The Sun Devil men's golf team is playing very well as a team in Hawaii.
But it is hard not to talk about freshman Wenyi Ding's first five collegiate rounds.
Ding followed up his bogey-free first round 9-under 63 Thursday at the Amer Ari Invitational with an 8-under 64 Friday and leads the 124-player field heading into the final round Saturday. He is 34-under in his first five collegiate rounds and is three shots clear of Finn Koelle of Washington, who is at 14-under 130 (66-64), as Ding is at 17-under 127.
Ding, the 2022 US Junior Amateur champion who joined the team after the 2023 fall semester and earned Pac-12 Golfer of the Week after one event, shot a 17-under par 199 (65-67-67) at the National Invitational in Tucson Jan. 29-30. He has 16 birdies and one eagle and just one bogey.
The second-place Sun Devils are three shots back of North Carolina, as ASU is at 43-under 533 (265-268) and tied with Texas Tech.
WHAT IS ON THE TABLE
ASU is on pace for its best three-round tournament in the Golfstat era, as Matt Thurmond's squad shot 59-under 805 in winning the 2023 NCAA Regional, in Las Vegas. That is ASU's only 40-under tournament outside of Arizona. ASU shot 49-under just a few weeks back in Tucson.
TEAM BEST VS. PAR THREE-ROUND TOURNAMENT SCORE (1993-94 TO PRESENT)
-59/805, 2023 NCAA Regional, Las Vegas
-50/814, 2018 National Invitational
-49/815, 2024 National Invitational
-43/821, 2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational
-41/811, 2017 ASU Thunderbird Invitational
WHAT IS ON THE TABLE FOR DING
Jon Rahm has the school record with a 21-under 192 in the 2014 ASU Thunderbird Invitational. Ding is one of six Sun Devils to have shot at least 16-under on eight occasions. Jon Rahm and Alex del Rey are the only pair to have done it twice. LOWEST 54-HOLE TOURNAMENT FINAL SCORES (16-UNDER OR BETTER) 192/-21, Jon Rahm, 2014 ASU Thunderbird Invitational 197/-19, Preston Summerhays 2023 NCAA Regional, Las Vegas 198/-18, Benjamin Alvarado, 2007 NCAA West Regional 199/-17, Wenyi Ding, 2024 National Invitational Tournament 199/-17, Alex del Rey, 2019 National Invitational Tournament 199/-17, Chun An Yu, 2017 National Invitational Tournament 197/-16, Alex del Rey, 2019 Trinity Forest Invitational 197/-16, Jon Rahm, 2015 Alister MacKenzie Invitaional (note: scores are for the Golfstat era, starting in 1993-94)
LOWEST SUN DEVIL ROUNDS (9-UNDER OR BETTER/1993-94 TO PRESENT)
60/-10, Paul Casey, 1999 Pac-10 Championship (fourth round)
62/-10, Preston Summerhays, 2023 NCAA Las Vegas Regional (first round)
62/-10, Jeff Quinney, 1999 ASU Thunderbird Invitational (third round)
61/-9, Jon Rahm, 2013 NCAA Championship (first round)
62/-9, Jon Rahm, 2014 ASU Thunderbird Invitational (first round)
63/-9, Wenyi Ding, 2024 Amer Ari Invitational (first round)
63/-9, Blake Wagoner, 2021 Amer Ari Intercollegiate (first round)
63/-9, Chun An Yu, 2018 National Invitational (first round)
63/-9, Kendall Critchfield, 2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational (first round)
63/-9, Max Rottluff, 2015 ASU Thunderbird Invitational (second round)
BEST TEAM ROUNDS VS. PAR (1993-94 TO PRESENT)
-26/2023 NCAA Las Vegas Regional -- 262 in first round
-25/2019 National Invitational Tournament -- 263 in second round
-23/2024 Amer Ari Invitational -- 265 in first round
-23/2022 Maui Jim Intercollegiate -- 257 second round
-21/2018 National Invitational Tournament -- 267 in first round
LOWEST SUN DEVIL ROUNDS (9-UNDER OR BETTER/1993-94 TO PRESENT) OUTSIDE OF ARIZONA
60/-10, Paul Casey, 1999 Pac-10 Championship (fourth round)
62/-10, Preston Summerhays, 2023 NCAA Las Vegas Regional (first round)
61/-9, Jon Rahm, 2013 NCAA Championship (first round)
63/-9, Wenyi Ding, 2024 Amer Ari Invitational (first round)
63/-9, Blake Wagoner, 2021 Amer Ari Intercollegiate (first round)
THE WAGR RANKINGS
Three Sun Devils are in the recent top-20 World Amateur Golf Rankings, led by Preston Summerhays (9), Wenyi Ding (13) and Josele Ballester (18). Ding is the most recent winner of the Pac-12 Player of thee Week.
