(Note: Golf previews...and many previews...can be boring, every SID knows that. So for the final fall tournament, Coach Thurmond took the keys and wrote this below. He won't be inputting scores on Golfstat or emailing results after the tournament, but he did this below. Enjoy.)
The fall campaign comes to a close for the Sun Devils this week at Isleworth. The word "FINISH" is written in huge letters on the locker room wall and this week will partly show if that word is just pretty gold letters or a principle woven into the DNA of the program.
The three-day Tavistock Collegiate begins Sunday and features many of college golf's top teams. Coach Matt Thurmond (Coach was writing third person we just realized) doesn't seem too worried, choosing at lineup that features two sophomores and three freshmen. For freshmen Koichiro Ishika it will be the first tournament in the starting five.
"I'm really excited to play as a team member for the first time," says Ishika.
Chandler, Ariz., freshmen Mason Andersen has confidence in the Sun Devils' young squad. "We might be inexperienced now, but that just adds to the fact that we are fearless and hungry to prove people wrong."
Maybe the person he first needs to prove wrong is teammate and sophomore Alex del Rey who serves as the de facto policeman for this band of youngsters. When asked what he does to help the younger guys do their job del Rey says, "It's pretty hard to help this bunch of idiots, but I'll try my best to keep things together."
The sophomore del Rey (full disclosure Alex spells his last name with a small r, and we can't figure out how that works when we start a sentence with his last name, so we just find some randon words to plug in and make it easy) was once one of those idiots himself. In fact, just a year ago, at this same Isleworth, ADR (how coolf of a nickanme is that?) hit two balls out of bounds on Hole 17, which could arguably be the widest hole in all of college golf. Tournament officials and fans didn't even know there was OB on that hole. All are all anxious to see if Isleworth has chosen to put a plaque on the tee to honor Alex's extraordinary feat.
That impetuous young Spaniard (del Rey) of years gone by is a far cry from the one that has had fourth, first, and 19th Place finishes in the Devils' first three events. Without the usual contributing rounds of sophomore Kevin Yu (also known as Chun An), who is missing this event to attend the Asia-Pacific Amateur in New Zealand next week, del Rey will be carrying an even heavier load.
He (see how we didn't use ADR last name there to start the sentence?) will look for help from last week's best finisher, freshmen Paul Chaplet, who finished sixth in California. Chaplet, unlike his fiery fellow freshmen Mason Andersen who rages after missing the center of the fairway by a few feet, is the essence of "chill" as when he isn't sitting under a mango tree waiting for his lunch to drop, he's keeping things in perspective.
"As an individual I believe you have to just enjoy the ride and live in the present."
What requires illegal substances for most people to attain, the relaxed approach comes naturally for Chaplet. It's part of the "pura vida" of Costa Rica, he often reminds his teammates. Hopefully he makes it to the tee on time.
Perhaps the real indicator of the team's success this week will be sophomore Blake Wagoner who is key contributor in search of a breakout event. He's optimistic about his performance and the team's goals.
"I have noticed a different level of intensity in our preparation after last week's finish. I think we all want to end the fall season on a good note."
Not all of that intensity and preparation has come on the practice tee, according to Wagoner, who was clearly disappointed in his fellow American, Mason Andersen.
"In effort to increase our mental toughness this week, a few of us decided to take a grueling ice bath It only took Mason to get about knee deep before he hopped out and started whining. Hopefully his mental toughness will be better on the course."
The teams for the Tavistock Collegiate are: Florida, Vanderbilt, North Florida, Central Florida, North Carolina, Texas Tech, Augusta, Illinois, UAB, California, Arizona, Purdue, North Texas and West Virginia.
Most of the awesome outerwear that Adidas provides the team will stay in the suitcase this week as the weather calls for "warm and humid with regular thunderstorms."
Freshmen Koichiro Ishika always enjoys a good rain delay which allows him to get into the clubhouse to eat more. Donations for the "Feed Koichiro Fund" are being accepted.
Despite the constant banter among the squad, a special camaraderie and togetherness goes with them in every tournament.
Chaplet says he looks forward to "being able to laugh together, take the pain together, and most of all fight together."
