As the Arizona State men's golf team approaches their spring season, they will look to build off some early success and correct mistakes from their fall season.
The Sun Devils were victorious in their first event of the fall season, the Maui Jim Invitational in Scottsdale, Ariz. Sophomore Cameron Sisk shot 14-under 196 (64-67-65) to win the individual title and lead ASU to its tenth team title under head coach Matt Thurmond.
A week later, the team went on to win another title, this time at the Trinity Forest Invitational. Alex del Rey won the individual title this time around with 16-under 197 (67-64-66).
SUN DEVIL TEAM WINS UNDER MATT THURMOND (11)
Trinity Forest Invitational/Sept. 22-24, 2019
Maui Jim Intercollegiate/Sept. 13-15, 2019
ASU Thunderbird Collegiate/April 12-13, 2019
National Invitational Tournament/Mar. 18-19, 2019
Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic/Mar. 11-12, 2019
John Burns Intercollegiate/Feb. 21-23, 2019
ASU Thunderbird Invitational/April 14-15, 2018
Bandon Dunes Intercollegiate/March 11-13, 2018
Maui Jim Intercollegiate/September 22-24, 2017
ASU Thunderbird Invitational/March 18-19, 2017
Alister MacKenzie Invitational/Oct. 10-11, 2016
In the next two tournaments, the team finished fourth at the Fighting Irish Classic and sixth at the Tavistock Collegiate.
"The first couple of tournaments were good, and we were feeling great about ourselves," said head coach Matt Thurmond. "We had people say we're going undefeated this year, let's see how many we can win, but the next two tournaments were pretty disappointing for us. I would say we go into the offseason not feeling good about it. Those two tournaments were worse than any we had last year and that's pretty frustrating. At the same time, we had a lot of guys coming in and out of the lineup. We have a good team, there were some awesome individual performances, and there are plenty of things to be excited about. So overall, not what we wanted, but it's still just the fall."
WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKINGS (WAGR)/SCRATCH PLAYER RANKINGS (AS OF DEC. 11)
Chun An Yu, 6/1
David Puig 22/127
Alex del Rey, 50/40
Cameron Sisk, 42/58
Blake Wagoner, 240/180
James Leow, 250/242
Mason Andersen, 356/94
Koichiro Ishika, 675/464
Ryggs Johnston 1229/689
QUOTING COACH THURMOND
CHUN AN YU: "He's a First-Team All-American. We've only had 20 different Sun Devils who have earned that. He's coming off an amazing season and has a big career ahead of him as a pro. He just quietly kind of does his thing. You can count on him to show up and give it all that he's got on his shots. Hits it long, hits it straight, he putts it well, he plays with focus and intensity. I think he's a guy that if we end up winning this year or doing big things, he's going to be at the center of it. We'll be riding all the way through.
Jon Rahm, 13, 2014-15, 69.15
Chun An Yu, 11, 2018-19, 69.20
Jon Rahm, 13, 2015-16, 69.41
Max Rottluff, 14, 2014-15, 69.81
Paul Casey, 10, 1999-2000, 69.87
Phil Mickelson, 12, 1991-1992, 69.95
Niklas Lemke, 12, 2006-2007, 70.03
Phil Mickelson, 11, 1990-1991, 70.08
Jared du Toit, 14, 2016-17, 70.38
Chun An Yu, 12, 2017-18, 70.58
DAVID PUIG: "Puig comes with lots of accolades and tournament wins and expectations. I think the big thing for us is to not overdo that. Let him come in like Ryggs just did and find his way with time. Let him settle in as a student and a team member. We do know the guy can play and if everything is right, he can play a big role in our success this spring. He loves to win, good team guy, got all parts of the game and the real question for him will be adjusting to America, to college life, the level of competition. If he can do all those things, he'll be a huge part of our success."
ALEX DEL REY: "Alex has been a player here for three years. He's won some tournaments, has had moments of greatness. He's also has had some tough times too. This is his senior year and I think Alex will be motivated this spring to do great things, leave a legacy. Get his name on the wall so to speak. He's really meant a lot to the program and has done a lot to help us grow, but it's time to take that next step with the team. It's time for us to win more stuff, accomplish more and I think he'll be right in the center for all that. He's really a tone-setter for the team. His energy and vibe, his competitiveness set a tone for the team, maybe more than he knows. I think he's just a big key for us. When he's going for us, we're really hard to beat. He really understands the team and the camaraderie of the team. We want him to be a leader."
