Sophomore Alex del Rey is in contention for his first individual title at the Gopher Invitational held at Windsong Farm Golf Club (par-71/7,368 yards) in Independence, Minn. Play was suspended at 7:30 p.m. Sunday due to darkness on the 36-hole first day, but del Rey finished both rounds with a 4-under 138 with eight birdies and an eagle, which is one shot off the lead held by Ian Holt of Kent State. ASU is tied for 8th currently at 16-over with a 291 in the opening round with Paul Chaplet still having four holes to play.
Second-year head coach Matt Thurmond's lineup has sophomores Chun An Yu, Alex del Rey and Blake Wagoner along with freshmen Mason Andersen and Paul Chaplet. Eight teams that competed in the 2017 NCAA Championships are part of the 16-team field, including defending NCAA champion Oklahoma.
iNDIVIDUAL SCORES AT GOPHER INVITATIONAL
1. Ian Holt, Kent State 70-67=137/-5
T2. Alex del Rey, Arizona State 71-67=138/-4
T18. Blake Wagoner, Arizona State 69-76=145/+3
T65. Mason Andersen, Arizona State 80-72=152/+10
73. Chun An Yu, Arizona State 76-78=154/+12
T74. Paul Chaplet, Arizona State 75-DNF=(+13 through 14) TEAMS: Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, Charlotte, Iowa, Kent State, Michigan State, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pepperdine, Purdue, San Diego State, St. John's (Minnesota), Virginia Tech.
EAGLE FOR BLAKE: Blake Wagoner eagled the par-5, 549-yard 18th hole in the second round, while Alex del Rey did the same in the first round.
GOPHER INDIVIDUAL: A 27-player individual tournament is being played at the Pioneer Creek Golf Course (par-72/6,953 yards) in Maple Plain, Minn. Koichiro Ishika is tied for fourth at 2-under 142 (72-70), Ryan Douglass is sixth at even-par 144 (74-70) while Jino Sohn is tied for 11th at 4-over 148 (75-73).
RANKINGS: ASU is ranked No. 21 in the preseason Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll and is one of four Pac-12 teams ranked in the top-25, along with USC (8th), Oregon (9th) and Stanford (14th). It is ranked 16th in the Golfweek preseason poll.
FRESHMAN NUMBERS: Chun Yu had a 71.61 stroke average last year, the second-best by a freshman in Sun Devil history, behind only Jon Rahm's 71.37 in 2012-13. Alex del Rey ended with a 72.14 stroke average, fifth-best by a freshman in Sun Devil history.
SUN DEVIL FRESHMAN SCORING AVERAGES (1985-2017)
1. Jon Rahm, 15, 2012-13, 71.37
2. Chun An Yu, 9, 2016-17, 71.61
3. Alejandro Canizares, 8, 2002-03, 71.65
4. Todd Demsey, 15, 1991-92, 72.10
5. Alex del Rey, 12 2016-17, 72.14
6. Phil Mickelson, 14, 1988-89, 72.14
7. Jesper Kennegard, 12, 2007-08, 72.16
8. Chan Kim, 8, 2008-09, 72.20
9. Paul Casey, 12, 1997-98, 72.30
10. Benjamin Alvarado Holley, 10, 2005-06, 72.50
Second-year head coach Matt Thurmond's lineup has sophomores Chun An Yu, Alex del Rey and Blake Wagoner along with freshmen Mason Andersen and Paul Chaplet. Eight teams that competed in the 2017 NCAA Championships are part of the 16-team field, including defending NCAA champion Oklahoma.
iNDIVIDUAL SCORES AT GOPHER INVITATIONAL
1. Ian Holt, Kent State 70-67=137/-5
T2. Alex del Rey, Arizona State 71-67=138/-4
T18. Blake Wagoner, Arizona State 69-76=145/+3
T65. Mason Andersen, Arizona State 80-72=152/+10
73. Chun An Yu, Arizona State 76-78=154/+12
T74. Paul Chaplet, Arizona State 75-DNF=(+13 through 14) TEAMS: Arizona State, Arkansas, Baylor, Charlotte, Iowa, Kent State, Michigan State, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pepperdine, Purdue, San Diego State, St. John's (Minnesota), Virginia Tech.
EAGLE FOR BLAKE: Blake Wagoner eagled the par-5, 549-yard 18th hole in the second round, while Alex del Rey did the same in the first round.
GOPHER INDIVIDUAL: A 27-player individual tournament is being played at the Pioneer Creek Golf Course (par-72/6,953 yards) in Maple Plain, Minn. Koichiro Ishika is tied for fourth at 2-under 142 (72-70), Ryan Douglass is sixth at even-par 144 (74-70) while Jino Sohn is tied for 11th at 4-over 148 (75-73).
RANKINGS: ASU is ranked No. 21 in the preseason Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll and is one of four Pac-12 teams ranked in the top-25, along with USC (8th), Oregon (9th) and Stanford (14th). It is ranked 16th in the Golfweek preseason poll.
FRESHMAN NUMBERS: Chun Yu had a 71.61 stroke average last year, the second-best by a freshman in Sun Devil history, behind only Jon Rahm's 71.37 in 2012-13. Alex del Rey ended with a 72.14 stroke average, fifth-best by a freshman in Sun Devil history.
SUN DEVIL FRESHMAN SCORING AVERAGES (1985-2017)
1. Jon Rahm, 15, 2012-13, 71.37
2. Chun An Yu, 9, 2016-17, 71.61
3. Alejandro Canizares, 8, 2002-03, 71.65
4. Todd Demsey, 15, 1991-92, 72.10
5. Alex del Rey, 12 2016-17, 72.14
6. Phil Mickelson, 14, 1988-89, 72.14
7. Jesper Kennegard, 12, 2007-08, 72.16
8. Chan Kim, 8, 2008-09, 72.20
9. Paul Casey, 12, 1997-98, 72.30
10. Benjamin Alvarado Holley, 10, 2005-06, 72.50