Sun Devil men's golf head coach Matt Thurmond is coaching Team USA at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup held July 5-7 at Lahinch Golf Club in Lahinch, Ireland.
He won't be the only Sun Devil hanging out in Ireland. Arizona State, coming off a 2024 Pac-12 title, has the most selections by school with three. Preston Summerhays will be representing Team USA while Wenyi Ding and Josele Ballester will be competing for the international squad.
ABOUT THE PALMER CUP
The Ryder Cup style competition features the best men's and women's collegiate golfers against their international counterparts in an event that's been played annually since 1997, with the addition of the women's competition in 2018. Team USA leads the all-time series 14-12-1.
FRESHMAN WENYI DING TAP-INS
Sun Devil freshman Wenyi Ding -- who earned both Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year -- earned first-team PING All-America honors as announced by the GCAA. Ding and Auburn's Jackson Koivun were the only freshman on the 11-man team, and he is just the fifth Sun Devil to earn first-team All-America in the past 17 seasons. He joins Preston Summerhays (2023), Chun An Yu (2019), Jon Rahm (2016 and 2015) and Max Rotluff (2015). He is the first Sun Devil freshman to earn first-team honors since Alejandro Canizares in 2003. He was the first Sun Devil to win both Pac-12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year and finished the year ranked third by Scoreboard/Clippd with a 69.56 stroke average. He notched six top-10 and four top-five finishes in eight tournaments, including a ridiculous victory at the Amer Ari Invitational in just his second event. He posted a 27-under 189 (63-64-62), the first collegiate golfer to break 190, and helped ASU to a trio of tournament titles this spring, including its first Pac-12 Championship since 2008. He posted 12 rounds in the 60s and 16 of his 25 rounds were at par or better.
PRESTON SUMMERHAYS TAP-INS
Summerhays notched PING GCAA All-American third-team honors in 2023-24 after earning first-team All-America 2022-23. He started the year with a win in the 72-player field at the Sahalee Players Championship in September and also has won back-to-back ASU Thunderbird Collegiate titles in 2023 and 2024, to go with top-10 finishes this year at the National Invitational in Tucson and the Cabo Collegiate (third). His season-best was a 6-under 66 at the National Invitational in the first round on Jan. 29, 2024, while his career low is a 10-under 62 at the 2023 NCAA Las Vegas Regional in the first round on May 15.
PRESTON SUMMERHAYS CAREER STATS
37 TOURNAMENTS
112 ROUNDS
71.85 STROKE AVERAGE
2,431 STROKES
43 ROUNDS IN 60S
JOSELE BALLESTER TAP-INS
Ballestter has now earned honorable mention All-America honors in each of his first three seasons, as in 2023-24 he had a 71.05 stroke average in 12 tournaments (36 rounds) that included four top-10 finishes. In 2022-23, he tied for fifth out of 72 at the Las Vegas Regional with a 15-under 201, tied for seventh out of 80 at the Thunderbird Collegiate and tied for fourth out of 45 at The Calusa Cup.
JOSELE BALLESTER CAREER BEST ROUNDS
64/-6 at Pac-12 Championships first round/April 28, 2023
64/-6 at Maui Jim Intercollegiate second round/Sept. 10, 2022
64/-7 at Thunderbird Collegiate first round/April 14, 2023
JOSELE BALLESTER CAREER STATS
33 TOURNAMENTS
100 ROUNDS
70.89 STROKE AVERAGE
7,089 STROKES
32 ROUNDS IN 60s
He won't be the only Sun Devil hanging out in Ireland. Arizona State, coming off a 2024 Pac-12 title, has the most selections by school with three. Preston Summerhays will be representing Team USA while Wenyi Ding and Josele Ballester will be competing for the international squad.
ABOUT THE PALMER CUP
The Ryder Cup style competition features the best men's and women's collegiate golfers against their international counterparts in an event that's been played annually since 1997, with the addition of the women's competition in 2018. Team USA leads the all-time series 14-12-1.
FRESHMAN WENYI DING TAP-INS
Sun Devil freshman Wenyi Ding -- who earned both Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year -- earned first-team PING All-America honors as announced by the GCAA. Ding and Auburn's Jackson Koivun were the only freshman on the 11-man team, and he is just the fifth Sun Devil to earn first-team All-America in the past 17 seasons. He joins Preston Summerhays (2023), Chun An Yu (2019), Jon Rahm (2016 and 2015) and Max Rotluff (2015). He is the first Sun Devil freshman to earn first-team honors since Alejandro Canizares in 2003. He was the first Sun Devil to win both Pac-12 Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year and finished the year ranked third by Scoreboard/Clippd with a 69.56 stroke average. He notched six top-10 and four top-five finishes in eight tournaments, including a ridiculous victory at the Amer Ari Invitational in just his second event. He posted a 27-under 189 (63-64-62), the first collegiate golfer to break 190, and helped ASU to a trio of tournament titles this spring, including its first Pac-12 Championship since 2008. He posted 12 rounds in the 60s and 16 of his 25 rounds were at par or better.
PRESTON SUMMERHAYS TAP-INS
Summerhays notched PING GCAA All-American third-team honors in 2023-24 after earning first-team All-America 2022-23. He started the year with a win in the 72-player field at the Sahalee Players Championship in September and also has won back-to-back ASU Thunderbird Collegiate titles in 2023 and 2024, to go with top-10 finishes this year at the National Invitational in Tucson and the Cabo Collegiate (third). His season-best was a 6-under 66 at the National Invitational in the first round on Jan. 29, 2024, while his career low is a 10-under 62 at the 2023 NCAA Las Vegas Regional in the first round on May 15.
PRESTON SUMMERHAYS CAREER STATS
37 TOURNAMENTS
112 ROUNDS
71.85 STROKE AVERAGE
2,431 STROKES
43 ROUNDS IN 60S
JOSELE BALLESTER TAP-INS
Ballestter has now earned honorable mention All-America honors in each of his first three seasons, as in 2023-24 he had a 71.05 stroke average in 12 tournaments (36 rounds) that included four top-10 finishes. In 2022-23, he tied for fifth out of 72 at the Las Vegas Regional with a 15-under 201, tied for seventh out of 80 at the Thunderbird Collegiate and tied for fourth out of 45 at The Calusa Cup.
JOSELE BALLESTER CAREER BEST ROUNDS
64/-6 at Pac-12 Championships first round/April 28, 2023
64/-6 at Maui Jim Intercollegiate second round/Sept. 10, 2022
64/-7 at Thunderbird Collegiate first round/April 14, 2023
JOSELE BALLESTER CAREER STATS
33 TOURNAMENTS
100 ROUNDS
70.89 STROKE AVERAGE
7,089 STROKES
32 ROUNDS IN 60s