine holes, leading the field before the back nine.
Sampson, Kowack, and Chokprajakchat carried most of the load for SDSU on the front nine, carding a 31, 34, and 34, respectively. Round one’s heroes, Hastings and Takis, took their foot off the gas to begin Wednesday’s final round, carding a 37 and a 35, respectively.
Hastings showed his experience and poise on the back nine, however. He shot a one-under 34 on the final nine holes, consisting of two birdies and only one bogey.
The defining moments of the Aztecs’ victory at Pasatiempo Golf Club came on the final three holes. Chokprajakchat ventured onto hole 16 after bogeying holes 14 and 15 back-to-back. To add to the already palpable pressure, perennial golf powerhouse No. 42 Stanford was making a late run for the top spot.
Chokprajakchat continued to waver as he compounded his errors by missing the fairway on the par-4 16th. He dug deep and fired a much-needed dart out of the rough onto the 16th green.
The battle-tested junior would go on to birdie 16 and find the fairway on 17. He had less than 90 yards into the 17th green and was unfazed by the big moment, making a second consecutive birdie on 17.
An unfortunate bogey on 18 closed out Chokprajakchat’s final round on a sour note, but his clutch approach shots on 16 and 17 were enough to keep the Aztecs on top, winning by five shots over the Cardinal.
SDSU boasted four individual under-par finishes: Chokprajakchat (T-9, -3), Takis (T-11, -1), Hastings (T-11, -1), and Kowack (T-11, -1). Sampson finished in a tie for 30th (+4) and Oyama finished in a tie for 66th (+12).
Arizona’s Filip Jakubcik won back-to-back Western Intercollegiate individual titles as he fired a cumulative 13-under-par, winning by six shots.
The Aztecs won their final regular season tournament and hope to continue their winning ways at the Mountain West Championship in Creswell, Oregon. The tournament will be played at Emerald Valley Golf Club and will begin on April 25.