SUN DEVIL TOP-100 WAGR RANKINGS (FEB. 1, 2024)
9 - Preston Summerhays
13 - Wenyi Ding
18 - Josele Ballester
61 - Michael Mjaaseth
OUR TOURNAMENT HISTORY HERE
The Sun Devils finished third and Mason Andersen was third at the 2022 Amer Ari. The team carded a 268-273-281=822/-42 while Anderson fired a 16-under 200 (65-69-66). ASU has won the team title of the Amri Ari Invitational three times (2021, 2015 and 1995) while four Sun Devils have earned the individual title: David Puig (2021), Jesper Kennegard (2009), Chris Hanell (1996) and Todd Dempsey (1994). The tournament was canceled last year due to terrible and unplayable winds.
LAST TIME OUT
The Sun Devils finished third at 49-under 815 at the National Invitational in Tucson, the third-best mark vs. par in the Golfstat era. Freshman Wenyi Ding came up one stroke short in his bid to win his first collegiate tournament, as he finished at 17-under 199 (65-67-67) just behind BYU's Zac Jones who shot 18-under 198 (65-69-64).
TEAM BEST VS. PAR THREE-ROUND TOURNAMENT SCORE (1993-94 TO PRESENT)
-59/805, 2023 NCAA Regional, Las Vegas
-50/814, 2018 National Invitational
-49/815, 2024 National Invitational
-43/821, 2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational
-41/811, 2017 ASU Thunderbird Invitational
THE COMPETITION
The tournament features some of the best collegiate golfers with a total of 18 Division I programs. Schools competing include No. 1 Auburn, No. 2 North Carolina, No. 4 Washington, No. 11 Georgia Tech, No. 12 Florida State, No. 16 Texas, No. 18 Oregon, No. 22 Texas Tech, No. 31 UCLA, No. 42 Oklahoma State, No. 46 Oregon State, No. 49 San Jose State, No. 77 Pepperdine, No. 86 Stanford, No. 105 UC Davis, No. 140 UH Manoa, No. 163 Pacific, Osaka Gakuin (Japan) and the home team Hawai'i Hilo Vulcans.
ABOUT THE COURSE
The North Course represents the quintessential golf experience on the Island of Hawaii. Built on a lava bed, the North is characterized by 18 holes of rolling terrain punctuated by Kiawe (mesquite) forests. A 230-acre protected archaeological district lies on the northern boundary of the golf course. No.17, a par three tucked into a natural lava amphitheater, is the resort's signature hole and a favorite "I was here" photo spot. This course has become one of the most popular tournament venues on the Island.
AMER ARI INTERCOLLEGIATE
FEB. 8-10, 2024
PAR 72/6,913 YARDS
MAUNA LANI NORTH COURSE
NORTH COURSE
KOHALA COAST, HAWAII
TEAMS (20)
North Carolina 262-268=530/-46
Auburn 272-261=533/-43
Arizona State 265-268=533/-43
Washington 276-262=538/-38
Texas Tech 267-272=539/-37
Oklahoma State 270-274=544/-32
Stanford 277-272=549/-27
Georgia Tech 276-273=549/-27
Pepperdine 274-276=550/-26
UCLA 278-274=552/-24
Oregon State 278-274=552/-24
Florida State 273-280=553/-23
Pacific 279-274=553/-23
Oregon 277-279=556/-20
San Jose State 281-278=559/-17
Hawaii 285-280=565/-11
Texas 281-285=566/-10
UC Davis 291-285=576/E
Hawaii Hilo 289-294=583/+7
Osaka Gakuin 290-297=587/+11
LEADER AND SUN DEVIL INDIVIDUALS (124 SWINGERS)
1. Wenyi Ding 63-64=127/-17
T2. Jackson Koivun, Auburn 67-63=130/-14
T2. Finn Koelle, Washington 66-64=130/-14
T3. Mattthew Comegys, Texas Tech 63-68=131/-13
T6. Josele Ballester 67-66=133/-11
T23. Connor Williams 66-70=136/-8
T32. Michael Mjaaseth 69-68=137/-7
T71. Preston Summerhays 71-71=142/-2
But it is hard not to talk about freshman Wenyi Ding's first five collegiate rounds.