CAMERON SISK: "Cam's a superstar. He just keeps getting better. He's so steady in his life, in practice, and in his competition that it's kind of a coach's dream. A guy that's doing the right thing every day and keeps improving. Cam's really unique too in that he just wants to win and get better and he loves the team and great leadership potential. He's a guy that going to play a lot of great rounds for us and he's going to win. He's just everything we want a Sun Devil to be."
BLAKE WAGONER: "Big year for Blake, he's been a key contributor for us. Didn't have his best fall, being a senior it can be tough. He's working through that and if he is hungry and works hard, we know he can play. He's a real steady player for us and that's what he's been. We'd love for him to take a step forward and work even harder to take his game to that next level. Has the potential to be a high-level player and pro and I hope he continues to develop into that."
JAMES LEOW: James continues to get better. He's such an inspiration to me as a coach as someone who keeps trotting along, doing the daily work, not expecting it to be easy. He's just a disciplined person. He's got his stuff together and consequently, he's just improving over time. He played in a couple of tournaments in the fall, played well and in the Asia-Pacific Amateur and he was in the hunt to win there. He's someone we can put in the lineup and can contribute. I'm proud of him for how far he's come and I think he can keep going and improving, he can be a big part of our success."
MASON ANDERSEN: "Well, Mason had a really rough start to his season but played well in his last two tournaments. So I'm really excited for him. He's a junior now and it's time for him to take those next steps in his maturity and development as a player. He has times of greatness and when he's on or when he's focused, in the right place mentally with his game, he's very hard to beat. He's a tough competitor, he fights hard, loves to win. Those are all exciting things for him. It's just a matter of him developing a little more consistency with his mental game and his emotions and some parts of his game, but the sky is the limit for him as long as he can keep his mind right."
KOICHIRO ISHAKA: "Koichiro has been kind of quiet since his freshman year. He's got a lot of potential, got a lot of ability. It's just a matter of putting it together and show that he belongs in the starting 5. He's a happy guy and hits the ball well. We know he can contribute if he's focused and he's working hard."
RYGGS JOHNSON: "Ryggs has been such a nice surprise. We knew he was a great recruit. We knew he'd be a great player, but kind of the steadiness he's shown. He has actually shown the maturity of a senior, a veteran emotionally, off the course, even strategically on the course the way he plays. He was great for us in the fall and I'm thrilled for him. He's ahead of schedule. If he keeps on the track he's on, he's going to be a really special player for our program."
If the team can find success in the spring season with all the talented players on this team, these Sun Devils will have a chance to play in the NCAA Championship that will be hosted here at the Grayhawk Golf Club.
"We've been looking forward to that for a few years now and it's finally here," Thurmond said. "It's kind of amazing, come May, if we qualify for the NCAA Championships, it's going to be us playing at Grayhawk. That's just exciting. Excited for the community to have it, the fans here to be able to experience the highest level of college golf here in our town, but it's also great for our team to play on a course that we like and have experience on."
As exciting as being able to play and host the NCAA Championships in in May, the team still has work to get done before competing in the spring and then perform at high levels for the next couple of months.
"Every team is so different and you have to have to kind of build it each year," said Thurmond. "This team is still trying to find itself competitively on how hard it works, how much it cares and we certainly know that we have a lot of players that come with a lot of success. They are motivated to have a great year, we know we have the potential to. It's up to us to do the work every day to get us there. It'll be interesting to see who emerges and becomes the leaders of the team, who's going to put everyone on their back both on the course and off, set the way to say, 'Hey, this is where we're going.' We really need someone to do that, someone to step up into a leadership role. It'll be exciting to see who does."
The Sun Devils were victorious in their first event of the fall season, the Maui Jim Invitational in Scottsdale, Ariz. Sophomore Cameron Sisk shot 14-under 196 (64-67-65) to win the individual title and lead ASU to its tenth team title under head coach Matt Thurmond.
Your 2019 Maui Jim Intercollegiate Champion Arizona State Sun Devils! pic.twitter.com/uCGrKxwBTN
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) September 15, 2019
A week later, the team went on to win another title, this time at the Trinity Forest Invitational. Alex del Rey won the individual title this time around with 16-under 197 (67-64-66).
