Papago Party, Men's Golf Defends Thunderbird Collegiate

After a two-week tournament break, the Arizona State men's golf squad stays local to compete in the Thunderbird Collegiate April 12-13 at Papago Golf Course in Phoenix. Both the team and individual winners of the tournament were Arizona State last year as they look to defend their titles. Tee times for Friday start at 6:45 a.m. AZT.

THE WAGR RANKINGS
Three Sun Devils are in the recent top-20 World Amateur Golf Rankings, led by Wenyi Ding (7), Preston Summerhays (10), and Josele Ballester (17). 

SUN DEVIL TOP 100 WAGR RANKINGS (APR. 9, 2024)
7 - Wenyi Ding
10 - Preston Summerhays
17 - Josele Ballester
54 - Luke Potter
70 - Michael Mjaaseth
86 - Ryggs Johnston

THE COMPETITION
The field for the tournament includes Arizona State, Washington, Arizona, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Oklahoma State, UCLA, SMU, Baylor, Utah, Washington State, Houston, Oregon State, Colorado, San Francisco, and USC.

OUR TOURNAMENT HISTORY HERE
Last season, the Sun Devils took home hardware after the 2023 Thunderbird Collegiate ended with a team and individual winner. The team finished 28-under while Preston Summerhays took the individual title with a 13-under, 200. 

LAST TIME OUT
ASU took third place at the Valspar Collegiate, finishing 10-under (842) after three rounds of play. Three Sun Devils had three top 10 finishes at the tournament, Wenyi Ding finished tied for fourth at 8-under, Ryggs Johnston tied for sixth at 4-under, and Connor Williams finished tied for eighth at 3-under. 

ABOUT THE COURSE – WHAT THEY WROTE
Nestled in the heart of Papago Park, surrounded by the Arizona desert's natural beauty and framed by the stunning Papago Buttes, Papago is a golfing haven in Arizona just under two miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Conveniently situated where Phoenix, Tempe, and Scottsdale meet, it's a prime spot for golf enthusiasts. The course was created by William Francis (Billy) Bell, the genius behind San Diego's famed Torrey Pines.

LAST YEAR'S WIN
Preston Summerhays combined consistency with clutch putts on the back-nine to win the individual and team titles at the 2023 Thunderbird Collegiate for No. 4/5 Arizona State Men's Golf. The list of past Sun Devils to win the Thunderbird Invitational includes PGA Tour major champions – including the most recent Masters Champion Jon Rahm – US Amateur Champions, and a handful of NCAA champions. That list now includes Scottsdale native Preston Summerhays. 

SUN DEVIL INDIVIDUAL THUNDERBIRD COLLEGIATE WINNERS
Preston Summerhays - 2023
James Leow - 2022
Chun An Yu - 2019
Jon Rahm - 2016, 2015, 2014
Stephan Gross - 2009 (co-medalist)
Alejandro Canizares - 2003
Paul Casey - 2001
Jeff Quinney - 2000
Todd Demsey - 1995
Larry Barber - 1994
Phil Mickelson - 1992, 1991
Jim Carter - 1984
Mark Sollenberger - 1974

Summerhays finished the round five-under, including birdies on the final two holes, to give the Sun Devils (264-281-279=824/-28) a one-stroke victory over the University of Arizona. He started his back-nine with a birdie on 10 combined with an Arizona bogey, helping shift the momentum with the Sun Devils. He finished the tournament at -13 (66-68-66=200/-13) and was one of two golfers in the field to shoot below a 70 in each of the three rounds in the tournament. He needed a mere 30-strokes on the back-nine.

"With everyone watching, you need someone to step up on the back-nine and Preston did," said Head Coach Matt Thurmond. "With everyone watching and following that group, we made the clutch putts at the end. It felt like everything was going Arizona's way early but I just tried to keep my energy up and make sure they knew we still had a chance."

ASU trailed by as many as seven strokes on the back-nine. They caught fire with 15 team birdies, including five from Summerhays and four from Michael Mjaaseth. The Sun Devils headed into the final hole tied with Arizona after Summerhays hit a 20-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole. After an immaculate drive and approach shot to the 18th green, Summerhays secured with his second birdie in as many holes. 

"I got off to a pretty slow start, even through nine, but got it going on the back," said Summerhays, "This event is going to play a big role in the events coming up. We've been good but haven't gotten our wins yet. I think we're peaking at the right time.

The clutch putt from Summerhays gave Sun Devil Men's golf its first Thunderbird Collegiate Invitational first place team finish since 2019. It also marked the second straight year that ASU has won the individual title at its home event.

It's the 18th team medal under head coach Matt Thurmond and the fourth Thunderbird Collegiate win under Thurmond. Josele Ballester finished tied for seventh after shooting a six-under for the tournament (64,72,71=207/-6). Mjaaseth finished the tournament tied for 12th place after shooting four-under for the tournament (65-74-70=209/-4). He birdied three of his last five holes, including a birdie on 18 that knotted the team score at 28-under.

2024 THUNDERBIRD COLLEGIATE
APRIL 12-13, 2024
PAPAGO GOLF COURSE
PAR-71/7,551 YARDS
Arizona State
Washington
Arizona
Texas Tech
Oklahoma
New Mexico
Oklahoma State
UCLA
SMU
Baylor
Utah
Washington State
Houston
Oregon State
Colorado
San Francisco
USC