Ding followed up his bogey-free first round 9-under 63 Thursday at the Amer Ari Invitational with an 8-under 64 Friday and leads the 124-player field heading into the final round Saturday. He is 34-under in his first five collegiate rounds and is three shots clear of Finn Koelle of Washington, who is at 14-under 130 (66-64), as Ding is at 17-under 127.
Ding, the 2022 US Junior Amateur champion who joined the team after the 2023 fall semester and earned Pac-12 Golfer of the Week after one event, shot a 17-under par 199 (65-67-67) at the National Invitational in Tucson Jan. 29-30. He has 16 birdies and one eagle and just one bogey.
The second-place Sun Devils are three shots back of North Carolina, as ASU is at 43-under 533 (265-268) and tied with Texas Tech.
WHAT IS ON THE TABLE
ASU is on pace for its best three-round tournament in the Golfstat era, as Matt Thurmond's squad shot 59-under 805 in winning the 2023 NCAA Regional, in Las Vegas. That is ASU's only 40-under tournament outside of Arizona. ASU shot 49-under just a few weeks back in Tucson.
TEAM BEST VS. PAR THREE-ROUND TOURNAMENT SCORE (1993-94 TO PRESENT)
-59/805, 2023 NCAA Regional, Las Vegas
-50/814, 2018 National Invitational
-49/815, 2024 National Invitational
-43/821, 2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational
-41/811, 2017 ASU Thunderbird Invitational
WHAT IS ON THE TABLE FOR DING
Jon Rahm has the school record with a 21-under 192 in the 2014 ASU Thunderbird Invitational. Ding is one of six Sun Devils to have shot at least 16-under on eight occasions. Jon Rahm and Alex del Rey are the only pair to have done it twice. LOWEST 54-HOLE TOURNAMENT FINAL SCORES (16-UNDER OR BETTER) 192/-21, Jon Rahm, 2014 ASU Thunderbird Invitational 197/-19, Preston Summerhays 2023 NCAA Regional, Las Vegas 198/-18, Benjamin Alvarado, 2007 NCAA West Regional 199/-17, Wenyi Ding, 2024 National Invitational Tournament 199/-17, Alex del Rey, 2019 National Invitational Tournament 199/-17, Chun An Yu, 2017 National Invitational Tournament 197/-16, Alex del Rey, 2019 Trinity Forest Invitational 197/-16, Jon Rahm, 2015 Alister MacKenzie Invitaional (note: scores are for the Golfstat era, starting in 1993-94)
LOWEST SUN DEVIL ROUNDS (9-UNDER OR BETTER/1993-94 TO PRESENT)
60/-10, Paul Casey, 1999 Pac-10 Championship (fourth round)
62/-10, Preston Summerhays, 2023 NCAA Las Vegas Regional (first round)
62/-10, Jeff Quinney, 1999 ASU Thunderbird Invitational (third round)
61/-9, Jon Rahm, 2013 NCAA Championship (first round)
62/-9, Jon Rahm, 2014 ASU Thunderbird Invitational (first round)
63/-9, Wenyi Ding, 2024 Amer Ari Invitational (first round)
63/-9, Blake Wagoner, 2021 Amer Ari Intercollegiate (first round)
63/-9, Chun An Yu, 2018 National Invitational (first round)
63/-9, Kendall Critchfield, 2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational (first round)
63/-9, Max Rottluff, 2015 ASU Thunderbird Invitational (second round)
BEST TEAM ROUNDS VS. PAR (1993-94 TO PRESENT)
-26/2023 NCAA Las Vegas Regional -- 262 in first round
-25/2019 National Invitational Tournament -- 263 in second round
-23/2024 Amer Ari Invitational -- 265 in first round
-23/2022 Maui Jim Intercollegiate -- 257 second round
-21/2018 National Invitational Tournament -- 267 in first round
LOWEST SUN DEVIL ROUNDS (9-UNDER OR BETTER/1993-94 TO PRESENT) OUTSIDE OF ARIZONA
60/-10, Paul Casey, 1999 Pac-10 Championship (fourth round)
62/-10, Preston Summerhays, 2023 NCAA Las Vegas Regional (first round)
61/-9, Jon Rahm, 2013 NCAA Championship (first round)
63/-9, Wenyi Ding, 2024 Amer Ari Invitational (first round)
63/-9, Blake Wagoner, 2021 Amer Ari Intercollegiate (first round)
THE WAGR RANKINGS
Three Sun Devils are in the recent top-20 World Amateur Golf Rankings, led by Preston Summerhays (9), Wenyi Ding (13) and Josele Ballester (18). Ding is the most recent winner of the Pac-12 Player of thee Week.
