The No. 13 Sun Devil men's golf team will start its quest for its third NCAA title on Friday, May 29, at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa (North Course) in Carlsbad. Thirty teams and another six individuals have advanced, as 156 swingers will hit the course Friday.
ASU will tee it Friday (May 29) with Arizona and Vanderbilt. Sun Devil tenth-year head coach Matt Thurmond -- a 2024 National Golf Coaches Hall of Fame inductee -- leads the Sun Devils, who under 2008 National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee and Pac-12 Coach of the Century Randy Lein won the 1996 team title and won the 1990 title under 2002 ASU Hall of Fame and 2009 NGCA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Loy.
Same Format
Finals play consists of three days of stroke play on Friday (May 29) through Sunday (54 holes), after which the top 15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play on Monday (June 1) to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday (June 2) followed by finals on Wednesday (June 3).
The expected lineup
-Senior Michael Mjaaseth (No. 22 in WAGR/29 in NCAA)
-junior Connor Williams (No. 28 in WAGR/54 in NCAA)
-junior Fifa Laopakdee (No. 27 in WAGR/79 in NCAA)
-freshman Boston Bracken (No. 94 in WAGR/192 in NCAA)
-freshman Bowen Mauss (212 in WAGR/179 in NCAA)
Most NCAA Championship Appearances
Oklahoma State, 77
Texas 69
Arizona State, 60
Recently
The Sun Devils tied for third at the 2021 NCAA Championship officially by reaching the semifinals of match play. It marked ASU's best finish since it won the 1996 title. It then came back in 2022 and lost to Texas in the title match, before falling in match play in 2023 and 2025 in the first round.
Sparky in match play
Arizona State has advanced to match play four times under Matt Thurmond and is a combined 3-4 since he took over in 2017. ASU has appeared in match play five times since the format was put in place back in 2009.
Top-10 is very good
Matt Thurmond now has had seven top-10 finishers at the NCAA Championship since taking over at Arizona State prior to the 2016-17 season. The seven have happened in seven chances, as ASU missed the championships in 2024 and it was canceled in 2020.
Sun Devil NCAA Top-10 finishes under Matt Thurmond
Josele Ballester (Sr.), T4/2025 (Carlsbad, CA)
Connor Williams (So.) T7/2025 (Carlsbad, CA)
Preston Summerhays (Sr.), T9/2025 (Carlsbad, CA)
Cameron Sisk (Sr.), T5th/2022 (Scottsdale, AZ)
Ryggs Johnston (So.), 3rd/2021 (Scottsdale, AZ)
Cameron Sisk (Jr.), T8th/2021 (Scottsdale, AZ)
Chun An Yu (Jr.), 3rd/2019 (Fayetteville, AR)
1990 was special
Arizona State in 1990 is the only program to have its men's and women's teams win the NCAA golf championships in the same season.
2025 NCAA recap
The fifth-ranked Sun Devil men's golf team made match play for the fourth time in five seasons last year. The Sun Devils had a good start in round one, a fantastic round two, grinded in round three but didn't lose much ground and then punctuated a solid week of stroke play Monday by earning the No. 1 seed for the second time under Matt Thurmond. ASU shot 14-under 1,138 (286-277-295-280) to top Auburn by two strokes and did it in historical fashion. Josele Ballester tied for fourth, sophomore Connor Williams tied for seventh and Preston Summerhays tied for ninth, the first time in Sun Devil lore that it posted three NCAA Championship top-10 finishes. Only seven programs in the past 50 years have had three players finish in the top 10 (thanks to @CGolfBook).
Three top-10 NCAA men’s golf finishers
2025: Arizona State
2023: Illinois
2019: Oklahoma State
2017: Vanderbilt
1987: Oklahoma State
1982: Houston
1978: Georgia
1975: Wake Forest
Two Titles
The Sun Devil men won NCAA titles in 1990 (head coach Steve Loy) and 1996 (head coach Randy Lein).
Sun Devil NCAA champions
Alejandro Canizares, 2003
Todd Demsey, 1993
Phil Mickelson, 1992
Phil Mickelson, 1990
Phil Mickelson, 1989
Jim Carter, 1983
Most NCAA individual men's golf champions
Yale, 13
Oklahoma State, 9
Harvard, 8
Houston, 8
Princeton, 7
Arizona State, 6
Texas, 6
History made by a familiar name
Sun Devil freshman Jon Rahm’s 9-under 61 in the first round of the 2013 NCAA Tournament is the second-best round in NCAA history, second only to the 10-under 60 by Michael Schachner of Duke in the third round in 2007.
Coach Thurmond notes
Sun Devil tenth-year head coach Matt Thurmond coached James Lepp to the 2005 NCAA individual title, while also tutoring Cheng-Tsuung Pan (2015) and Nick Taylor (2008) to second-place NCAA finishes during his 15-year Washington tenure. Coach Thurmond also led UW to match-play quarterfinals in 2009, 2010 and 2012 and to six top-20 finishes prior to match play. He led UW to 12 top-20 NCAA finishes overall in 15 seasons, including third-place in 2005. ASU finished 16th in his first year wearing the maroon and gold, finished 13th in 2018 and 16th in 2019. In 2021 ASU posted the best stroke-play score and topped North Carolina before falling to Oklahoma in match play.
