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Stirring Rally Propels Aztec Men's Golf into NCAA Finals
May 17, 2008
BREMERTON, Wash. - Complete Tournament Results in PDF Format The San Diego State men's golf team staged a comeback for the ages on Saturday, vaulting 11 places from the 20th position into a tie for ninth to force a three-way playoff during the final round of the NCAA West Regional Championships in Bremerton, Wash. The Aztecs tied for the tournament low by carding a 5-under-par 283 over the final 18 holes of regulation, then capped off their improbable rally after a sudden-death playoff, shooting a combined 2-under par in a shotgun format along with Texas to eliminate Pepperdine as the top 10 teams from each of the three regionals advance to the NCAA Championship Finals, May 28-31, in West Lafayette, Ind. "I am extremely proud of the way our players battled back today," said SDSU head coach Ryan Donovan. "I never questioned the talent on this team, and our guys responded with some difficult shots in critical moments to put us in position for the playoff. You saw a lot of character out there on the course today." Spearheading the Aztecs' effort on Saturday were Johan Carlsson (Gothenburg, Sweden) and David Palm (Landvetter, Sweden), who each delivered clutch performances on the final hole of regulation. Carlsson posted an eagle on the par-5 ninth, while Palm sank a birdie to force the playoff after both Texas and Pepperdine completed their rounds earlier. The playoff procedure featured a five-hole shotgun format with players from each of three teams playing holes 14 through 18 simultaneously. Not to be outdone, Aaron Goldberg also came up big during the final round, draining a team-high seven birdies en route to a 3-under 69. The senior from Encinitas, Calif., jumped up eight spots to finish alone in 10th place with a combined 1-under 215 for his best showing in three career regional appearances. Carlsson, meanwhile, continued his meteoric ascent up the individual leaderboard after tying for the lowest round of the tournament with a 4-under 68 over the final 18 holes. After beginning the day in a tie for 51st, the SDSU freshman, wound up with his 10th top-20 effort of the year, climbing an additional 32 places on Saturday to finish in a tie for the 19th position. In addition to his heroics on the final hole, Carlsson also eagled the par-5 14th hole and added two birdies. Palm also drained three birdies of his own, while recording the Aztecs' third eagle of the day on the par-5 sixth en route to a final-round total of even-par 72. The SDSU junior shook off two shaky rounds of 76 and 80 to leap 33 places in the standings into a tie for 71st with a combined 12-over 228. Senior Chad Moscovic figured in the Scarlet and Black's frantic comeback as well, firing his best round of the week with a 2-over 74. The Stockton, Calif., native survived a triple-bogey right after the turn, sinking a key birdie on the par-5 sixth, his fourth-to-last hole in regulation, to jump 21 spots into a tie for 101st at 16 over 232. Rounding out the Aztec delegation was freshman Matt Hoffenberg (Simi Valley, Calif.), who tied for 111th at 18-over 234 after carding a final-round 77. Second-round leader USC (-2) held off Oregon (E) to grab the team title in the 27-school field, while UO's Joey Benedetti, who led wire-to-wire, captured medalist honors with a combined 9-under 207 at the 7,111-yard, par-72 Olympic Course at Gold Mountain Golf Club. SDSU will be making its 25th all-time appearance in the NCAA finals and fourth since the inception of regional play in 1989. Most recently, the Aztecs advanced to the national championships in 1999, 2003, and 2005. The NCAA Championships will take place May 28-31 on the Kampen Course at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex in West Lafayette, Ind.
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