The Sun Devil men's golf program signed Luke Potter and Michael Mjaaseth for the 2022-2023 season, two big additions to the two-time NCAA champion program. Both Potter and Mjsaaseth are proven and expected to make an immediate impact.
MEET LUKE POTTER
"The ASU men's golf program has a great tradition and I look forward to contributing to its continued success."
LUKE POTTER HONORS/AWARDS
"I have been watching and following Luke Potter since he was in sixth grade" says coach Sun Devil assistant coach Armen Kirakiossuian. "It wasn't difficult to identify even at a young age that he was special. Luke has a knack for winning and has been doing so at all levels. On the outside he portrays a laid-back So Cal vibe but, on the inside, he is the ultimate competitor. Luke Potter is the kind of guy you don't want to go up against."
"It seems like we have been waiting forever on this," said head coach Matt Thurmond regarding Potter becoming official. "We are so excited. Armon and I regularly talk about the first time we talked to Luke. We were actually sitting in my car in Grayhawk at the parking lot, Luke had face timed us, he was just an eighth grader. We put the IPad on the dash of the car and the conversation was going well, we were enjoying it and then we asked Luke, tell us about your practice and everything changed. Luke perked up. It was almost like anything we said before did not matter and he described in detail how he practices, how long for each thing, what the standards are for each drill he does, how it connects to his strengths and weaknesses and his goals and it totally blew us away. We have never heard a top professional describe their practice and their training with such self awareness and attention to detail. It totally blew us away, Luke is the top ranked player in this class. He has won so many tournaments including California state high school as a freshman, he was actually named the California freshman athlete of the year which is the first time a golfer has won that award since Tiger Woods. The guy has been winning tournaments since he was in diapers and I don't think I ever recruited anyone who is such a golf junky. We have acres and tee space here but it's not enough for this guy because the way he practices he is going to tear it all apart and we love it and can't wait. He just has an unparalleled passion for the game and a desire to be great.
MICHAEL MJAASETHS HONORS/AWARDS
"Michael caught my eye while recruiting in France. One particular moment in match he was out of position off the tee but then hit a heroic shot followed by draining a long putt to win the hole" added Armen Kirakossian. "He plays until the last putt drops and does it with a calm confident style and smooth swing. Michael Mjaaseth is a name most haven't heard about in the U.S., but I assure you they will soon."
"We noticed his name and results, followed him a little bit but the very first time we saw him play was in Paris France," notes Coach Thurmond. "Armon was watching the European boys team championship and Micheal was playing for Norway. Armon fell in love with his confidence and his comfort ability and smooth swing and he told me I had to make sure I watch him play."
"So a couple weeks later I was in the Czech Republic for the European Young Masters mostly watching another player but I remember the first moment I saw Micheal. He was with his group from Norway, he was walking to the first tee, he was in the middle, he was walking confidently and comfortably smiling while talking with a group. He had such great poise and then I saw him tee off the first hole -- a beautiful smooth swing, powerful and smooth. It was just awesome and we knew it was a guy we wanted to recruit."
"He exudes maturity and poise he makes you feel that he is someone you can count on as a teammate. We are so thrilled he is a Sun Devil."
My top boys signees for 2022 (will release full top 25 and top 10 classes next week):
— Brentley Romine (@BrentleyGC) November 10, 2021
1. Luke Potter, Arizona State
2. Caleb Surratt, Tennessee
3. Nicholas Dunlap, Alabama
4. Benjamin James, Virginia
5. Jonathan Griz, Alabama pic.twitter.com/yVuub0fXFz
MEET LUKE POTTER
"The ASU men's golf program has a great tradition and I look forward to contributing to its continued success."
