2nd fiddle - again

Arizona junior Rory Sabbatini and the No. 4 ranked men's golf team came up second once again at the Aldila Classic in San Diego, Calif. The Wildcats tied with Pepperdine with a 16-over-par 880. Southern Cal took home the team title, firing an 8-over-par 872.

The second place finish marks the third time in four tournaments that the Wildcats have finished second and the second time this spring that they have played second fiddle to the Trojans. USC won the PING/Arizona Intercollegiate in Tucson in February, defeating Arizona by 13 strokes.

Arizona also placed second at the John Burns Intercollegiate in Hawaii two weeks ago, losing to Oklahoma State by the same 13 shot margin.

Sabbatini finished in a tie for first place with a 3-under-par 213 after tallying a solid final round 69 on the par-72, 6,794 yard layout at the Carlton Oaks Country Club.

However, he lost in a playoff for the second tournament in a row to a player who's team also took home the overall title.

USC's Chad Wright won the individual championship despite shooting a 74 in the final round. At the John Burns, Sabbatini lost in sudden death to OSU's Bo Van Pelt after the two finished the three rounds in a tie at 5-under-par 211.

USC's Roger Tambellini, who won at the PING/Arizona, was the only other player to finish under par yesterday by carding a 2-under-par 70 in the final round.

UA freshman Derek Gillespie helped the Wildcats' cause by finishing tied for 16th with a 4-over-par 220, while sophomore Andy Barnes finished a disappointing 28th. Barnes shot a blistering opening round 67, but his score ballooned to 75 and 81 in rounds two and three.

UA sophomore Todd Rose finished tied for 59th with his 15-over-par 231. Senior Gary Matthews shot a devastating 19-over-par 235, placing him in 72nd place overall.

The Wildcats national ranking should improve since they finished ahead of No. 1 ranked UNLV. The Rebels finished at 25-over-par 889.

Brigham Young came in third at 881, San Jose State placed fifth at 882 and host school San Diego State finished in sixth at 883.