PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: The Sun Devils have won 12 Pac-12 titles since joining the league in the 1978-79 athletic season and this year's 59th annual championship, hosted by USC, is at Rolling Hills Country Club in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif. Tournament action begins Monday, Apr. 23, with 36 holes, followed by 18 on Tuesday and Wednesday. The five individuals from each six-man team with the lowest scores for any 18-hole round will constitute the scoring members of the team for that round. TV coverage of the event will debut with a one-hour special on Sunday, May 6 at 10 a.m. PT on Pac-12 Network. Admission to the 2018 Pac-12 Championship is free. ASU for just the second time in the past 14 seasons has won at least three titles as it won its own Thunderbird Invitational (April 14-15), the Maui Jim Intercollegiate in the fall and the Bandon Dunes Intercollegiate (March 11-13).
RANKINGS: ASU will enter the 2018 Pac-12 Championship No. 18 in the April 20 Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll, behind only California (No. 7) and Stanford (No. 14) in the Pac-12 with USC coming in at No. 24.
PAC-10/12 SUCCESS AT ASU: Arizona State has won 12 Pac-10 titles in its 39 seasons, including a conference record six straight from 1995-2000. In addition to the six straight Pac-10 titles, ASU's other six Pac-10 titles were in 1979 (its first year in the league), 1981, 1989, 1990, 1993 and 2008. ASU tied for the league title in 2005 with Washington but lost on a tiebreaker formula, and the league decided to go to a playoff format after that season.
MOST PAC-10/12 TEAM TITLES SINCE 1979 (ASU joined the Pac-10 in the 1978-79 athletic season)
ARIZONA STATE (12): 2008, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1993, 1990, 1989, 1981, 1979
USC (7): 2011, 2007, 2002, 2001, 1986, 1984, 1980
STANFORD (5): 2016, 2015, 2014, 1994, 1992
UCLA (5): 2006, 2003, 1985, 1983, 1982
WASHINGTON (4): 2010, 2009, 2005, 1988
ARIZONA (3): 2004, 1991, 1987
CALIFORNIA (2): 2013, 2012
OREGON (1): 2017
SEASON REVIEW SO FAR: The Sun Devils won the 2018 ASU Thunderbird Invitational April 14-15 at the ASU Karsten Golf Course, claiming the title for the second year in a row. The competition came down to the last hole of the tournament, as ASU bested UNLV by one stroke. ASU also defeated last year's national champion Oklahoma and No. 1-ranked Oklahoma State, snapping its seven-tournament winning streak...Sun Devils have won back-to-back titles at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational and four of the last five and 2018 was the 19th overall victory for ASU since the tournament started in 1973...team got their first win of the spring and second of the season with a convincing victory at the Bandon Dunes Championship March 11-13 as it led after all three days and finished an impressive 13-strokes ahead of second place Clemson. Chun An Yu took home medalist honors shooting a 13-under including a 65 in round one, tied for the best round of the tournament...An Yu shot a 9-under 63 on Feb. 25 at Omni National in the first round of the National Invitational en route to finishing tied for second (63-70-69=202/-14)...Mason Andersen shot a 5-under 211 (69-71-71) and finished fifth at the Tavistock Invitational at the Isleworth Country Club in Windermere, Fla. (Oct. 22-24)...team's first wins were in the second tournament of the year at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate in Carefree as Alex del Rey had a 7-under 65 to earn medalist honors at Desert Fores as team shot 7-under 857 (289-291-277) and won by a stroke over Georgia Tech...in the first tournament of the year at the Gopher Invitational, Alex del Rey finished fourth led by 12 birdies and an eagle shot 5-under 208 (71-67-70).
LAST YEAR: @ASUMensGolf Program secured a Territorial Cup® Series point with its sixth-place finish at the 58th Pac-12 Championship in Boulder, shooting a 42-over 1,092 (362-374-356) in the weather-shortened championship held at the Boulder Country Club. Play was shortened to 54 holes after snow wiped out Saturday's round. ASU was led by freshman Chun An Yu, who posted 6-over 216 and finished tied for 14th. Freshmen posted the best scores of the weekend for ASU, as Blake Wagoner had a 68 in the second round while Alejandro Del Rey Gonzalez had a 69 on Sunday.
