Sun Devil freshman Wenyi Ding -- who earned both Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year -- has earned first-team PING All-America honors as announced by the GCAA in partnership with Golf Channel. 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.
WHAT A YEAR
Ding 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.
MEN'S GOLF PING FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
Luke Clanton, Florida State
Wenyi Ding, Arizona State
Mats Ege, East Tennessee State
Nick Gabrelcik, North Florida
Ben James, Virginia
Jackson Koivun, Auburn
Christo Lamprecht, Georgia Tech
Gordon Sargent, Vanderbilt
Hiroshi Tai, Georgia Tech
Michael Thorbjornsen, Stanford
Brendan Valdes, Auburn
FRESHMAN WENYI DING 2023-24 ROUND-BY-ROUND
National Invitational (Jan. 29-30, 2024/Omni National Golf Club) 65-67-67=199/-17/2
Amer Ari Invitational (Feb. 8-10, 2024/Mauna Lani North Course) 63-64-62=189/-27/1
Southern Highlands Collegiate (Feb. 25-27, 2024/Southern Highlands Club) 75-76-72=223/+7/T46
Cabo Collegiate Invitational (Mar. 3-5, 2024/Twin Dolphin Golf Club) 70-72-68=210/-3/T10
Valspar Collegiate Invitational (Mar. 25-26, 2024/Floridian Golf Club) 72-65-68=205/-8/4
Thunderbird Collegiate (Apr. 12-13, 2024/Papago Golf Course) 69-67-68=204/-9/T3
2024 Pac-12 Men's Golf Championships (Apr. 26-28, 2024/Desert Forest Golf Club) 70-71-70-77=288/+4/T6 of 72
2024 NCAA Rancho Santa Fe Regional (May 13-15, 2024/The Farms Golf Club) 71-75-75=221/+11/T42 of 72
8 TOURNAMENT/25 ROUNDS/69.56 STROKE AVERAGE/1,739 TOTAL STROKES
WENYI DING BEST ROUNDS OF 2023-24
62/-10 at Amer Ari Invitational Third Round/Feb. 10, 2024
63/-9 at Amer Ari Invitational First Round/Feb. 8, 2024
64/-8 at Amer Ari Invitational Second Round/Feb. 9, 2024
65/-7 at National Invitational First Round/Jan. 29, 2024
UNDER COACH THURMOND
He is the ninth Sun Devil to earn All-America honors (13 times) in Matt Thurmond's eight seasons, and the third to earn first-team honors in that span, joining Preston Summerhays (2023) and Chun An Yu (2019).
ARIZONA STATE MEN'S GOLF ALL-AMERICANS UNDER MATT THURMOND
2024: Wenyi Ding (first)
2023: Preston Summerhays (first)
2022: Mason Andersen (third), Josele Ballester (hm), David Puig (hm), Cameron Sisk (hm)
2021: David Puig (second), Chun An Yu (third), Ryggs Johnston (third), Cameron Sisk (hm)
2020: Cameron Sisk (third)
2019: Chun An Yu (first)
2017: Jared du Toit (second)
ARIZONA STATE MEN'S GOLF FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
2024: Wenyi Ding
2023: Preston Summerhays
2019: Chun An Yu
2016: Jon Rahm
2015: Jon Rahm, Max Rottluff
2007: Niklas Lemke
2006: Alejandro Canizares
2003: Alejandro Canizares
2001: Matt Jones
2000: Paul Casey
1997: Chris Hanell, Scott Johnson
1994: Todd Demsey
1993: Todd Demsey
1992: Phil Mickelson
1991: Phil Mickelson
1990: Phil Mickelson
1989: Phil Mickelson
1988: Billy Mayfair
1987: Billy Mayfair
1983: Jim Carter
1979: Scott Watkins
1977: Lee Mikles
1972: Howard Twitty
1970: Howard Twitty
1968: Mike Morley
1966: George Boutell
WHO HAD DONE PAC-12 THING BEFORE?
Ding is the third to sweep the Pac-12 Player and Freshman of the Year awards in the same season, joining UCLA's Patrick Cantlay in 2011 and USC's Jamie Lovemark in 2007.
HOW MANY TIMES HAS A SPARKY DUDE DONE THIS?
Wenyi Ding is the 11th different Sun Devil to earn Conference Golfer of the Year, but the first since Niklas Lemke was co-recipient with Lovemark in 2007. However, he is the fifth consecutive Sun Devil and seventh all-time ASU recipient of the league's Freshman of the Year honor.
SUN DEVILS TO WIN PAC-12 MEN'S GOLFER OF THE YEAR
Wenyi Ding, 2024
Niklas Lemke, 2007 (co-winner with USC's Jamie Lovemark)
Alejandro Canizares, 2006 (co-winner with Stanford's Rob Grube)
Alejandro Canizares, 2005
Jeff Quinney, 2001 (co-winner with Arizona's Ricky Barnes)
Paul Casey, 2000
Chris Hanell, 1997
Todd Demsey, 1994
Phil Mickelson, 1992
Phil Mickelson, 1991
Phil Mickelson, 1990
Billy Mayfair, 1987
Dan Forsman, 1981 (co-winner with USC's Ron Commans)
Scott Watkins, 1979 (co-winner with UCLA's Corey Pavin)
SUN DEVIL TO WIN PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR (STARTED IN 1999)
Wenyi Ding, 2024
Michael Mjaaseth, 2023
Preston Summerhays, 2022
David Puig, 2021 (Newcomer of the Year)
Cameron Sisk, 2019
Jon Rahm, 2013
Alejandro Canizares, 2003 (shared with Cal's Michael Wilson)
WHAT A YEAR
Ding 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.
