Aztec freshman Christian Banke tied for 13th after 18 holes
Source: goaztecs.com
Photo courtesy goaztecs.com
February 20, 2018 (La Quinta, Calif.) - The San Diego State men's golf team remains in 13th place at The Prestige at PGA WEST after shooting a collective 17-over-par 301 during the opening round Tuesday on the Greg Norman Course. The tournament has been shortened to 36 holes after Monday’s action was canceled due to high winds.
With their total, the Aztecs find themselves 15 strokes behind Stanford and Northwestern, which are tied for fourth at 2-over 286 heading into Wednesday’s final round on the par-71, 7,100-yard layout. Oregon and Oklahoma State grabbed the early lead after each fired a 1-under 283, while Pepperdine (+1) occupies the third position.
Individually, SDSU fared better in the morning, recording a combined nine birdies on the front nine, compared to just two after the turn.
Freshman Christian Banke (Danville, Calif.) turned in the Scarlet and Black’s low card thus far with an even-par 71 to finish the day in a tie for 13th. Starting on the 10th tee, the Aztec newcomer led the squad with five birdies, including four on the front nine. The East Bay native found himself at 3-under for the round after notching his last conversion on the par-4, No. 5; however, three bogeys on his last four holes prevented a loftier perch.
Despite the stumble, Banke still finds himself just shots behind Northwestern’s front-runner Sam Triplett, who shot a 4-under 67, while Oregon’s Norman Xiong and Stanford’s Franklin Huang are tied for second at 3-under, followed closely by a logjam of five golfers at 2-under.
The rest of the SDSU delegation had difficulty making progress on the leaderboard, including senior PJ Samiere (Kailua, Hawaii) and freshman Steve Sugimoto (San Diego, Calif.) who landed in a tie for 58th after each carded a 76 on Tuesday. The opening round was eerily similar for the Aztec teammates, who topped the squad with 13 pars apiece and drained a birdie on the same hole, the par-4, 337-yard No. 11.
Elsewhere, senior Blake Abercrombie (Rocklin, Calif.) and freshman Puwit Anupansuebsai (Nakhon Phanom, Thailand) ended the day in a tie for 66th after both staggered to an opening-round 78. Despite three birdies, Anupansuebsai was plagued by a rash of six bogeys and two doubles, while Abercrombie completed just one drain of his own at the par-5 12th, but was unable to ease the sting of four bogeys and doubles as well.
The Prestige at PGA WEST concludes on Wednesday when San Diego State tees off alongside Notre Dame and Washington once again for the final round beginning at 9:09 a.m. PT.
The Prestige at PGA WEST
Round One Results
Greg Norman Course
La Quinta, Calif.
Par 71, 7,100 yards
Team Standings (Top 5 of 16 teams + SDSU)
T1. Oregon 283 (-1)
T1. Oklahoma State 283 (-1)
3. Pepperdine 285 (+1)
T4. Stanford 286 (+2)
T4. Northwestern 286 (+2)
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13. San Diego State 301 (+17)
Individual Leaders (Top 8 of 84 players + SDSU)
1. Sam Triplett, Northwestern 67 (-4)
T2. Norman Xiong, Oregon 68 (-3)
T2. Franklin Huang, Stanford 68 (-3)
T4. Victor Hovland, Oklahoma State 69 (-2)
T4. Sahith Theegala, Pepperdine 69 (-2)
T4. Denzel Ieremia, Iowa State 69 (-2)
T4. Kristoffer Ventura, Oklahoma State 69 (-2)
T4. Clay Feagler, Pepperdine 69 (-2)
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T13. Christian Banke, SDSU 71 (E)
T58. PJ Samiere, SDSU 76 (+5)
T58. Steve Sugimoto, SDSU 76 (+5)
T66. Blake Abercrombie, SDSU 78 (+7)
T66. Puwit Anupansuebsai, SDSU 78 (+7)