By Derrick Ow and Jarra Gojolo
San Jose State is officially back on the links. Six Spartan golfers traveled to Westlake Village, Calif. to compete in their first tournament since March 2020’s Bandon Dunes Championship.
The three-day event features 66 participants from 12 schools including fellow Bay Area schools Saint Mary’s University and UC Berkeley. All three days will be broadcast on Golf Channel at 1:30 p.m. PT.
UPDATE: Day 3
It was a blistering day at North Ranch Country Club but the San Jose State men’s golf team found some sunshine.
Despite gusty winds and chilly weather in Westlake Village, Calif., the Spartans started the day tied for last place with Augusta University. at the Southwestern Invitational. SJSU finished at 58 over par which was one clear of the Jaguars.
Senior Nate Jetter played a solid final round. He shot a one over 73 to finish in a tie for 34th at 12 over par. Sean Yu saved his best round for last as he shot a two over 74 to finish in a tie for 42nd at 14 over par.
Freshman Kristopher Stiles shot an 80. Caleb Shelter shot his second straight round of 77. Shelter finished tied for 53rd at 19 over par.
Carl Corpus had a tough day at the course as he shot a 83. He finished tied for 48th at 18 over par. Bryce Wortman played this week as an individual and also shot an 83. He finished in a tie for 55th at 20 over par.
San Diego State climbed back from seven shots to win their third Southwestern Invitational Title. The Aztecs finished at 10 over par while Arizona State stumbled to finish second at 13 over par.
It was not all doom and gloom for the Sun Devils. Sophomore David Puig went wire to wire and cruised to a nine shot victory to take his first collegiate title. Puig finished at 10 under while Joshua McCarthy of Pepperdine finished at 1 under par. They were the only players in the field to finish under par.
SJSU played in their first event for the first time in 10 months. So struggles were expected considering there was no fall golf season and lack of practice time together.
The Spartans will have a week off where they will head to the Aloha State. SJSU will play in the Amer Ari Invitational in Kamuela, Hawaii. The three day tournament will be from Feb. 2nd through the 4th.
UPDATE: Day 2
While the weather cleared up in Westlake Village, Calif. The San Jose State men’s golf still experienced winter blues.
The Spartans are tied for 11th place with Augusta at 43 over par at the Southwestern Invitational.
North Ranch Country Club has been a firm test for the 12-team field. SJSU faced windy and cold conditions but there were some bright spots. The Spartans were two under on the back nine which troubled them during the first round.
Freshman Carl Corpus showed up ready to play. Corpus shot a two under 70 which was 10 strokes better than his opening round 81. Corpus is tied for 33rd at 7 over par to lead all other Spartan golfers. He was one of 18 players who shot under par during the second round.
Senior Nate Jetter and junior Bryce Wortman, who is playing as an individual, both shot a 76. Jetter is tied for 47th at 11 over par while Wortman is tied for 40th at 9 over par.
Freshmen Caleb Shelter and Kris Stiles each shot 77. Stiles, who is making his collegiate debut, rallied from an opening round 93. Senior Sean Yu shot back to back rounds of 78. He is 12 over par which is a tie for 50th place.
The day belonged to the Arizona State Sun Devils. ASU is currently on top of the individual and team leaderboards.
Sun Devils sophomore David Puig is only playing in his fifth collegiate tournament. He entered the day tied for the lead at 2 under but managed to pull away. He shot a 6 under 66 to build a three shot lead at 5 under. Matthias Schmid of Louisville is at 2 under par.
The Sun Devils lead the way at 2 under par which is five clear of Louisville who are at 3 over.
Tee Times got moved up with inclement weather coming tomorrow afternoon. The Spartans tee off starting at 8:55 a.m.
Day 1
The Spartans ended Day 1 of the tournament in last place with a combined 28 over par. Junior Bryce Wortman, who entered the tournament as an individual, leads all San Jose State players at +5. Senior Sean Yu spent most of the day under par, but faltered in the final few holes including two triple-bogeys to bring him up to +6.
Senior Nate Jetter followed with a +7 while freshmen Caleb Shetler and Carl Corpus both finished the round at +9. The highest score for the Spartans — and the field — went to freshman Kris Stiles who rounded out SJSU with a +21 performance.
Arizona State leads all schools with a score of +4.
Follow Jarra (@JarraGojolo) and Derrick (@derrickq42) on Twitter.