MEN'S GOLF PING FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
Luke Clanton, Florida State
Wenyi Ding, Arizona State
Mats Ege, East Tennessee State
Nick Gabrelcik, North Florida
Ben James, Virginia
Jackson Koivun, Auburn
Christo Lamprecht, Georgia Tech
Gordon Sargent, Vanderbilt
Hiroshi Tai, Georgia Tech
Michael Thorbjornsen, Stanford
Brendan Valdes, Auburn
FRESHMAN WENYI DING 2023-24 ROUND-BY-ROUND
National Invitational (Jan. 29-30, 2024/Omni National Golf Club) 65-67-67=199/-17/2
Amer Ari Invitational (Feb. 8-10, 2024/Mauna Lani North Course) 63-64-62=189/-27/1
Southern Highlands Collegiate (Feb. 25-27, 2024/Southern Highlands Club) 75-76-72=223/+7/T46
Cabo Collegiate Invitational (Mar. 3-5, 2024/Twin Dolphin Golf Club) 70-72-68=210/-3/T10
Valspar Collegiate Invitational (Mar. 25-26, 2024/Floridian Golf Club) 72-65-68=205/-8/4
Thunderbird Collegiate (Apr. 12-13, 2024/Papago Golf Course) 69-67-68=204/-9/T3
2024 Pac-12 Men's Golf Championships (Apr. 26-28, 2024/Desert Forest Golf Club) 70-71-70-77=288/+4/T6 of 72
2024 NCAA Rancho Santa Fe Regional (May 13-15, 2024/The Farms Golf Club) 71-75-75=221/+11/T42 of 72
8 TOURNAMENT/25 ROUNDS/69.56 STROKE AVERAGE/1,739 TOTAL STROKES
WENYI DING BEST ROUNDS OF 2023-24
62/-10 at Amer Ari Invitational Third Round/Feb. 10, 2024
63/-9 at Amer Ari Invitational First Round/Feb. 8, 2024
64/-8 at Amer Ari Invitational Second Round/Feb. 9, 2024
65/-7 at National Invitational First Round/Jan. 29, 2024
UNDER COACH THURMOND
He is the ninth Sun Devil to earn All-America honors (13 times) in Matt Thurmond's eight seasons, and the third to earn first-team honors in that span, joining Preston Summerhays (2023) and Chun An Yu (2019).
ARIZONA STATE MEN'S GOLF ALL-AMERICANS UNDER MATT THURMOND
2024: Wenyi Ding (first)
2023: Preston Summerhays (first)
2022: Mason Andersen (third), Josele Ballester (hm), David Puig (hm), Cameron Sisk (hm)
2021: David Puig (second), Chun An Yu (third), Ryggs Johnston (third), Cameron Sisk (hm)
2020: Cameron Sisk (third)
2019: Chun An Yu (first)
2017: Jared du Toit (second)
ARIZONA STATE MEN'S GOLF FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICANS
2024: Wenyi Ding
2023: Preston Summerhays
2019: Chun An Yu
2016: Jon Rahm
2015: Jon Rahm, Max Rottluff
2007: Niklas Lemke
2006: Alejandro Canizares
2003: Alejandro Canizares
2001: Matt Jones
2000: Paul Casey
1997: Chris Hanell, Scott Johnson
1994: Todd Demsey
1993: Todd Demsey
1992: Phil Mickelson
1991: Phil Mickelson
1990: Phil Mickelson
1989: Phil Mickelson
1988: Billy Mayfair
1987: Billy Mayfair
1983: Jim Carter
1979: Scott Watkins
1977: Lee Mikles
1972: Howard Twitty
1970: Howard Twitty
1968: Mike Morley
1966: George Boutell
WHO HAD DONE PAC-12 THING BEFORE?
Ding is the third to sweep the Pac-12 Player and Freshman of the Year awards in the same season, joining UCLA's Patrick Cantlay in 2011 and USC's Jamie Lovemark in 2007.
HOW MANY TIMES HAS A SPARKY DUDE DONE THIS?
Wenyi Ding is the 11th different Sun Devil to earn Conference Golfer of the Year, but the first since Niklas Lemke was co-recipient with Lovemark in 2007. However, he is the fifth consecutive Sun Devil and seventh all-time ASU recipient of the league's Freshman of the Year honor.
SUN DEVILS TO WIN PAC-12 MEN'S GOLFER OF THE YEAR
Wenyi Ding, 2024
Niklas Lemke, 2007 (co-winner with USC's Jamie Lovemark)
Alejandro Canizares, 2006 (co-winner with Stanford's Rob Grube)
Alejandro Canizares, 2005
Jeff Quinney, 2001 (co-winner with Arizona's Ricky Barnes)
Paul Casey, 2000
Chris Hanell, 1997
Todd Demsey, 1994
Phil Mickelson, 1992
Phil Mickelson, 1991
Phil Mickelson, 1990
Billy Mayfair, 1987
Dan Forsman, 1981 (co-winner with USC's Ron Commans)
Scott Watkins, 1979 (co-winner with UCLA's Corey Pavin)
SUN DEVIL TO WIN PAC-12 FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR (STARTED IN 1999)
Wenyi Ding, 2024
Michael Mjaaseth, 2023
Preston Summerhays, 2022
David Puig, 2021 (Newcomer of the Year)
Cameron Sisk, 2019
Jon Rahm, 2013
Alejandro Canizares, 2003 (shared with Cal's Michael Wilson)