SUN DEVIL TOP-100 WAGR RANKINGS (FEB. 1, 2024)
9 - Preston Summerhays
13 - Wenyi Ding
18 - Josele Ballester
61 - Michael Mjaaseth
OUR TOURNAMENT HISTORY HERE
The Sun Devils finished third and Mason Andersen was third at the 2022 Amer Ari. The team carded a 268-273-281=822/-42 while Anderson fired a 16-under 200 (65-69-66). ASU has won the team title of the Amri Ari Invitational three times (2021, 2015 and 1995) while four Sun Devils have earned the individual title: David Puig (2021), Jesper Kennegard (2009), Chris Hanell (1996) and Todd Dempsey (1994). The tournament was canceled last year due to terrible and unplayable winds.
LAST TIME OUT
The Sun Devils finished third at 49-under 815 at the National Invitational in Tucson, the third-best mark vs. par in the Golfstat era. Freshman Wenyi Ding came up one stroke short in his bid to win his first collegiate tournament, as he finished at 17-under 199 (65-67-67) just behind BYU's Zac Jones who shot 18-under 198 (65-69-64).
TEAM BEST VS. PAR THREE-ROUND TOURNAMENT SCORE (1993-94 TO PRESENT)
-59/805, 2023 NCAA Regional, Las Vegas
-50/814, 2018 National Invitational
-49/815, 2024 National Invitational
-43/821, 2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational
-41/811, 2017 ASU Thunderbird Invitational
THE COMPETITION
The tournament features some of the best collegiate golfers with a total of 18 Division I programs. Schools competing include No. 1 Auburn, No. 2 North Carolina, No. 4 Washington, No. 11 Georgia Tech, No. 12 Florida State, No. 16 Texas, No. 18 Oregon, No. 22 Texas Tech, No. 31 UCLA, No. 42 Oklahoma State, No. 46 Oregon State, No. 49 San Jose State, No. 77 Pepperdine, No. 86 Stanford, No. 105 UC Davis, No. 140 UH Manoa, No. 163 Pacific, Osaka Gakuin (Japan) and the home team Hawai'i Hilo Vulcans.
ABOUT THE COURSE
The North Course represents the quintessential golf experience on the Island of Hawaii. Built on a lava bed, the North is characterized by 18 holes of rolling terrain punctuated by Kiawe (mesquite) forests. A 230-acre protected archaeological district lies on the northern boundary of the golf course. No.17, a par three tucked into a natural lava amphitheater, is the resort's signature hole and a favorite "I was here" photo spot. This course has become one of the most popular tournament venues on the Island.
AMER ARI INTERCOLLEGIATE
FEB. 8-10, 2024
PAR 72/6,913 YARDS
MAUNA LANI NORTH COURSE
NORTH COURSE
KOHALA COAST, HAWAII
TEAMS (20)
North Carolina 262-268=530/-46
Auburn 272-261=533/-43
Arizona State 265-268=533/-43
Washington 276-262=538/-38
Texas Tech 267-272=539/-37
Oklahoma State 270-274=544/-32
Stanford 277-272=549/-27
Georgia Tech 276-273=549/-27
Pepperdine 274-276=550/-26
UCLA 278-274=552/-24
Oregon State 278-274=552/-24
Florida State 273-280=553/-23
Pacific 279-274=553/-23
Oregon 277-279=556/-20
San Jose State 281-278=559/-17
Hawaii 285-280=565/-11
Texas 281-285=566/-10
UC Davis 291-285=576/E
Hawaii Hilo 289-294=583/+7
Osaka Gakuin 290-297=587/+11
LEADER AND SUN DEVIL INDIVIDUALS (124 SWINGERS)
1. Wenyi Ding 63-64=127/-17
T2. Jackson Koivun, Auburn 67-63=130/-14
T2. Finn Koelle, Washington 66-64=130/-14
T3. Mattthew Comegys, Texas Tech 63-68=131/-13
T6. Josele Ballester 67-66=133/-11
T23. Connor Williams 66-70=136/-8
T32. Michael Mjaaseth 69-68=137/-7
T71. Preston Summerhays 71-71=142/-2