by Jake Cormany, @SDA Communications Student Assistant
The Sun Devil men's golf team is ready for the spring. It had some promising moments during the fall, but all in all second-year coach Matt Thurmond believes they are capable of a lot more.
"I thought we under performed to our ability in the fall," said Thurmond when asked about how the early season went as a whole for his team. "I think top to bottom every guy on the team and coach was disappointed, but we are as confident in the end as ever."
The Sun Devils came into the fall as a very young team and were able to at times show they are a force to be reckoned with and show off their young guns. Coach Thurmond knows there are improvements that need to be made going into the spring, for the team to excel at their highest level.
"I know we need to mature more in our preparation, strategy and focus," said the Sun Devils coach. "We are young, so maturity is something that is earned and learned, but we need to be much more disciplined in everything we do."
"That win and what that did for us was huge, and it will give us life into the spring for sure," Said Thurmond when asked how big the early win was for his young team. "We clutched up big time in that win. The way we finished and the guys channeling all their energy," coach said.
"Then the celebration and feeling good about winning, and knowing we could do it. That was a powerful experience for us. I am so glad we had that win as it made the fall productive for us."
One of the main keys to that win was the play from Alex del Rey. Not only did he shoot seven under in the final round, but that score gave him first place overall. In his first two tournaments this fall Alex had two of his best rounds yet in his collegiate career. His best being the 65 at the Maui Jim, and his other being his second round 67 at the Gopher Invitational. He would go one to finish in the top-5 in both of those events. He also cracked the top-20 at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational, an event where he broke par in all three rounds.
"Alex is really good, and I think he can even be so much better," said coach Thurmond when asked about his stand out sophomore. "He is growing up and everything is a lot cleaner, and he still has a long way to go but I think Alex could be a top-level player."
"Mason learned a ton, and for a freshman doing as good as he did on the courses we played; he did really well," the Sun Devils coach said when talking about Anderson.
"We both expected him to play better and I know he is disappointed, and hopefully he can play a lot better in the spring," said coach Thurmond.
Senior Ryan Douglass had a big moment in the fall season where he showed why he is one of experienced leaders on this Sun Devil team. Despite struggles in his first two rounds of the Maui Jim Invitational. Douglass came out that third day and shot a 69, a key round that helped lead his team to victory, and it was one of the better rounds of the weekend for the Arizona State team.
When coach Thurmond was asked about this round from his senior he could not have been happier for him. "I was happy for Ryan that day… to have a round where we needed everyone of those shots. He really led the team that day," coach said. "It is a round he will always remember. That is a round you can go back to when you are in a final round, and say I have already been here and done this before."
Sophomore Chun An Yu had a busy fall outside of being at Arizona State. He played in the U.S. Amateur and the World University games, which made him miss the first two weeks of school. Also, he played in the Asian Pacific Amateur towards the end of the season, which caused him to miss ASU's final fall tournament. He did play in the first three events though, and had a top-15 finish at the Alister MacKenzie, where he shot a three-day total of five under par.
"He never really got into the flow this fall… We want him playing in those events, but it made it tough for him," Thurmond said. "I think you are going to see a totally different Kevin Yu in the spring once he gets on a normal schedule. He was overloaded in the fall, but it was a great experience and we want our players to take full advantage of great opportunities.
Paul Chaplet, another freshman like his counterpart Mason came in with a lot of experience. Even though it was a rough fall for him, Chaplet still played in every event. He showed what he capable of in the third event of season, where he finished tied for seventh at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational, shooting 10-under for the three days.
"I saw what we thought we would see in Paul, and that his high-level skill and a lot of potential," said coach Thurmond. "The biggest thing for him is adjusting to the team environment, college life and being in America. Once he is a little more settled we will see him be more comfortable, and he has great golf skill."
Junior Jino Sohn did not have the fall season that him and his coach were hoping. Only playing in two events, and both were playing as an individual, but coach Thurmond still believes a big breakout is coming in his talented junior player. He had a top-5 finish in the fall, which definitely shows what he is capable of.
"I still think his break through his coming, he had one last spring," Thurmond said. "He is highly skilled, and I think is a guy that will be a major factor in the spring for us."
Coach Thurmond got very excited when talking about his last freshman Koichiro Ishika. He more then exceeded his coaches' expectations, with having a T-5 at the Gopher Invitational, his first ever college tournament.