FINAL PAC-12 2017 CHAMPIONSHIP SCORES
1. Wyndham Clark, Oregon 69-68-69=206/-4
T14. Chun An Yu, 71-75-70=216/+6
T20. Blake Wagoner, 77-68-73=218/+8
T47. Tobias Eden, 73-80-71=224/+14
T52. Jino Sohn, 73-77-75=225/+15
T52. Alejandro del Rey, 75-81-69—225/+15
SUN DEVILS AS PAC-10/12 MEDALISTS: Jon Rahm won the 2016 title and Paul Casey won three straight Pac-10 titles from 1998-2000, which is a conference record for consecutive Pac-10/12 titles. Other Sun Devils who have won the Pac-10 championship are Scott Johnson (1997), Phil Mickelson (1990), co-medalists Dan Forsman and Tony Grimes (1981), Jim Bertoncino (co-medalist in 1980) and co-medalists Scott Watkins and Dan Croonquist (1979).
ASU'S 2008 PAC-10 TITLE: At the 2008 Pac-10 Championships at The Meadow Club (par-71, 6,686 yards) in Fairfax, Calif., ASU, playing with three freshmen, two sophomores and a senior, captured its eighth Pac-10 title in 16 years under head coach Randy Lein in a one-hole playoff over defending conference champion USC (#2 Golfstat/#3 Golfweek). ASU trailed by 16 to the Trojans after the first round. ASU shot 354-361-356-364 and tied with the Trojans (338-374-357-366) at 15-over par 1,435.
TERRITORIAL CUP POINT ON THE LINE: A Territorial Cup® Series point is on the line at every men's golf Pac-12 championship, as the Sun Devil have had the upper hand recently in the series. ASU has finished better than Arizona in 11 of the past 13 Pac-12 men's golf championships, missing a Territorial Cup point only in 2011 and 2012.
RANKINGS: ASU will enter the 2018 Pac-12 Championship No. 18 in the April 20 Bushnell Golfweek Coaches Poll, behind only California (No. 7) and Stanford (No. 14) in the Pac-12 with USC coming in at No. 24.
PAC-10/12 SUCCESS AT ASU: Arizona State has won 12 Pac-10 titles in its 39 seasons, including a conference record six straight from 1995-2000. In addition to the six straight Pac-10 titles, ASU's other six Pac-10 titles were in 1979 (its first year in the league), 1981, 1989, 1990, 1993 and 2008. ASU tied for the league title in 2005 with Washington but lost on a tiebreaker formula, and the league decided to go to a playoff format after that season.
MOST PAC-10/12 TEAM TITLES SINCE 1979 (ASU joined the Pac-10 in the 1978-79 athletic season)
ARIZONA STATE (12): 2008, 2000, 1999, 1998, 1997, 1996, 1995, 1993, 1990, 1989, 1981, 1979
USC (7): 2011, 2007, 2002, 2001, 1986, 1984, 1980
STANFORD (5): 2016, 2015, 2014, 1994, 1992
UCLA (5): 2006, 2003, 1985, 1983, 1982
WASHINGTON (4): 2010, 2009, 2005, 1988
ARIZONA (3): 2004, 1991, 1987
CALIFORNIA (2): 2013, 2012
OREGON (1): 2017
Who in the @Pac12 hits his approach shots the closest to the hole from inside of 100 yards from the fairway?
