Sophomore Alex del Rey had a solid freshman season for the Sun Devils last year, and if the results of the first tournament of his sophomore year are any indication, he is ready to take the next step.
Led by 12 birdies and an eagle, del Rey shot a 5-under 208 (71-67-70) and finished fourth at the Gopher Invitational that concluded with 18 holes on Monday at the Windsong Farm Gold Club (par-71/7,388 yards). ASU finished seventh at 18-over 870 (291-293-286) as Arkansas took home the title with a 4-under 848 (284-285-279).
"Alex was as solid and steady as he has ever been," said Sun Devil second-year head coach Matt Thurmond. "He made very few mistakes on a very demanding course. It tested all our skills and Alex showed a lot of maturity. I look forward to seeing a lot more of that from him."
"It's great for us to play really tough courses right now. It's so good for our development. To win championships we need to thrive in the toughest of conditions. We weren't great this week but we are now better and more prepared to win than we were a few days ago. All the courses we play this fall will be very tough. We will improve fast."
ASU won't be the home team but will play just north of campus next as it will compete at the Maui Jim Invitational. The three-day event (Sept. 22-24) hosted by Georgia State includes Houston, Augusta, Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Hawai'i, Houston, Kansas, Kent State, Lipscomb, LSU, Minnesota, Nebraska and Rice. Desert Forest Golf Club (par-71/7,203 yards) is the home course in Carefree.
FINAL iNDIVIDUAL SCORES AT GOPHER INVITATIONAL
1. Ian Holt, Kent State 70-67-66=203/-10
4. Alex del Rey, Arizona State 71-67-70=208/-5
T31. Blake Wagoner, Arizona State 69-76-75=220/+7
T56. Mason Andersen, Arizona State 80-72-72=224/+11
T61. Chun An Yu, Arizona State 76-78-71=225/+12
68. Paul Chaplet, Arizona State 75-80-73=228/+15
YOUNG LINEUP: Second-year head coach Matt Thurmond's lineup had sophomores Chun An Yu, Alex del Rey and Blake Wagoner along with freshmen Mason Andersen and Paul Chaplet.
TOURNAMENT NOTE: Eight teams that competed in the 2017 NCAA Championships were part of the 16-team field, including defending NCAA champion Oklahoma...other teams in the field included Baylor, Charlotte, Iowa, Kent State, Michigan State, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pepperdine, Purdue, San Diego State, St. John's (Minnesota) and Virginia Tech...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 was played at the Pioneer Creek Golf Course (par-72/6,953 yards) in Maple Plain, Minn. Sun Devil Ryan Douglass led the way as he finished fourth at 1-over 217 (74-70-73), while Koichiro Ishika tied for fifth at 3-over 219 (72-70-77) as did Jino Sohn (75-73-71). Anthony Truong finished 19th at 12-over 228 (74-77-77).
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 was 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
Led by 12 birdies and an eagle, del Rey shot a 5-under 208 (71-67-70) and finished fourth at the Gopher Invitational that concluded with 18 holes on Monday at the Windsong Farm Gold Club (par-71/7,388 yards). ASU finished seventh at 18-over 870 (291-293-286) as Arkansas took home the title with a 4-under 848 (284-285-279).
"Alex was as solid and steady as he has ever been," said Sun Devil second-year head coach Matt Thurmond. "He made very few mistakes on a very demanding course. It tested all our skills and Alex showed a lot of maturity. I look forward to seeing a lot more of that from him."
"It's great for us to play really tough courses right now. It's so good for our development. To win championships we need to thrive in the toughest of conditions. We weren't great this week but we are now better and more prepared to win than we were a few days ago. All the courses we play this fall will be very tough. We will improve fast."
ASU won't be the home team but will play just north of campus next as it will compete at the Maui Jim Invitational. The three-day event (Sept. 22-24) hosted by Georgia State includes Houston, Augusta, Georgia Tech, Gonzaga, Hawai'i, Houston, Kansas, Kent State, Lipscomb, LSU, Minnesota, Nebraska and Rice. Desert Forest Golf Club (par-71/7,203 yards) is the home course in Carefree.
FINAL iNDIVIDUAL SCORES AT GOPHER INVITATIONAL
1. Ian Holt, Kent State 70-67-66=203/-10
4. Alex del Rey, Arizona State 71-67-70=208/-5
T31. Blake Wagoner, Arizona State 69-76-75=220/+7
T56. Mason Andersen, Arizona State 80-72-72=224/+11
T61. Chun An Yu, Arizona State 76-78-71=225/+12
68. Paul Chaplet, Arizona State 75-80-73=228/+15
YOUNG LINEUP: Second-year head coach Matt Thurmond's lineup had sophomores Chun An Yu, Alex del Rey and Blake Wagoner along with freshmen Mason Andersen and Paul Chaplet.
TOURNAMENT NOTE: Eight teams that competed in the 2017 NCAA Championships were part of the 16-team field, including defending NCAA champion Oklahoma...other teams in the field included Baylor, Charlotte, Iowa, Kent State, Michigan State, Minnesota, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Penn State, Pepperdine, Purdue, San Diego State, St. John's (Minnesota) and Virginia Tech...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 was played at the Pioneer Creek Golf Course (par-72/6,953 yards) in Maple Plain, Minn. Sun Devil Ryan Douglass led the way as he finished fourth at 1-over 217 (74-70-73), while Koichiro Ishika tied for fifth at 3-over 219 (72-70-77) as did Jino Sohn (75-73-71). Anthony Truong finished 19th at 12-over 228 (74-77-77).
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 was 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