SUN DEVIL TEAM WINS UNDER MATT THURMOND (11)
Trinity Forest Invitational/Sept. 22-24, 2019
Maui Jim Intercollegiate/Sept. 13-15, 2019
ASU Thunderbird Collegiate/April 12-13, 2019
National Invitational Tournament/Mar. 18-19, 2019
Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic/Mar. 11-12, 2019
John Burns Intercollegiate/Feb. 21-23, 2019
ASU Thunderbird Invitational/April 14-15, 2018
Bandon Dunes Intercollegiate/March 11-13, 2018
Maui Jim Intercollegiate/September 22-24, 2017
ASU Thunderbird Invitational/March 18-19, 2017
Alister MacKenzie Invitational/Oct. 10-11, 2016
In the next two tournaments, the team finished fourth at the Fighting Irish Classic and sixth at the Tavistock Collegiate.
"The first couple of tournaments were good, and we were feeling great about ourselves," said head coach Matt Thurmond. "We had people say we're going undefeated this year, let's see how many we can win, but the next two tournaments were pretty disappointing for us. I would say we go into the offseason not feeling good about it. Those two tournaments were worse than any we had last year and that's pretty frustrating. At the same time, we had a lot of guys coming in and out of the lineup. We have a good team, there were some awesome individual performances, and there are plenty of things to be excited about. So overall, not what we wanted, but it's still just the fall."
WORLD AMATEUR GOLF RANKINGS (WAGR)/SCRATCH PLAYER RANKINGS (AS OF DEC. 11)
Chun An Yu, 6/1
David Puig 22/127
Alex del Rey, 50/40
Cameron Sisk, 42/58
Blake Wagoner, 240/180
James Leow, 250/242
Mason Andersen, 356/94
Koichiro Ishika, 675/464
Ryggs Johnston 1229/689
QUOTING COACH THURMOND
CHUN AN YU: "He's a First-Team All-American. We've only had 20 different Sun Devils who have earned that. He's coming off an amazing season and has a big career ahead of him as a pro. He just quietly kind of does his thing. You can count on him to show up and give it all that he's got on his shots. Hits it long, hits it straight, he putts it well, he plays with focus and intensity. I think he's a guy that if we end up winning this year or doing big things, he's going to be at the center of it. We'll be riding all the way through.
SUN DEVIL BEST SCORING AVERAGE (1987-2019)GAME CHANGING birdie from amateur Chun-An Yu with a fabulous back-to-back birdie finish getting him to -6 and equal leader with Japan's Takumi Kanaya!!! #AusOpenGolf pic.twitter.com/TfHNNZiSvH
— #AusOpenGolf (@AusOpenGolf) December 5, 2019
Jon Rahm, 13, 2014-15, 69.15
Chun An Yu, 11, 2018-19, 69.20
Jon Rahm, 13, 2015-16, 69.41
Max Rottluff, 14, 2014-15, 69.81
Paul Casey, 10, 1999-2000, 69.87
Phil Mickelson, 12, 1991-1992, 69.95
Niklas Lemke, 12, 2006-2007, 70.03
Phil Mickelson, 11, 1990-1991, 70.08
Jared du Toit, 14, 2016-17, 70.38
Chun An Yu, 12, 2017-18, 70.58
DAVID PUIG: "Puig comes with lots of accolades and tournament wins and expectations. I think the big thing for us is to not overdo that. Let him come in like Ryggs just did and find his way with time. Let him settle in as a student and a team member. We do know the guy can play and if everything is right, he can play a big role in our success this spring. He loves to win, good team guy, got all parts of the game and the real question for him will be adjusting to America, to college life, the level of competition. If he can do all those things, he'll be a huge part of our success."
ALEX DEL REY: "Alex has been a player here for three years. He's won some tournaments, has had moments of greatness. He's also has had some tough times too. This is his senior year and I think Alex will be motivated this spring to do great things, leave a legacy. Get his name on the wall so to speak. He's really meant a lot to the program and has done a lot to help us grow, but it's time to take that next step with the team. It's time for us to win more stuff, accomplish more and I think he'll be right in the center for all that. He's really a tone-setter for the team. His energy and vibe, his competitiveness set a tone for the team, maybe more than he knows. I think he's just a big key for us. When he's going for us, we're really hard to beat. He really understands the team and the camaraderie of the team. We want him to be a leader."
#addhimtothelist AGAIN @a_delrey99 of @sundevilmgolf finished every round in first place at the #TrinityForestInvitational - he takes the ?? for the 2nd time this Fall! #caboisforwinners who are they this season so far?? #BuhlSmithSiskdelReyDosseydelRey * that's 3 from AZ State pic.twitter.com/CC1ktwItpd
— Cabo Collegiate (@CaboCollegiate) September 24, 2019
CAMERON SISK: "Cam's a superstar. He just keeps getting better. He's so steady in his life, in practice, and in his competition that it's kind of a coach's dream. A guy that's doing the right thing every day and keeps improving. Cam's really unique too in that he just wants to win and get better and he loves the team and great leadership potential. He's a guy that going to play a lot of great rounds for us and he's going to win. He's just everything we want a Sun Devil to be."
