By Derrick Ow — Reporter
One of college golf’s anticipated tournaments is back on the schedule.
The San Jose State men’s golf team is hosting the 74th Western Intercollegiate presented by Topgolf in Santa Cruz. This usual staple on the schedule was canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
SJSU will look to win its own event for the first time since 1994. The team will need a good finish as they head to the Mountain West Championship in two weeks.
Follow along for all three days of coverage.
Round 1
Freshman Carl Corpus played the round of his life on Monday.
He shot an opening round 2-under 68 to sit one shot back of the lead. He felt the nerves playing in his first competitive round at Pasatiempo Golf Club.
“It was my first Western so I had a bit of pressure, especially the opening tee shot,” Corpus said. “I just had to hit fairways and greens and get it back to under par.”
Corpus started his round two over par but he managed to turn it around. He birdied the par-4 seventh hole.
He jumped started his round with an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole. He credited his teammate Caleb Shetler with the helpful read on his putt.
“I saw how his putt broke and I told myself that I am going to have a pretty good chance at making this,” Corpus said. “As soon as I made that putt I was super hyped up.”
Corpus is tied for third as he shot his best round of the season.
Shetler did have four bogeys on the front nine. He rallied with a birdie on the par-5 ninth hole. The freshman shot a 1-over 73 to sit in a tie for 41st.
Freshman Kristopher Stiles shot an even par 70 which included five birdies on the scorecard. He sits in a tie for 12th.
Senior Nate Jetter and junior Bryce Wortman both shot 75s. Jetter had five boegys and a double bogey on the par-4 11th hole and did not register a birdie on the scorecard. They both sit in a tie for 56th place.
The real disappointment was senior Sean Yu. Two years ago he lost the individual title to Isiah Salinda of Stanford in a sudden death playoff. Today was a much different story.
Yu shot a 6-over 76 which included a double bogey on the par-4 11th hole. His score did not count for SJSU but he is currently in a tie for 65th.
The beauty of hosting a tournament is that you can see most of your roster play this week.
Sophomore Vijay Srinvasan is playing in his third straight tournament as an individual. Redshirt freshman R.J. Cesario and sophomore Matt Heitel both made their season debuts today.
Srinvasan had two double bogeys on his scorecard and shooting a 5-over 75. Cesario was playing in his second tournament in nearly two years. He had seven bogeys and one lone birdie on the ninth hole. He shot a 10-over 80 to sit in a tie for 82nd.
Heitel finally cracked the starting lineup. The southpaw was not on his game as he shot a 8-over 78 that included a triple bogey on the par-4 14th hole. He is currently in a tie for 76th.
The Spartans shot an 11-over-par 361 which puts them into a tie for 5th. Washington leads with an even par 350 which is three clear of UC Berkeley.
All the players in the field are chasing Hawaii senior Justin Ngan and Cal senior Finigan Tilly. Both players shot 3-under-par 67’s to head into the second round.
SJSU starts their second round at 10:18 a.m. off the first tee.
Round 2
The San Jose State men’s golf team fell victim to Pasatiempo’s strenuous setup.
SJSU slid down the leaderboard to ninth place after two rounds at the Western Intercollegiate presented by Topgolf.
The Spartans only had four birdies on the back nine with their counting scores. Everybody in blue and gold fell victim to Alistair MacKenzie’s design.
Freshman Carl Corpus started his day one stroke back of the lead. He shot a 5-over 75, including a double bogey on the par-3 15th hole and a triple bogey on par-4 first hole. Corpus now sits in a tie for 18th at three over par.
Freshman Kristopher Stiles also fell down the leaderboard. He rode the bogey train as he had six bogeys on his round. He now sits in a tie for 37th at six over par after shooting a 6-over 76.
The lowest round for any Spartan belonged to freshman Caleb Shetler. The Saratoga, Calif., native had five boegys on his round but got his lone birdie on the par-5 13th hole. He shot a 4-over 74 and is sitting in a tie for 44th at seven over par.
Senior Nate Jetter shot a 75 and is now in a tie for 65th. He is at 11-over-par for the tournament. Senior Sean Yu continued his slump as he shot a second straight 75. He is in a tie for 70th at 12-over-par.
Junior Bryce Wortman had seven bogeys on his scorecard that led to a 8-over 78. He sits in a tie for 72nd at 13-over-par.
The tough times continued for sophomore Vijay Srinivassan who shot an 8-over 78. He had three double bogeys on his round which puts him in a tie for 72nd. He is at 13-over-par for the tournament.
Redshirt Freshman R.J. Cesario had back to back double bogeys on the third and fourth holes. He would shoot a 6-over 76 to sit in a tie for 79th. He is at 16-over-par through two rounds.
Sophomore Matt Heitel shot his second straight round of 78. He also sits in a tie for 79th.
The Spartans hit a tidal wave and fell down the leaderboard. They sit in ninth place at 38-over-par. They sit 36 shots back of Pepperdine who lead the way at 2-over-par.
BYU junior Carson Lundell wanted to head to the Boardwalk early. He shot a 4-under 66 which included an eagle on the par-5 ninth hole. Lundell is at 6-under-par and he will have a four-shot lead heading into the final round. Pepperdine teammates Joe Highsmith and RJ Manke sit at 2-under-par with Stanford’s Karl Vilips.
The Spartans will start their final round at 8:27 a.m. off of the 10th hole.
Final Round
Caleb Shetler saved his best golf for last.
The freshman helped the Spartans earn a top-10 finish at the Western Intercollegiate. He shot a 4-under 67 to finish in a tie for 15th at 4-over-par. The Spartans finished at 46-over-par for the tournament. Pepperdine won their fourth tournament of the season as it was the only team in red figures. They finished at 4-under-par which was 11 strokes clear of Stanford.
Shetler had two eagles and two birdies on his round. Fellow freshman Kristopher Stiles and Carl Corpus finished in a tie for 34th at 8-over-par.
Senior Sean Yu might have found his top form again. He shot an even par 70 to finish in a tie for 56th at 12-over-par. He had four birdies on the day which all occurred on the front nine.
Senior Nate Jetter had back to back birdies on the sixth and seventh holes but still had seven bogeys on his round to shoot a 4-over 74. He finished in a tie for 64th at 15-over-par.
Sophomore Matt Heitel finished in 74th place at 20-over-par. He did shoot a 4-over 74 which included his lone birdie on the par-5 ninth hole.
Junior Vijay Srinivassan and junior Bryce Wortman both shot rounds of 78. They both finished at 21-over-par.
Redshirt freshman RJ Cesario did not have an ideal week at Pasatiempo. He shot a 11-over 81 which included a triple bogey on the eighth hole.
The Waves had a real title wave in Surf City. Pepperdine junior Joe Highsmith won his first collegiate title, defeating San Diego State senior Puwit Anupansuebsai and BYU junior Carson Lundell in a four-hole sudden death playoff. All three were tied at five under par
The Spartans will try and find their form at the Mountain West Championship in Tucson, Ariz. SJSU will need a miracle at Tucson National Golf Course if it wants to see NCAA Regional play. The Mountain West Championship is a two day event and will be held May 1 and May 2
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