Fellow freshmen Mason Andersen says "I know we have a team that will succeed in the biggest tournaments college golf has to offer."
Go Devils!
The fall campaign comes to a close for the Sun Devils this week at Isleworth. The word "FINISH" is written in huge letters on the locker room wall and this week will partly show if that word is just pretty gold letters or a principle woven into the DNA of the program.
The three-day Tavistock Collegiate begins Sunday and features many of college golf's top teams. Coach Matt Thurmond (Coach was writing third person we just realized) doesn't seem too worried, choosing at lineup that features two sophomores and three freshmen. For freshmen Koichiro Ishika it will be the first tournament in the starting five.
"I'm really excited to play as a team member for the first time," says Ishika.
Chandler, Ariz., freshmen Mason Andersen has confidence in the Sun Devils' young squad. "We might be inexperienced now, but that just adds to the fact that we are fearless and hungry to prove people wrong."
Maybe the person he first needs to prove wrong is teammate and sophomore Alex del Rey who serves as the de facto policeman for this band of youngsters. When asked what he does to help the younger guys do their job del Rey says, "It's pretty hard to help this bunch of idiots, but I'll try my best to keep things together."
The sophomore del Rey (full disclosure Alex spells his last name with a small r, and we can't figure out how that works when we start a sentence with his last name, so we just find some randon words to plug in and make it easy) was once one of those idiots himself. In fact, just a year ago, at this same Isleworth, ADR (how coolf of a nickanme is that?) hit two balls out of bounds on Hole 17, which could arguably be the widest hole in all of college golf. Tournament officials and fans didn't even know there was OB on that hole. All are all anxious to see if Isleworth has chosen to put a plaque on the tee to honor Alex's extraordinary feat.
That impetuous young Spaniard (del Rey) of years gone by is a far cry from the one that has had fourth, first, and 19th Place finishes in the Devils' first three events. Without the usual contributing rounds of sophomore Kevin Yu (also known as Chun An), who is missing this event to attend the Asia-Pacific Amateur in New Zealand next week, del Rey will be carrying an even heavier load.
He (see how we didn't use ADR last name there to start the sentence?) will look for help from last week's best finisher, freshmen Paul Chaplet, who finished sixth in California. Chaplet, unlike his fiery fellow freshmen Mason Andersen who rages after missing the center of the fairway by a few feet, is the essence of "chill" as when he isn't sitting under a mango tree waiting for his lunch to drop, he's keeping things in perspective.
"As an individual I believe you have to just enjoy the ride and live in the present."
What requires illegal substances for most people to attain, the relaxed approach comes naturally for Chaplet. It's part of the "pura vida" of Costa Rica, he often reminds his teammates. Hopefully he makes it to the tee on time.
Perhaps the real indicator of the team's success this week will be sophomore Blake Wagoner who is key contributor in search of a breakout event. He's optimistic about his performance and the team's goals.
"I have noticed a different level of intensity in our preparation after last week's finish. I think we all want to end the fall season on a good note."
Not all of that intensity and preparation has come on the practice tee, according to Wagoner, who was clearly disappointed in his fellow American, Mason Andersen.
"In effort to increase our mental toughness this week, a few of us decided to take a grueling ice bath It only took Mason to get about knee deep before he hopped out and started whining. Hopefully his mental toughness will be better on the course."
The teams for the Tavistock Collegiate are: Florida, Vanderbilt, North Florida, Central Florida, North Carolina, Texas Tech, Augusta, Illinois, UAB, California, Arizona, Purdue, North Texas and West Virginia.
Most of the awesome outerwear that Adidas provides the team will stay in the suitcase this week as the weather calls for "warm and humid with regular thunderstorms."
Freshmen Koichiro Ishika always enjoys a good rain delay which allows him to get into the clubhouse to eat more. Donations for the "Feed Koichiro Fund" are being accepted.
Despite the constant banter among the squad, a special camaraderie and togetherness goes with them in every tournament.
Chaplet says he looks forward to "being able to laugh together, take the pain together, and most of all fight together."
Fellow freshmen Mason Andersen says "I know we have a team that will succeed in the biggest tournaments college golf has to offer."
Go Devils!