Sept. 18, 1997
Men's Golf Opens Season at Tucker Invitational
THE LINEUP: Here is ASU's probable line-up for the Tucker Invitational:
- DARREN ANGEL...junior who won Ping Preview in freshman season and finished tied for third at 1996 NCAA Championships.
- GREG PADILLA...made 11 appearances during 1996-97 season...75.59 stroke average...tied for 6th at Tucker Invitational last year.
- BRAD CANNON...junior from Phoenix....medalist at Duck Invitational last year.
- JIN PARK...freshman from Fullerton, Calif.
- PAUL CASEY...native of the United Kingdom.
ASU QUICK FACTS
- ASU has posted 10 straight NCAA top-10 finishes, the best current mark in the nation.
- ASU is the only school to finish in the top five at the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons.
- ASU's NCAA Championships: 1990 and 1996
- ASU won six tournaments in 1995-96, a school record.
- ASU was a top five finisher in 13-of-14 events last year.
- Junior Darren Angel is ranked No. 21 in MasterCard preseason rankings.
- ASU has won the Pac-10 title in four of the past five years and in the past three years.
- Randy Lein has won Pac-10 Coach of the Year five times, three times at ASU and twice at USC.
ASU OPENS SEASON IN NEW MEXICO: The 1997-1998 Arizona State men's golf team, ranked No. 7 in the MasterCard preseason rankings, begins its quest for a third national title in the 1990s when it travels to Albuquerque, N.M., to compete in the Tucker Invitational on Sept. 19-20. ASU, winners of three straight Pac-10 titles and national champions in 1990 and 1996, also has a current string of 10 straight NCAA top-10 finishes. ASU finished in the top five in 13-of-14 tournaments last year and is the only team to finish in the top five at the NCAAs in each of the past three seasons. The Sun Devils are coached by sixth-year head coach Randy Lein, the 1996 National Coach of the Year.
ABOUT THE TUCKER INVITATIONAL: The 43rd annual William H. Tucker Invitational will run from Friday, Sept. 19 through Sept. 20. The nation's second oldest golf tournament begins Friday with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. for 36 holes. The tournament concludes on Saturday with 18 holes beginning at 7:30 a.m. Among others in the field are: Arizona, Arkansas, BYU, UNLV, preseason No. 1 Oklahoma State, Texas and USC.
TUCKER INVITATIONAL RESULTS: Results from the 54-hole tournament can be obtained by calling the Info Connection at (770) 399-3066. To access the WAC, dial 922#, followed by the men's golf code of 1831. Results will be posted at approximately 8 p.m. on Friday at 5 p.m. on Saturday.
ABOUT RANDY LEIN: Randy Lein has coached 43 tournament victories in 15 seasons, tutored 34 All-Americans at Arizona State and USC, and begins his sixth year as mentor of ASU's golf program in 1996-97.
Lein added the best accolade in all of collegiate golf in 1995-96 -- the NCAA title -- to his collection of coaching honors as the Sun Devils won the 1996 title in Chattanooga, Tenn., with a three-stroke victory over UNLV at the Honors Course.