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SDSU's Aaron Goldberg, David Palm Garner All-America Honors
June 6, 2008
NORMAN, Okla. - San Diego State's Aaron Goldberg (Encinitas, Calif.) and David Palm (Landvetter, Sweden) have captured PING All-America honors for their performances during the 2007-08 season as announced Friday by the Golf Coaches Association of America. Goldberg was a third-team choice, while Palm garnered honorable mention recognition, giving the Aztecs two All-Americans in the same year for the first time since 1983 when Greg Twiggs and Kris Moe landed on the first and third teams, respectively. After receiving honorable mention accolades in 2007, Goldberg also became the first SDSU golfer to gain All-America status in consecutive seasons since the aforementioned Kris Moe accomplished the feat in 1983-84. Meanwhile, Palm captured his second career All-America award as well after he was named to the honorable mention squad while competing for Georgia Southern in 2005. A La Costa Canyon High alumnus, Goldberg led the Aztecs with six top-five finishes and 18 rounds below par, posting a team-best 71.98 stroke average, which was tops in the Mountain West Conference among golfers who completed at least 32 rounds. For his efforts, the SDSU senior was named the MWC Golfer of the Year by the league's coaches, joining Lars Johansson (2001) and John Lieber (2002) as the only San Diego State players to receive the conference's top honor. Goldberg was the Aztecs' top finisher in eight of 15 events during the 2007-08 campaign, tying for the runner-up spot at the PING Arizona Intercollegiate and MWC Championships. At the Alister MacKenzie Invitational last October, he carded a season-low 9-under-par 204 to finish alone in third place as the Scarlet and Black rallied from an 11-stroke deficit to claim the first of three team championships. At the Fresno State Lexus Classic, March 10-11, Goldberg tied for sixth with Palm to help the Aztecs successfully defend their title from 2007. Two weeks later, he was one of only three golfers in a field of 64 to shoot at or below par, placing third with an even-par 216 to give SDSU its fourth Oregon Duck Invitational crown in eight years.
Goldberg fired a team-high 12 rounds in the 60s, including a collegiate-best 7-under-par 65 during the final round at the John Burns Intercollegiate in February, which is tied for third on the school's all-time list for lowest 18-hole score. He also came up clutch at the West Regionals on May 17, sinking a birdie on the first hole of a three-team sudden-death playoff to propel the Aztecs into the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2005. In addition, Goldberg was one eight collegiate players selected to the U.S. squad for the prestigious Palmer Cup, which will be contested June 26-27 in Irvine, Scotland. Palm, who earned all-MWC and all-Southwest Region honors along with Goldberg, enjoyed a successful return to the lineup this year after back surgery sidelined him for the 2006-07 season. The SDSU junior was fourth on the team in scoring at 73.17 and posted three top-10 finishes, including a tie for second at the Barona Collegiate Cup where he shot a season-best 9-under 207. His season-low of 67 keyed a huge final-round rally in the Aztecs' victory at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational last fall. Palm was also instrumental in helping the Aztecs qualify for the NCAA finals after making birdie on the final hole of regulation at the West Regionals, which forced the three-team playoff. He then capped off the year in style, finishing in a tie for 18th place at 12-over 300 to become SDSU's first top-20 golfer in the national tournament since 1982 when Barry Mahlberg ended up in 16th. As a team, San Diego State concluded its season with a 14th-place finish at the NCAA Championships, its best showing since 1982.
Division I PING All-America Teams
First Team
Second Team
Third Team
Honorable Mention |