Cameron Sisk joined a long list of awesome Sun Devils to win collegiate titles. It basically should be titled "Sun Devil Golf Studs" — Check it out: https://t.co/0nLalNolbY pic.twitter.com/hajs6Ms9XR
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) September 17, 2019
BLAKE WAGONER: "Big year for Blake, he's been a key contributor for us. Didn't have his best fall, being a senior it can be tough. He's working through that and if he is hungry and works hard, we know he can play. He's a real steady player for us and that's what he's been. We'd love for him to take a step forward and work even harder to take his game to that next level. Has the potential to be a high-level player and pro and I hope he continues to develop into that."
JAMES LEOW: James continues to get better. He's such an inspiration to me as a coach as someone who keeps trotting along, doing the daily work, not expecting it to be easy. He's just a disciplined person. He's got his stuff together and consequently, he's just improving over time. He played in a couple of tournaments in the fall, played well and in the Asia-Pacific Amateur and he was in the hunt to win there. He's someone we can put in the lineup and can contribute. I'm proud of him for how far he's come and I think he can keep going and improving, he can be a big part of our success."
BREAKING : Team Singapore's James Leow wins a gold medal for the Republic in Golf! Catch his interview here#golf #gold #seagames2019 #2019seagames #golflife pic.twitter.com/mMi5oRbsXe
— SG SPORTS TV (@sgsportstv) December 6, 2019
MASON ANDERSEN: "Well, Mason had a really rough start to his season but played well in his last two tournaments. So I'm really excited for him. He's a junior now and it's time for him to take those next steps in his maturity and development as a player. He has times of greatness and when he's on or when he's focused, in the right place mentally with his game, he's very hard to beat. He's a tough competitor, he fights hard, loves to win. Those are all exciting things for him. It's just a matter of him developing a little more consistency with his mental game and his emotions and some parts of his game, but the sky is the limit for him as long as he can keep his mind right."
KOICHIRO ISHAKA: "Koichiro has been kind of quiet since his freshman year. He's got a lot of potential, got a lot of ability. It's just a matter of putting it together and show that he belongs in the starting 5. He's a happy guy and hits the ball well. We know he can contribute if he's focused and he's working hard."
RYGGS JOHNSON: "Ryggs has been such a nice surprise. We knew he was a great recruit. We knew he'd be a great player, but kind of the steadiness he's shown. He has actually shown the maturity of a senior, a veteran emotionally, off the course, even strategically on the course the way he plays. He was great for us in the fall and I'm thrilled for him. He's ahead of schedule. If he keeps on the track he's on, he's going to be a really special player for our program."
#ForksUp to @rjgolfer2000 who tied for 3rd at 35-player Mea Lanakila Individual this past weekend.
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) September 17, 2019
Also: Montana's own is a member of @barretthonors (read about that place more right here: https://t.co/dNKCTEQ2Yi ) pic.twitter.com/T7VBxzx8Cy
If the team can find success in the spring season with all the talented players on this team, these Sun Devils will have a chance to play in the NCAA Championship that will be hosted here at the Grayhawk Golf Club.
"We've been looking forward to that for a few years now and it's finally here," Thurmond said. "It's kind of amazing, come May, if we qualify for the NCAA Championships, it's going to be us playing at Grayhawk. That's just exciting. Excited for the community to have it, the fans here to be able to experience the highest level of college golf here in our town, but it's also great for our team to play on a course that we like and have experience on."
As exciting as being able to play and host the NCAA Championships in in May, the team still has work to get done before competing in the spring and then perform at high levels for the next couple of months.
"Every team is so different and you have to have to kind of build it each year," said Thurmond. "This team is still trying to find itself competitively on how hard it works, how much it cares and we certainly know that we have a lot of players that come with a lot of success. They are motivated to have a great year, we know we have the potential to. It's up to us to do the work every day to get us there. It'll be interesting to see who emerges and becomes the leaders of the team, who's going to put everyone on their back both on the course and off, set the way to say, 'Hey, this is where we're going.' We really need someone to do that, someone to step up into a leadership role. It'll be exciting to see who does."