What’s cooler than being cool?
Being the ice cube emoji on the Sun Devil Golf’s Instagram account.
On and off the course, Michael Mjaaseth (pronounced MY-AW-seth) is steady, solid, methodical and unemotional.
Coach Matt Thurmond simply calls him “ice cold.”
And heading into the Big 12 Championships, the four-year senior could be Arizona State’s most dangerous, under-the-radar weapon.
“I guess I’m not the most outspoken or flashy player,” Mjaaseth said when describing himself. “I don’t need to be in the spotlight. I’m not motivated to be a superstar in that sense.”
That mindset is exactly what Coach Thurmond values.
"Frankly, in the U.S., it’s whoever talks the loudest and whoever’s the funniest with the best one-liner that gets your attention,” he commented.
"Michael doesn’t believe in or care about that. When he opens his mouth, it’s to say something important. He’s thought about it, he means it, and he says it quietly. It’s refreshing to be around a player who does not need or want any attention.”
The two-time All-American prefers to let his game do the talking. His results back it up.
And, to cap off his junior season, he tied for third place at the Big 12s.
But wins and accolades aren’t what Mjaaseth values most.
"We have had so many tournament wins, and the wins are always fun. But it’s not always the result that counts,” he said.
“The best parts are the road trips and experiences along the way. It’s being in season, experiencing week-to-week life, forgetting about everything else and just focusing on the next goal.”
One more swing at a Big 12 title
That next goal is bringing home Arizona State’s next Big 12 Conference championship, and it should come as no surprise that Mjaaseth is entering the tournament with little fanfare.
He’s been here before.
"This is my fourth postseason, so it’s nothing new,” he said.
“But I only have three events left as a Sun Devil, so I’m closing in on the end. I’m just trying to enjoy these last couple of tournaments and soak everything in.”
Even after four years in the program, his composure continues to stand out.
“He is just so strong,” Coach Thurmond commented. “I joke around that he’s a 35-year-old in a 22-year-old’s body. He’s mature beyond his years. He’s just incredibly simple and honest in his approach. Self-directed, self-contained and self-responsible.”
Finding the game his own way
That independence traces back to his upbringing in Norway.
Mjaaseth didn’t grow up singularly focused on golf. He skied and played soccer before discovering the sport at a summer camp around age 10.
“I guess I had some type of talent for it because it was easier for me than the other kids,” he said.
That talent eventually landed Mjaaseth a spot on the Norwegian National team.
"The coaches took me under their wing and told me that I had something special they don’t see that often,” he recalled. “So that kind of gave me a little extra push to kind of work harder on my own time."
And that work truly was on his own time, as he noted how much he appreciates his parents being hands-off when it comes to golf.
"My parents are not that interested in golf and try not to be too involved in it. It’s just kind of nice sometimes,” he said.
"I think a lot of kids experience amounts of parental pressure to perform, and so many parents are so invested in their kids’ future and sport and career. I think kids kind of can sometimes feel overwhelmed, and I don’t think it’s necessary. It’s good that my parents always let me make decisions and pave my own path.”
The path to becoming a Sun Devil for Life
After meeting Coach Thurmond during a tournament in the Czech Republic, his path was starting to lead him to Tempe.
“I ended up winning that tournament, and that’s where our conversations started,” Mjaaseth recalled. “I was pretty gutted when they didn’t really have a spot for me on the team. But then a couple of months later, Coach Thurmond called me and said he had a spot for me, so I said let’s do it."
The rest, as they say, is history.
Now a senior majoring in political science, Mjaaseth reflects on his time at Arizona State with gratitude.
“I’m so lucky to get to be able to be part of a program like this. We’re spoiled with this facility and the ability to practice year-round, and there are only nine guys every year that get to do this,” he recognized.
“We’re really grateful for the support of the school and everybody who supports our program. We don’t take it for granted and know how fortunate we are to be in this position.”
That gratefulness is a two-way street.
“He’s been such a powerful, stable influence in our program,” Coach Thurmond said. "We have a team that’s very steady, disciplined, structured and full of quiet grinders, and he embodies that. I think our team has adopted that personality in many ways, and I appreciate that very much.”
With just a handful of tournaments left in his collegiate career, Mjaaseth isn’t chasing attention. He’s chasing one more title the same way he’s done everything else.
Quietly. Relentlessly, and with ice-cold confidence.