"I was impressed by Koichiro this fall, he was in a bit of a slump coming into the season, but he has great potential," said Thurmond. "He has quickly gained a lot of confidence this fall, and he his ahead of schedule."
Anthony Truong struggled a little this fall, but he did come away with a top-20 finish in the Gopher Invitational. His coach and him both have high expectations, and believe the spring will be a lot better for him.
"Anthony is kind of in a little bit of a transition phase with his game, but he is working hard everyday and I believe he will have a lot better spring," coach Thurmond said.
Senior Tobias Eden is the captain for the team, and despite injury troubles and a couple of surgeries in the off-season he was able to get out and play in an event this fall. Coach Thurmond could not have been more excited to see him get out on the course.
"Coming off two hip surgeries over the summer, I did not think that he would be 100 percent in the fall," said the Sun Devil coach. "I am thrilled he was able to play a tournament, because comeing off of a long offseason it is always good to get that feel of where your game is."
Coach Thurmond's goals have not changed since the beginning of the season and getting to NCAA Match Play is still the goal. He believes with the potential his team showed in the fall that obtaining that goal is very achievable.
"I think the conference is definitely up for grabs this year, and I believe we have a chance to be right in the mix," said Thurmond when asked where he thought his team stood headed into the spring. "For us it is each guy getting a little bit better… with the goal of getting to NCAA Match Play and being ready to play in those matches when we are there."
The Sun Devil men's golf team is ready for the spring. It had some promising moments during the fall, but all in all second-year coach Matt Thurmond believes they are capable of a lot more.
"I thought we under performed to our ability in the fall," said Thurmond when asked about how the early season went as a whole for his team. "I think top to bottom every guy on the team and coach was disappointed, but we are as confident in the end as ever."
The Sun Devils came into the fall as a very young team and were able to at times show they are a force to be reckoned with and show off their young guns. Coach Thurmond knows there are improvements that need to be made going into the spring, for the team to excel at their highest level.
"I know we need to mature more in our preparation, strategy and focus," said the Sun Devils coach. "We are young, so maturity is something that is earned and learned, but we need to be much more disciplined in everything we do."
Despite it not being the overall fall season that team wanted there were definitely bright spots. The biggest one being in their second event of the fall where they came away with the first-place trophy at the Maui Jim Invitational. Coach Thurmond could not have been happier for his young team to get that early feeling of victory. The Sun Devils won the tournament by all coming together on the final day and posting final round team score of 11 under par. They were led by sophomore Alex del Rey who posted a final round of 65.Coach Thurmond and @sundevilmgolf legend Billy Mayfair. @BMayfairGolf pic.twitter.com/UemcMlM7tK
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) November 17, 2017
"That win and what that did for us was huge, and it will give us life into the spring for sure," Said Thurmond when asked how big the early win was for his young team. "We clutched up big time in that win. The way we finished and the guys channeling all their energy," coach said.
"Then the celebration and feeling good about winning, and knowing we could do it. That was a powerful experience for us. I am so glad we had that win as it made the fall productive for us."
One of the main keys to that win was the play from Alex del Rey. Not only did he shoot seven under in the final round, but that score gave him first place overall. In his first two tournaments this fall Alex had two of his best rounds yet in his collegiate career. His best being the 65 at the Maui Jim, and his other being his second round 67 at the Gopher Invitational. He would go one to finish in the top-5 in both of those events. He also cracked the top-20 at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational, an event where he broke par in all three rounds.
"Alex is really good, and I think he can even be so much better," said coach Thurmond when asked about his stand out sophomore. "He is growing up and everything is a lot cleaner, and he still has a long way to go but I think Alex could be a top-level player."
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) October 25, 2017Freshman Mason Anderson proved that he can handle the grind it takes to play in the top five each tournament. The first-year player had a rough start to the season, but after that he showed what he can do on a tough golf course. He came in the top-10 at the Maui Jim Invitational and the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational. In both of those events he finished with a three-day total that was under par. His best event was the Tavistock, where he finished fifth with a five under par total.
"Mason learned a ton, and for a freshman doing as good as he did on the courses we played; he did really well," the Sun Devils coach said when talking about Anderson.
