By Jake Olen, Media Relations Student Assistant
The 2016-2017 Arizona State men's golf season launches a new era for the program. After a busy offseason, the Sun Devils start the year ranked 19th in the country in the GCAA coaches poll.
NEW ERA…
On July 25th Athletic Director Ray Anderson announced University of Washington's Matt Thurmond as the 14th head coach of ASU men's golf. Thurmond spent 15 successful seasons at Washington, winning three Pac-12 titles ('05,'09,'10), two Pac-12 Coach of the Year awards ('05,'09), and a Golfweek National Coach of the Year honor in 2009. Players under Thurmond have thrived at Washington, as he coached 25 All-Americans, two NCAA Championship 2nd place finishers (Nick Taylor '10, CT Pan'15) and an Individual NCAA Champion in 2005 (James Lepp).
BUSY SUMMER…
A couple of Sun Devil golfers grabbed headlines this summer with their performances on the pro tour. After finishing up an illustrious college career at ASU last spring, Jon Rahm is off to a fast start in his pro career. In June, Rahm competed in his first PGA event as a pro at the Quicken Loans National and held the lead for the first two rounds before eventually finishing tied for third. Rahm also was part of a trio of Sun Devil legends competing in the U.S. Open this year along with Phil Mickelson, and Paul Casey. As for current Sun Devils, senior Jared Du Toit posted a top 10 finish at the RBC Canadian Open in July, finishing tied for 9th. Du Toit, a British Columbia native, grabbed some media attention as the first Canadian amateur to finish in the top 10 since Doug Bajus in 1954.
THE 2016-17 SUN DEVILS…
The Sun Devils will look to senior Jared Du Toit to assume the number one spot and lead a young Arizona State team. Du Toit had a great year in 2015-16 for ASU after transferring from the University of Idaho and ended the season with five top ten finishes. Another familiar face this season is senior Ki Taek Lee. Taek Lee finished in the top five for the Sun Devils in the Wyoming Southern last season and posted five top 20 finishes during his sophomore campaign in 2014-15. The team will also rely on some newcomers to step up this year including freshman Alejandro Del Rey Gonzalez from Madrid, Spain. Del Rey Gonzalez is a two-time Spanish National Champion (U16 & U18) and will be an immediate contributor for the Sun Devils this season. The rest of the roster is filled out by senior Nicolo Galletti, junior's Ryan Douglass and Tobias Eden, sophomore Jino Sohn, and 3 other freshman Blake Wagoner, Anthony Truong, and Connor Kilpatrick.
FIGHTING ILLINI INVITATIONAL (OLYMPIA FIELDS, ILLINOIS)/SEP. 16-18
The Sun Devils open up the year in Illinois for the 11th Annual Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields. This will be the first tournament under new head coach Matt Thurmond. The team finished third at the tournament last year and last won the event in 2009. The tournament takes place at Olympia Fields Country Club, which has formerly hosted both the PGA championship and U.S. Open.
ALISTER MACKENZIE INVITATIONAL (FAIRFAX, CALIFORNIA)/OCT. 10-11
For the team's second tournament they travel to California for the Alister Mackenzie Invitational. The Sun Devils have finished second in the tournament the last 2 years and look to dethrone host school, University of California-Berkeley, which has won the event seven consecutive times. In 2014, a Sun Devil did earn the individual medal as Max Rottluff took home that title. The event is hosted at the Par-71, 6734-yard course at the Meadow Club in Fairfax, CA.
TAVISTOCK CUP (WINDERMERE, FLORIDA)/OCT. 16-18
The Sun Devils take their only trip to the east coast to compete in the Tavistock Cup hosted by North Texas and Central Florida. Last season the team finished second in the tournament with Jon Rahm finishing first individually. The tournament features four opponents ranked in the top 25 in the GCAA coaches poll. The course is located at Isleworth Golf and Country Club on a tough 7544-yard course originally designed by Arnold Palmer.
PRINCEVILLE INVITATIONAL (PRINCEVILLE, HAWAII)/OCT. 30-NOV. 1
The Sun Devils are hoping for more treats than tricks at the 5th annual Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational that tees off over Halloween at the Princeville Makai Golf Club. The course is a par 72 stretching over 7200 yards. The Sun Devils skipped out on the event last season but finished second in 2014 in their only other appearance in the event.
AMER ARI INTERCOLLEGIATE (KONA, HAWAII)/FEB. 2-4
The team goes back to Hawaii to kick off 2017 for the 26th Annual Amer Ari Intercollegiate. ASU tied for third last year after winning the tournament two seasons ago. USC is the reigning champions and will be back this year to defend the title. The tournament, hosted by the University of Hawaii, takes place on Kings Course at the Waikoloa Beach Resort.
