TEMPE, Ariz. – Continuing to propel himself further into Arizona State lore, Sun Devil senior Jon Rahm earned his third consecutive Individual title at the ASU Karsten hosted Thunderbird Invitational Sunday afternoon, carding a final day three-under, 68. In garnering his second title of the season, Rahm is now the only player in the event’s history to hoist the Thunderbird trophy three times.
Potentially even more remarkable, Rahm, by virtue of Sunday’s victory, is now the second winningest golfer in Arizona State program history, with nine titles to his credit.
MOST @ASUMENSGOLF TOURNAMENT WINS (UPDATED 4/3/16)
Phil Mickelson (1988-92), 16
Jon Rahm (2012-Present), 9
Billy Mayfair (1984-88), 8
Alejandro Canizares (2002-2006), 6
Charlie Gibson (1972-75), 6
Paul Casey (1997-2000), 6
Todd Demsey (1991-95), 5
JON RAHM COLLEGIATE TOURNAMENT WINS (9)
2016 ASU Thunderbird Invitational
2015 Tavistock Invitational (Oct. 18-20)
2015 NCAA San Diego Regional (May 14-16)
2015 ASU Thunderbird Invitational (Apr. 3-4)
2015 Duck Invitational (Mar. 23-24)
2014 Bill Cullum Invitational (Oct. 20-21)
2014 ASU Thunderbird Invitational (Mar. 21-23)
2013 San Diego Classic (Mar. 11-12)
2012 Bill Cullum Invitational (Oct. 21-22)
“I like to say I am the best right handed player to ever play at Arizona State.” said Rahm on moving into sole procession of second-place in program history. “I mean “Lefty” Phil Mickelson is just a whole different story (laughter)…It truly is a huge honor. I wasn’t really thinking about that this week. I have thought about it before and really put pressure on myself. To be the second winningest golfer in school history is definitely a huge honor and certainly something to be proud of.”
“John has meant a tremendous amount to this program over the last four years. Having nine wins in itself is amazing.” said head men’s golf Tim Mickelson regarding Rahm’s feat. “What I am really happy about is his continued growth. He has continued to mature on the golf course. Because of that maturity that he has cultivated over these last four years I think he is going to have a very good career at the next level. I am super proud of and happy for him.”
Tallying an eagle and 16 birdies, to just three bogeys spanning the 54-hole event, Rahm finished a tournament-best eight under in par-4 scoring.
After opening play with consecutive birdies on holes two and three, the 2015 Ben Hogan Award Winner strung together a series of pars, making the turn at two-under par, 14-under par for the tournament. After eagling the par-5 14th, he would drop two shots on 15 and 16, before sealing the victory courtesty of a birdie on the par-5 17th.
In what has been yet another remarkable fall and spring outing for the reigning All-American, he has notched nine top-10 finishes in nine collegiate events in 2015-16, marking the most in college golf. Since the dawn of the New Year in 2015, Rahm has finished in the top-10 in 22 of 24 events when accouning for all worldwide tournaments, collegiate, amateur, and professional in which he has competed.
As a conglomerate the No. 5 Sun Devils finished in fourth, four shots off the first-place Iowa State Cyclones, closing at a cumulative 16-under, 836 (277-274-285).
Entering the final round a single shot off the lead, the Sun Devils were hampered by a team total one-over 285 in their pursuit of a third-consecutive title at the Thunderbird.
Iowa State who finished at -20, 832 (274-276-282) took home team honors.
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Sun Devil senior Max Rottluff had a strong outing for the Maroon and Gold closing play at six-under, en route to earning an eighth-place finish. The 2015 All-American now has three top-10 finishes for the season.
Jared du Toit and Tobias Eden each finished at one-over, 213 respectively, placing tied for 17th.
Rounding out the Sun Devil Starting five, Alberto Sanchez and Ki Taek Lee each placed tied for 48th at nine-over, 222.
Junior Nicolo Galletti who competed as an individual, finished strong firing a final round, two-under, 69 to finish in 33rd place at five-over.
UP NEXT...
The Sun Devils compete in the final tournament of the regular season traveling to San Jose, California (Apr. 11-13) for the Western Intercollegiate. Tim Mickelson's squad finished third at the event last spring.