Matt Thurmond at the NCAA Championships
2025: T-5th (0-1 match play)
2024: DNC
2023: T-5th (0-1 match play)
2022: 2nd (2-1 match play)
2021: T3rd (1-1 match play)
2020: COVID
2019: 16th
2018: T-13th
2017: 16th (first year at ASU)
2015: 15th
2014: 15th
2013: 16th
2012: 6th (match play quarterfinals)
2011: DNC
2010: 4th (match play quarterfinals)
2009: 3rd (match play quarterfinals)
2008: 7th
2007: DNC
2006: 9th
2005: 3rd
2004: 6th
2003: 11th
2002: 11th
Past NCAA Individual Champions
This season marks the 23rd anniversary of Sun Devil freshman Alejandro Canizares winning the 2003 title in Stillwater, the 33rd anniversary of Todd Demsey winning the 1993 title, the 43rd anniversary of Phil Mickelson winning the last of his three titles and the 43rd anniversary of Jim Carter winning the 1983 title. ASU has had four NCAA medalists on six occasions as Carter (1983), Mickelson (1989, 1990, 1992), Demsey (1993), and Canizares (2003) all have taken home the trophy.
2026 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship
Omni La Costa Resort and Spa (North Course)
Carlsbad, Calif.
Teams (Ranking)
Auburn (1)
Florida (2)
Texas (3)
Virginia (4)
Oklahoma State (5)
Arkansas (6)
LSU (7)
Ole Miss (9)
North Carolina (10)
Vanderbilt (11)
Arizona (12)
Arizona State (13)
Pepperdine (14)
Stanford (15)
Oklahoma (16)
Tennessee (18)
Texas A&M (20)
BYU (22)
Georgia (23)
Florida State (26)
USC (28)
Duke (29)
UCLA (30)
Louisville (33)
Mississippi State (37)
Arkansas State (39)
Purdue (40)
San Diego (42)
UT-Chattanooga (56)
Memphis (57)
Sun Devil men’s golf top-five NCAA finishes (1983-present)
Josele Ballester (Sr.), T4th/2025 (Carlsbad, CA)
Cameron Sisk (Sr.), T5th/2022 (Scottsdale, AZ)
Ryggs Johnston (So.), 3rd/2021 (Scottsdale, AZ)
Chun An Yu (Jr.), 3rd/2019 (Fayetteville, AR)
Jon Rahm (Sr.), T3rd/2016 (Eugene, OR)
Jon Rahm (Fr.), T2nd/2013 (Atlanta, GA)
Alejandro Canizares (Fr.), 1st/2003 (Stillwater, OK)
Chez Reavie (Fr.), T4th/2001 (Durham, ND)
Paul Casey (So.), 4th/1999 (Chaska, MN)
Darren Angel (Fr.), T3rd/1996 (Chattanooga, TN)
Joey Snyder (Jr.), T5th/1995 (Columbus, OH)
Todd Demsey (So.), 1st/1993 (Lexington, KY)
Phil Mickelson (Sr.), 1st/1992 (Albuquerque, NM)
Phil Mickelson (Jr.), T4th/1991 (Pebble Beach, CA)
Phil Mickelson (So.), 1st/1990 (Tarpon Springs, FL)
Phil Mickelson (Fr.), 1st/1989 (Edmond, OK)
Jim Carter (Jr.), 1st/1983 (Fresno, CA)
Regional recap
NCAA golf regional action is never easy and times can be nauseating and vomit-inducing as a whole season prior becomes irrelevant and 54 holes decides who moves on, but the No. 11 Sun Devil men's golf team punched its ticket to the NCAA Championships on Wednesday with a seven-stroke cushion led by a freshman who stepped up big time as one of just nine swingers in the 75-player field to shoot par or better on final day. The Sun Devils finished fourth in the 13-team NCAA Columbus Regional with a 30-over 882 (294-289-299), as senior Michael Mjaaseth tied for seventh at 4-over 217 (72-71-74).
The key for the Sun Devils on the final day -- which was delayed due to weather and then played in tough conditions -- was freshman Boston Bracken. After shooting 7-over in the first two rounds (74-75) with three birdies and 10 bogeys, his even-par 71 with three birdies and just three bogeys allowed ASU to advance to the NCAA Championships for the eighth time in nine tries under Matt Thurmond.
Not easy to make it
Seven top-30 teams won’t make the trip to the NCAA Championships in 2026, as Texas Tech (7), Illinois (12), Charlotte (19), Alabama (20), New Mexico (21), Georgia Tech (22) and Long Beach State (23) did not make the field.
Nine top-30 teams didn't make the trip to the NCAA Championships in 2025, as LSU (6), North Carolina (10), San Diego State (15), Alabama (16), Utah (17), Duke (21), SMU (24), Long Beach State (26) and Louisville (27) all stayed home.
In 2024, nine top-30 teams didn’t advance, including five top-10 teams, as third-ranked ASU, Ole Miss (7), Arkansas (8), Alabama (9), Washington (10), Georgia (20), Oregon (24), Duke (25) and Northwestern (28) all didn’t make the regional cut. ASU had avoided that since 2014, prior to 2024.
Coach Thurmond's regional note
Coach Thurmond has reached the NCAA Championship in eight of nine chances at ASU. Since becoming a head coach in 2002, his squads have made the NCAA Championship in 20 of his 24 chances, missing only in 2024, 2016, 2011 and 2007.