THE PRESTIGE (LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA)/FEB. 13-15
Arizona State has had great success as a team in recent years at The Prestige at PGA West. Last year the Sun Devils finished second and two seasons ago they placed first. The tournament is played on the, 7200-yard, par 72, Greg Norman course at PGA West opened in 1999.
NIT INVITATIONAL (TUCSON, ARIZONA)/FEB 27-28
The team takes a quick trip into enemy territory for the NIT Invitational hosted by University of Arizona. Arizona State has won the event twice in 2007 and 2004 as a team and has two previous individual winners Niklas Lemke in 2007 and Alejandro Canizares in 2003. The event is played at OMNI Tucson National golf course, on the par 73, 7262-yard Catalina Course.
SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS INVITATIONAL (LAS VEGAS, NEVADA)/MAR. 6-8
For the fourth straight year Arizona State will travel to Las Vegas for the Southern Highlands Invitational hosted by UNLV. The Sun Devils last won the tournament 2 seasons ago and placed fourth in the tournament last year. The tournament is played on the par 72, 7510 yard Southern Highlands course.
ASU THUNDERBIRD INVITATIONAL (TEMPE, ARIZONA)/MAR. 18-19
The Sun Devils come home to Tempe to host the annual Thunderbird Invitational. ASU has won the tournament 17 times and looks to take back the title after a 4th place finish last year. ASU golf alumnus Jon Rahm has taken the last three individual medals and the Sun Devils hope to keep that trophy on their home course as well. The event takes place at Karsten Golf Course, a par 70, 7057-yard course.
WESTERN INTERCOLLEGIATE (SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA)/APR. 10-11
The Western Intercollegiate is one of the longest running tournaments in college golf starting in 1947. Arizona State has a long history at the tournament winning the tournament four times, but not since 1977. The Sun Devils placed 8th in the tournament last year. The tournament is hosted by San Jose State and takes place at Pasatiempo golf course.
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS (BOULDER, COLORADO)/APR. 28-30
This year's Pac-12 Championship is hosted by the University of Colorado at the Boulder Country Club in Boulder, Colorado. Arizona State has won the Pac-12 (formerly Pac-10) 12 times, more than any other school since they joined the conference in 1978. The University of Oregon won the tournament last season, as ASU finished third. The Sun Devils will look to take back the title for the first time since 2008.
The 2016-2017 Arizona State men's golf season launches a new era for the program. After a busy offseason, the Sun Devils start the year ranked 19th in the country in the GCAA coaches poll.
NEW ERA…
On July 25th Athletic Director Ray Anderson announced University of Washington's Matt Thurmond as the 14th head coach of ASU men's golf. Thurmond spent 15 successful seasons at Washington, winning three Pac-12 titles ('05,'09,'10), two Pac-12 Coach of the Year awards ('05,'09), and a Golfweek National Coach of the Year honor in 2009. Players under Thurmond have thrived at Washington, as he coached 25 All-Americans, two NCAA Championship 2nd place finishers (Nick Taylor '10, CT Pan'15) and an Individual NCAA Champion in 2005 (James Lepp).
BUSY SUMMER…
A couple of Sun Devil golfers grabbed headlines this summer with their performances on the pro tour. After finishing up an illustrious college career at ASU last spring, Jon Rahm is off to a fast start in his pro career. In June, Rahm competed in his first PGA event as a pro at the Quicken Loans National and held the lead for the first two rounds before eventually finishing tied for third. Rahm also was part of a trio of Sun Devil legends competing in the U.S. Open this year along with Phil Mickelson, and Paul Casey. As for current Sun Devils, senior Jared Du Toit posted a top 10 finish at the RBC Canadian Open in July, finishing tied for 9th. Du Toit, a British Columbia native, grabbed some media attention as the first Canadian amateur to finish in the top 10 since Doug Bajus in 1954.
THE 2016-17 SUN DEVILS…
The Sun Devils will look to senior Jared Du Toit to assume the number one spot and lead a young Arizona State team. Du Toit had a great year in 2015-16 for ASU after transferring from the University of Idaho and ended the season with five top ten finishes. Another familiar face this season is senior Ki Taek Lee. Taek Lee finished in the top five for the Sun Devils in the Wyoming Southern last season and posted five top 20 finishes during his sophomore campaign in 2014-15. The team will also rely on some newcomers to step up this year including freshman Alejandro Del Rey Gonzalez from Madrid, Spain. Del Rey Gonzalez is a two-time Spanish National Champion (U16 & U18) and will be an immediate contributor for the Sun Devils this season. The rest of the roster is filled out by senior Nicolo Galletti, junior's Ryan Douglass and Tobias Eden, sophomore Jino Sohn, and 3 other freshman Blake Wagoner, Anthony Truong, and Connor Kilpatrick.
