The beginning of the semester marked the start of the fourth season for the men’s golf program since its return to San Diego State.
Head coach Neale Stoner has been rebuilding the team, and he is confident this will be one his best teams yet.
The team officially started practicing on the first day of school, but team members play golf year-round so they can stay sharp.
Stoner is excited about having senior Matt Murray return to the lineup. Murray was the No. 1 player for the Aztecs two years ago and redshirted last season.
Junior Brandon Jones is also expected to be a leader for the Aztecs. He finished first for SDSU last year, and Stoner feels he will continue to be one of the top golfers for the team this year.
Mike Samoles, a senior, is coming off a disappointing season last year, but Stoner said that Samoles had an impressive summer.
SDSU also acquired two transfer students, Brad Weesner and Kasey Young from Tyler Junior College in Texas. Weesner won the national junior college title, and Young took third in the same tournament.
The highlight for the men’s golf team will be hosting this year’s NCAA Western Regionals. The tournament will take place at Carlton Oaks Country Club in San Diego on May 15 to17.
But first things first.The Aztecs started the season with the Northridge Invitational on Sunday. It was held at the Wood Ranch Country Club in Los Angeles and lasted three days.
The team ended up taking second in the tournament with a total score of 893, three strokes behind Long Beach State.
Most people would think SDSU would be happy with the finish. Wrong. The Aztecs were in first place after two rounds of golf and had a decent lead over Cal State Long Beach going into the final round.
“We’re not very happy,” Stoner said. “We were seven shots up going into the last round so we’re disappointed. It’s a tournament we thought we could have and should have won.”
Samoles finished first for SDSU and tied for fourth overall. He ended with a score of 223, four strokes behind the leader, John Wurzer of CSULB.
“It’s not one guy’s fault,” Stoner said. “We just had three or four mediocre last rounds, and that’s where you have to step up.”
Murray and Weesner tied for 10th overall with a score of 225. Jones was two strokes behind them and tied for 17th overall.
“We didn’t play badly, but in that last round, you have to take it home,” Stoner said. “We need Jones and Murray to play well every time, and when they don’t, we’re not going to be successful.”
Stoner said this is an important year for the Aztecs and they have to put pressure on themselves to be more successful.
“My hope is that we can contend frequently,” Stoner said. “That’s the issue: to play in the top part of even the tough tournaments.”
