Aztec Golf Has Low, Winning Profile

In a situation some coaches might handle with disinterest or disdain, Denny Stolz is finding a comfortable career.

Reassigned from head football coach to golf coach at San Diego State three years ago, Stolz has helped bring the Aztecs to prominence in the Western Athletic Conference.

Instead of bitterness, Stolz said he has found a new perspective.

With the Aztecs playing host to th Western Athletic Conference tournament through today at Singing Hills Country Club, Stolz was actively--and nervously--watching his team try to keep pace with favored Brigham Young Friday.

“I enjoy it a lot, I have a good time,” Stolz said. “It’s a lot lower key than the other stuff, there’s not the pressure or the stress. I like the travel and I like the guys, and it’s a nice environment to work in. It’s not bad going out to the golf course everyday.”

The Aztec team is made up entirely of Californians, mostly from San Diego and Orange counties. Stolz said the school gives the equivalent of less than a scholarship to the program.

“We fund-raise, we recruit local kids, we get a little help from the school but the kids pay a good share of their way,” Stolz said. “But they have a lot of fun.”

Hoping to make a move on the WAC title while playing on what is essentially their home course, the Aztecs spun their wheels on the second day of the three-day, 54-hole contest.

The Aztecs remained in third place while two other teams made a charge, but nobody managed to take a bite out of Brigham Young.

SDSU had a decent round Friday, carding a 285 on the par-71 Oak Glen layout at Singing Hills. That gave them a 36-hole total of 578. But BYU recorded a 280 to remain in first at 565, and New Mexico put together a scorching 279 to move from fourth into second at 573.

Utah (581) and Wyoming (583) remain in the hunt, which finishes today on Singing Hills’ par-72 Willow Glen course. First tee-offs are at 10 a.m.

The Aztecs had a steady but unspectacular round, with all five shooting between 70 and 74, but BYU was even better, with two 69s, two 71s and a 72. “We were OK (but) what we needed was a real great round,” Stolz said.

The best round of the tournament was turned in by New Mexico junior Brian Kortan, who opened the back nine with five consecutive birdies and finished with a 65. He tops the individual leaders at 138, a stroke better than SDSU sophomore Kevin Riley.

The 65 by Kortan tied the WAC Tournament single-day record--with an asterisk, because his mark was six under par, while the record was set on a par-72 course.

Kortan and his coach were still pleased with the round, especially his 32 on the back nine. “The whole semester I’ve been hitting the ball well but not putting,” Kortan said. “Today I made some putts. I didn’t get off to a fast start--I didn’t make a birdie until the sixth hole. Then I made a stretch of six out of eight, including the first five on the back nine.”

New Mexico Coach John Fields said, “He just got hot with his putter. If you don’t get it going it’s tough out there. If you do, every hole looks like a bird.”

The most disappointing round of the day may have belonged to Fallbrook product Rick Rose of Colorado State, who started the day tied with the individual leaders at 69. He shot 78 Friday.

Two players’ totals were disqualified for mistakes on their cards. Hawaii’s Michael Sinclair forgot to sign his; Colorado State’s Jimmy Thompson signed one that had an incorrect total.