By Lindsay Gaesser, SDA Media Relations
Santa Cruz, Calif.—Fresh off a first-place finish at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational, the No. 2 Arizona State men’s golf team heads to California this weekend for its final event of the regular season. The Sun Devils will compete in the 69th Annual Western Intercollegiate, to be held April 11-12 at the par-70, 6,615-yard Pasatiempo Golf Club.
The 14-team field showcases eight of the top-25 teams in the nation, three of which are in the top ten. Joining second-ranked ASU is No. 111 Arizona, No. 22 California, No. 184 Hawai’i, No. 14 Oregon, No. 34 San Diego State, No. 99 San Jose State, No. 16 Southern California, No. 13 Stanford, No. 3 Texas, No. 104 UC Irvine, No. 11 UCLA, No. 84 UTEP, and No. 8 Washington (Golfstat, 4/8/15). Stanford returns this year as the defending Western Intercollegiate team champion.
Ninety-six players will play 36 holes Saturday, and conclude the 54-hole event Sunday with the event’s final round. Each day will begin with a shotgun start at 8:15 a.m. PT and the teams will follow a play six, score five format.
The Sun Devil lineup features Max Rottluff, Nicolo Galletti, Jon Rahm, Ben Shur, Ki Taek Lee, and Alberto Sanchez.
Last time out, Rahm held off classmate Rottluff at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational for his sixth career win. Rahm shot 15-under 195 (65-64-66) to top Rottluff by one. Finishing in second at 14-under 196 (66-63-67), Rottluff shot a career-best 63 in the second round. The dynamic duo is currently the best one-two punch in the nation, as they rank first and second in scoring average.
TWO DUDES FEELING IT: Jon Rahm’s 68.63 stroke average is currently the best in Sun Devil history. Paul Casey set the school mark at 69.87 back in 1999-2000, while Phil Mickelson shot 69.95 in 1991-92. The wild thing is that classmate Max Rottluff is on his heels, as Max has a 68.97 stroke average in 10 events this year.
SUN DEVIL SEASON SCORING BESTS (1987-PRESENT)
68.63-Jon Rahm, 2014-15, 9
69.87-Paul Casey, 1999-2000, 10
68.97-Max Rottluff, 2014-15, 10
69.95-Phil Mickelson, 1991-92, 12
70.03-Niklas Lemke, 2006-07, 12
70.08-Phil Mickelson, 1990-1991, 11
70.59-Billy Mayfair, 1986-1987, 13
*Last number is tournaments played.
Galletti, golfing in the No. 2 spot in the lineup, has recorded three top-10 finishes on the season. Most recently, the sophomore tied for sixth at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational with a 1-under 209. Galletti carded the third-most birdies (13) of that tournament behind teammates Rahm (18) and Rottluff (16).
Rounding out the Sun Devil lineup are Shur, Lee, and Sanchez. Sanchez recorded a season-best fifth-place finish at the Duck Invitational back in March, while Shur and Lee both recorded top-25 finishes at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational. Last time out, Shur shot a career-low 67 in the first round of the Wyoming Cowboy Classic.
The Sun Devils have racked up five titles out of six tournaments in their spring campaign. Out of 10 tournaments on the season, the squad has finished in the top two a total of eight times.
SEVEN ASU TEAM TOURNAMENT VICTORIES UNDER TIM MICKELSON
2014-15 (5): Arizona Intercollegiate (Jan. 26-27, 2015); Amer Ari Invitational (Feb. 5-7, 2015); Prestige at PGA WEST (Feb. 16-18, 2015); Duck Invitational (Mar. 23-24, 2015); ASU Thunderbird Invitational (April 3-4, 2015)
2013-14 (1): ASU Thunderbird Invitational (Mar. 21-23, 2014)
2011-12 (1): Bill Cullum Invitational (tied for team title but no playoff) (Sept. 17-18, 2011)
Live scoring is available on golfstat.com.