Sophomore Blake Wagoner like his teammate Alex got to get a lot of experience as a freshman, and already had his feet pretty wet and was poised for a big fall. Even though it did not quite go as planned for the underclassmen, he still played in every event and posted some good rounds. His best being his opening round 69 in the Gopher Invitational, and his best finish for the season was a T-22, when he shot four over through the three rounds.Great to have a special guest, "Bones," in today to share stories with the team. pic.twitter.com/n4rUpc8w4b
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) November 9, 2017
"We both expected him to play better and I know he is disappointed, and hopefully he can play a lot better in the spring," said coach Thurmond.
Senior Ryan Douglass had a big moment in the fall season where he showed why he is one of experienced leaders on this Sun Devil team. Despite struggles in his first two rounds of the Maui Jim Invitational. Douglass came out that third day and shot a 69, a key round that helped lead his team to victory, and it was one of the better rounds of the weekend for the Arizona State team.
When coach Thurmond was asked about this round from his senior he could not have been happier for him. "I was happy for Ryan that day… to have a round where we needed everyone of those shots. He really led the team that day," coach said. "It is a round he will always remember. That is a round you can go back to when you are in a final round, and say I have already been here and done this before."
Sophomore Chun An Yu had a busy fall outside of being at Arizona State. He played in the U.S. Amateur and the World University games, which made him miss the first two weeks of school. Also, he played in the Asian Pacific Amateur towards the end of the season, which caused him to miss ASU's final fall tournament. He did play in the first three events though, and had a top-15 finish at the Alister MacKenzie, where he shot a three-day total of five under par.
"He never really got into the flow this fall… We want him playing in those events, but it made it tough for him," Thurmond said. "I think you are going to see a totally different Kevin Yu in the spring once he gets on a normal schedule. He was overloaded in the fall, but it was a great experience and we want our players to take full advantage of great opportunities.
Paul Chaplet, another freshman like his counterpart Mason came in with a lot of experience. Even though it was a rough fall for him, Chaplet still played in every event. He showed what he capable of in the third event of season, where he finished tied for seventh at the Alister MacKenzie Invitational, shooting 10-under for the three days.
"I saw what we thought we would see in Paul, and that his high-level skill and a lot of potential," said coach Thurmond. "The biggest thing for him is adjusting to the team environment, college life and being in America. Once he is a little more settled we will see him be more comfortable, and he has great golf skill."
Junior Jino Sohn did not have the fall season that him and his coach were hoping. Only playing in two events, and both were playing as an individual, but coach Thurmond still believes a big breakout is coming in his talented junior player. He had a top-5 finish in the fall, which definitely shows what he is capable of.
"I still think his break through his coming, he had one last spring," Thurmond said. "He is highly skilled, and I think is a guy that will be a major factor in the spring for us."
Coach Thurmond got very excited when talking about his last freshman Koichiro Ishika. He more then exceeded his coaches' expectations, with having a T-5 at the Gopher Invitational, his first ever college tournament.
Nice week for freshmen @KoichiroIshika at the @SaguaroAmSeries Three good rounds and 5th Place. pic.twitter.com/s6mNB2FDzT
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) January 5, 2018
"I was impressed by Koichiro this fall, he was in a bit of a slump coming into the season, but he has great potential," said Thurmond. "He has quickly gained a lot of confidence this fall, and he his ahead of schedule."
Anthony Truong struggled a little this fall, but he did come away with a top-20 finish in the Gopher Invitational. His coach and him both have high expectations, and believe the spring will be a lot better for him.
"Anthony is kind of in a little bit of a transition phase with his game, but he is working hard everyday and I believe he will have a lot better spring," coach Thurmond said.
Congrats to @truonganthony10 for another win at the Vietnam Amateur Championships! Mr. Vietnam. He's making a big impact for golf in his homeland.
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) December 29, 2017
Senior Tobias Eden is the captain for the team, and despite injury troubles and a couple of surgeries in the off-season he was able to get out and play in an event this fall. Coach Thurmond could not have been more excited to see him get out on the course.
"Coming off two hip surgeries over the summer, I did not think that he would be 100 percent in the fall," said the Sun Devil coach. "I am thrilled he was able to play a tournament, because comeing off of a long offseason it is always good to get that feel of where your game is."
Coach Thurmond's goals have not changed since the beginning of the season and getting to NCAA Match Play is still the goal. He believes with the potential his team showed in the fall that obtaining that goal is very achievable.
"I think the conference is definitely up for grabs this year, and I believe we have a chance to be right in the mix," said Thurmond when asked where he thought his team stood headed into the spring. "For us it is each guy getting a little bit better… with the goal of getting to NCAA Match Play and being ready to play in those matches when we are there."