— Anova.Golf (@AnovaGolf) April 20, 2018
Alex Del Rey (@sundevilmgolf) who hits the ball 12.9 feet from the hole on average. #whyguesswhenyoucanmeasure #anovagolf @Pac12Golf
SEASON REVIEW SO FAR: The Sun Devils won the 2018 ASU Thunderbird Invitational April 14-15 at the ASU Karsten Golf Course, claiming the title for the second year in a row. The competition came down to the last hole of the tournament, as ASU bested UNLV by one stroke. ASU also defeated last year's national champion Oklahoma and No. 1-ranked Oklahoma State, snapping its seven-tournament winning streak...Sun Devils have won back-to-back titles at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational and four of the last five and 2018 was the 19th overall victory for ASU since the tournament started in 1973...team got their first win of the spring and second of the season with a convincing victory at the Bandon Dunes Championship March 11-13 as it led after all three days and finished an impressive 13-strokes ahead of second place Clemson. Chun An Yu took home medalist honors shooting a 13-under including a 65 in round one, tied for the best round of the tournament...An Yu shot a 9-under 63 on Feb. 25 at Omni National in the first round of the National Invitational en route to finishing tied for second (63-70-69=202/-14)...Mason Andersen shot a 5-under 211 (69-71-71) and finished fifth at the Tavistock Invitational at the Isleworth Country Club in Windermere, Fla. (Oct. 22-24)...team's first wins were in the second tournament of the year at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate in Carefree as Alex del Rey had a 7-under 65 to earn medalist honors at Desert Fores as team shot 7-under 857 (289-291-277) and won by a stroke over Georgia Tech...in the first tournament of the year at the Gopher Invitational, Alex del Rey finished fourth led by 12 birdies and an eagle shot 5-under 208 (71-67-70).
LAST YEAR: @ASUMensGolf Program secured a Territorial Cup® Series point with its sixth-place finish at the 58th Pac-12 Championship in Boulder, shooting a 42-over 1,092 (362-374-356) in the weather-shortened championship held at the Boulder Country Club. Play was shortened to 54 holes after snow wiped out Saturday's round. ASU was led by freshman Chun An Yu, who posted 6-over 216 and finished tied for 14th. Freshmen posted the best scores of the weekend for ASU, as Blake Wagoner had a 68 in the second round while Alejandro Del Rey Gonzalez had a 69 on Sunday.
FINAL PAC-12 2017 CHAMPIONSHIP SCORES
1. Wyndham Clark, Oregon 69-68-69=206/-4
T14. Chun An Yu, 71-75-70=216/+6
T20. Blake Wagoner, 77-68-73=218/+8
T47. Tobias Eden, 73-80-71=224/+14
T52. Jino Sohn, 73-77-75=225/+15
T52. Alejandro del Rey, 75-81-69—225/+15
SUN DEVILS AS PAC-10/12 MEDALISTS: Jon Rahm won the 2016 title and Paul Casey won three straight Pac-10 titles from 1998-2000, which is a conference record for consecutive Pac-10/12 titles. Other Sun Devils who have won the Pac-10 championship are Scott Johnson (1997), Phil Mickelson (1990), co-medalists Dan Forsman and Tony Grimes (1981), Jim Bertoncino (co-medalist in 1980) and co-medalists Scott Watkins and Dan Croonquist (1979).
VARIETY IS GOOD: Oregon was the eighth team to win a Pac-12 men's golf title in the past 14 seasons when it did it in 2017. It joined Washington (2005, 2009, 2010), UCLA (2006), USC (2007, 2011), ASU (2008), California (2012, 2013), Stanford (2014, 2015 and 2016) and Arizona (2004).We won our third tournament of year Sunday. Here is a look at every team tournament win since 1991. Thrilled to add to the list. Next up: @Pac12Network championship April 23-25. https://t.co/SbwF11ByG4
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) April 16, 2018
ASU'S 2008 PAC-10 TITLE: At the 2008 Pac-10 Championships at The Meadow Club (par-71, 6,686 yards) in Fairfax, Calif., ASU, playing with three freshmen, two sophomores and a senior, captured its eighth Pac-10 title in 16 years under head coach Randy Lein in a one-hole playoff over defending conference champion USC (#2 Golfstat/#3 Golfweek). ASU trailed by 16 to the Trojans after the first round. ASU shot 354-361-356-364 and tied with the Trojans (338-374-357-366) at 15-over par 1,435.
We head to the @pac12 championships with three tournament titles on the year. We want 6. Read all about our Thunderbird title here ... https://t.co/FtD8GRMC9l
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) April 16, 2018
TERRITORIAL CUP POINT ON THE LINE: A Territorial Cup® Series point is on the line at every men's golf Pac-12 championship, as the Sun Devil have had the upper hand recently in the series. ASU has finished better than Arizona in 11 of the past 13 Pac-12 men's golf championships, missing a Territorial Cup point only in 2011 and 2012.