FIGHTING ILLINI INVITATIONAL (OLYMPIA FIELDS, ILLINOIS)/SEP. 16-18
The Sun Devils open up the year in Illinois for the 11th Annual Fighting Illini Invitational at Olympia Fields. This will be the first tournament under new head coach Matt Thurmond. The team finished third at the tournament last year and last won the event in 2009. The tournament takes place at Olympia Fields Country Club, which has formerly hosted both the PGA championship and U.S. Open.
Off to Chicago with the boys @asumensgolf pic.twitter.com/9MHFUdT8DG
— rydoug (@rdouglassgolf_) September 13, 2016
ALISTER MACKENZIE INVITATIONAL (FAIRFAX, CALIFORNIA)/OCT. 10-11
For the team's second tournament they travel to California for the Alister Mackenzie Invitational. The Sun Devils have finished second in the tournament the last 2 years and look to dethrone host school, University of California-Berkeley, which has won the event seven consecutive times. In 2014, a Sun Devil did earn the individual medal as Max Rottluff took home that title. The event is hosted at the Par-71, 6734-yard course at the Meadow Club in Fairfax, CA.
TAVISTOCK CUP (WINDERMERE, FLORIDA)/OCT. 16-18
The Sun Devils take their only trip to the east coast to compete in the Tavistock Cup hosted by North Texas and Central Florida. Last season the team finished second in the tournament with Jon Rahm finishing first individually. The tournament features four opponents ranked in the top 25 in the GCAA coaches poll. The course is located at Isleworth Golf and Country Club on a tough 7544-yard course originally designed by Arnold Palmer.
PRINCEVILLE INVITATIONAL (PRINCEVILLE, HAWAII)/OCT. 30-NOV. 1
The Sun Devils are hoping for more treats than tricks at the 5th annual Warrior Princeville Makai Invitational that tees off over Halloween at the Princeville Makai Golf Club. The course is a par 72 stretching over 7200 yards. The Sun Devils skipped out on the event last season but finished second in 2014 in their only other appearance in the event.
AMER ARI INTERCOLLEGIATE (KONA, HAWAII)/FEB. 2-4
The team goes back to Hawaii to kick off 2017 for the 26th Annual Amer Ari Intercollegiate. ASU tied for third last year after winning the tournament two seasons ago. USC is the reigning champions and will be back this year to defend the title. The tournament, hosted by the University of Hawaii, takes place on Kings Course at the Waikoloa Beach Resort.
THE PRESTIGE (LA QUINTA, CALIFORNIA)/FEB. 13-15
Arizona State has had great success as a team in recent years at The Prestige at PGA West. Last year the Sun Devils finished second and two seasons ago they placed first. The tournament is played on the, 7200-yard, par 72, Greg Norman course at PGA West opened in 1999.
NIT INVITATIONAL (TUCSON, ARIZONA)/FEB 27-28
The team takes a quick trip into enemy territory for the NIT Invitational hosted by University of Arizona. Arizona State has won the event twice in 2007 and 2004 as a team and has two previous individual winners Niklas Lemke in 2007 and Alejandro Canizares in 2003. The event is played at OMNI Tucson National golf course, on the par 73, 7262-yard Catalina Course.
SOUTHERN HIGHLANDS INVITATIONAL (LAS VEGAS, NEVADA)/MAR. 6-8
For the fourth straight year Arizona State will travel to Las Vegas for the Southern Highlands Invitational hosted by UNLV. The Sun Devils last won the tournament 2 seasons ago and placed fourth in the tournament last year. The tournament is played on the par 72, 7510 yard Southern Highlands course.
ASU THUNDERBIRD INVITATIONAL (TEMPE, ARIZONA)/MAR. 18-19
The Sun Devils come home to Tempe to host the annual Thunderbird Invitational. ASU has won the tournament 17 times and looks to take back the title after a 4th place finish last year. ASU golf alumnus Jon Rahm has taken the last three individual medals and the Sun Devils hope to keep that trophy on their home course as well. The event takes place at Karsten Golf Course, a par 70, 7057-yard course.
WESTERN INTERCOLLEGIATE (SANTA CRUZ, CALIFORNIA)/APR. 10-11
The Western Intercollegiate is one of the longest running tournaments in college golf starting in 1947. Arizona State has a long history at the tournament winning the tournament four times, but not since 1977. The Sun Devils placed 8th in the tournament last year. The tournament is hosted by San Jose State and takes place at Pasatiempo golf course.
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIPS (BOULDER, COLORADO)/APR. 28-30
This year's Pac-12 Championship is hosted by the University of Colorado at the Boulder Country Club in Boulder, Colorado. Arizona State has won the Pac-12 (formerly Pac-10) 12 times, more than any other school since they joined the conference in 1978. The University of Oregon won the tournament last season, as ASU finished third. The Sun Devils will look to take back the title for the first time since 2008.