LUKE POTTER HONORS/AWARDS
- Won California State Individual Championship
- California Freshman Athlete of the year (last golfer to win was Tiger Woods)
- National high school golfer of the year as a freshman in 2019
- State Sophomore Athlete of the year
- Holds AGJA All time 54-hole scoring record
- Southern California Player of the year
- 1st high schooler named SCGA player of the year
- Junior World Champion
- 3x Rolex All American
- Winner of 2020 Maridoe Amateur as 16-year-old
- Youngest winner in 121 years of SCGA Amateur 2020
- 2021 US Junior Am semi finalist
- 2021 Western Am quarter finalist
"I have been watching and following Luke Potter since he was in sixth grade" says coach Sun Devil assistant coach Armen Kirakiossuian. "It wasn't difficult to identify even at a young age that he was special. Luke has a knack for winning and has been doing so at all levels. On the outside he portrays a laid-back So Cal vibe but, on the inside, he is the ultimate competitor. Luke Potter is the kind of guy you don't want to go up against."
The folks at @collegegolf and @GolfChannel have great things to say about this signee pic.twitter.com/KkR5ZuVQwk
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) November 11, 2021
"It seems like we have been waiting forever on this," said head coach Matt Thurmond regarding Potter becoming official. "We are so excited. Armon and I regularly talk about the first time we talked to Luke. We were actually sitting in my car in Grayhawk at the parking lot, Luke had face timed us, he was just an eighth grader. We put the IPad on the dash of the car and the conversation was going well, we were enjoying it and then we asked Luke, tell us about your practice and everything changed. Luke perked up. It was almost like anything we said before did not matter and he described in detail how he practices, how long for each thing, what the standards are for each drill he does, how it connects to his strengths and weaknesses and his goals and it totally blew us away. We have never heard a top professional describe their practice and their training with such self awareness and attention to detail. It totally blew us away, Luke is the top ranked player in this class. He has won so many tournaments including California state high school as a freshman, he was actually named the California freshman athlete of the year which is the first time a golfer has won that award since Tiger Woods. The guy has been winning tournaments since he was in diapers and I don't think I ever recruited anyone who is such a golf junky. We have acres and tee space here but it's not enough for this guy because the way he practices he is going to tear it all apart and we love it and can't wait. He just has an unparalleled passion for the game and a desire to be great.
MEET MICHAEL MJAASETH "I am really excited to be part of a team with great success and legacy, and most importantly a competitive environment that allows players to grow both as players and humans."Shout out from Preston Summerhays welcoming good friend Luke Potter to the program! pic.twitter.com/AUW9PwTnCD
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) November 12, 2021
We got better this week. Here is a reason why ?? pic.twitter.com/6tY7NCW2HQ
— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) November 11, 2021
MICHAEL MJAASETHS HONORS/AWARDS
- European young masters champion
- Norwegian u15 champion
- French International Boys Amateur Champion
- 2020 Srixon tour champion
- 2021 Garmin Norwegian cup Champion
- Three-time Norwegian Match play finalist
- Three-time Norwegian junior Team champion
- Represented Europe in Asia - Pacific junior championship
"Michael caught my eye while recruiting in France. One particular moment in match he was out of position off the tee but then hit a heroic shot followed by draining a long putt to win the hole" added Armen Kirakossian. "He plays until the last putt drops and does it with a calm confident style and smooth swing. Michael Mjaaseth is a name most haven't heard about in the U.S., but I assure you they will soon."
"We noticed his name and results, followed him a little bit but the very first time we saw him play was in Paris France," notes Coach Thurmond. "Armon was watching the European boys team championship and Micheal was playing for Norway. Armon fell in love with his confidence and his comfort ability and smooth swing and he told me I had to make sure I watch him play."
"So a couple weeks later I was in the Czech Republic for the European Young Masters mostly watching another player but I remember the first moment I saw Micheal. He was with his group from Norway, he was walking to the first tee, he was in the middle, he was walking confidently and comfortably smiling while talking with a group. He had such great poise and then I saw him tee off the first hole -- a beautiful smooth swing, powerful and smooth. It was just awesome and we knew it was a guy we wanted to recruit."
"He exudes maturity and poise he makes you feel that he is someone you can count on as a teammate. We are so thrilled he is a Sun Devil."