SUN DEVIL INDIVIDUAL TITLES
THUNDERBIRD INVITATIONAL HISTORY
The Arizona State men's golf team continued its home-course dominance at the 42nd annual Thunderbird Invitational at the Karsten Golf Course (par-71/7,013 yards) this weekend, as it won the 14-team field by 20 strokes with a 35-under 817 (271-272-274), while sophomore Jon Rahm broke all kinds of records with a 21-under 192 (62-64-66).
Rahm beat Arizona's Alex McMahon by eight strokes, as McMahon finished at 13-under 200 (70-62-68), while Iowa finished second at 15-under 837 (278-277-282).
Rahm's 21-under 192 broke the school's 54-hole final score record and the Thunderbird Invitational record, while ASU's 817 was the lowest team score in the history of the tournament.
It marked the third individual title for Rahm, as he won the 2013 San Diego Classic and the Bill Cullum Invitational in the fall of 2012.
Ten Sun Devils have won the Thunderbird individual title on 11 occasions, with Phil Mickelson (1991 and 1992) the only multiple winner. Other Sun Devil individual winners include Mark Sollenberger (1974), Jim Carter (1984), Larry Barber (1994), Todd Demsey (1995), Jeff Quinney (2000), Paul Casey (2001), Alejandro Canizares (2003), Stephan Gross (2009-shared) and now Jon Rahm (2014).
SUN DEVIL LOWEST 54-HOLE TOURNAMENT FINAL SCORES (1993-94 TO PRESENT)
Jon Rahm, 192/-21 (2014 ASU Thunderbird Invitational)
Jesper Kennegard, 197/-13 (2008 UH Hilo Invitational)
Benjamin Alvarado, 198/-18 (2007 NCAA West Regional in Tempe)
Alejandro Canizares, 200/-16 (2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational)
Jeff Quinney, 201/-15 (1999 ASU Thunderbird Invitational)
The Sun Devils will next compete in the Chambers Bay Intercollegiate in Tacoma, Wash., on April 7-8.
ABOUT THE TITLES: ASU won its first outright team title since the Olympia Fields Invitational in Chicago, Ill., back on September 18-20, 2009. ASU also tied for the Bill Cullum Invitational in Simi Valley, Calif., on September 17-18, 2011 under Coach Tim Mickelson.
THUNDERBIRD DOMINANCE: ASU has now won eight of the past 16 (1999-2001, 2003-04, 2008-09, 2) Thunderbird Invitational Tournaments and 15 of the past 26.
EAGLE UPDATE FOR RAHM: Rahm notched two eagles on Saturday, his NCAA-best eighth and ninth on the year, and now has 19 in his 70-round career. How impressive are the 19 eagles in 69 rounds? Dating back to 1993-94 when Golfstat started tracking college statistics, only three other Sun Devils posted 15 eagles in their careers. While Rahm has 19 eagles in just 70 rounds, 2003 NCAA champion Alejandro Canizares had 15 eagles in 152 career rounds, while Scott Pinckey (121 rounds) and Niklas Lemke (151 rounds) had 16 eagles in their career.
ASU TEAM WINNERS: Sixteen ASU teams have won the Thunderbird Invitational, with ASU winning the title in 1984, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009 and 2014.
UPDATED THUNDERBIRD RECORDS
TEAM TOTAL SCORE (TOTAL STROKES)
Arizona State 35-under 817 in 2014
Arizona State 43-under 821 in 2004
Arizona State 40-under 824 in 2003
Arizona 22-under 830 in 2006
UNLV 21-under 831 in 2006
TEAM TOTAL SCORE (VS. PAR)
Arizona State 43-under 821 in 2004
Arizona State 40-under 824 in 2003
Arizona State 35-under 817 in 2014
Arizona 32-under 832 in 2004
USC 32-under 832 in 2003
Texas 32-under 832 in 2002
INDIVIDUAL TOTAL SCORE
Jon Rahm (Arizona State) 21-under 192 in 2014
Ben Kern (Kansas State) 14-under 199 in 2006
Alejandro Canizares (Arizona State) 16-under 200 in 2004
Bret Guetz (TCU) 16-under 200 in 2002
Charlie Beljan (New Mexico) 15-under 201 in 2007
David Schultz (TCU) 15-under 201 in 2003
Jeff Quinney (Arizona State) 15-under 201 in 1999
INDIVIDUAL TOTAL SCORE VS. PAR
Jon Rahm (Arizona State) 21-under 192 in 2014
Alejandro Canizares (Arizona State) 16-under 200 in 2004
Bret Guetz (TCU) 16-under 200 in 2002
Charlie Beljan (New Mexico) 15-under 201 in 2007
David Schultz (TCU) 15-under 201 in 2003
Jeff Quinney (Arizona State) 15-under 201 in 1999
SOME IMPROVEMENT GOING ON HERE: Tim Mickelson took over a program in the summer of 2011 that was 89-86-3 in head-to-head record in the previous year. In 2011-12, the young squad was 62-96-1, but his past two seasons have resulted in rapid improvement. The 2012-13 team that made the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship was 125-89-1, and this year’s team is 94-37-3 after the Thunderbird Invitational title. A look at the past six seasons of head-to-head play for men’s golf.
MEN’S GOLF HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORDS
2013-14: 94-37-3
2012-13: 125-89-6
2011-12: 62-96-1
2010-11: 89-86-3
2009-10: 115-63-6
2008-09: 129-52-2