May 21, 2003
ASU QUALIFIES FOR 2003 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Arizona State men's golf team competes May 27-30 (Tuesday-Friday) in the 72-hole NCAA Championship held at Karsten Creek Golf Course (par-72, 7,301 yards) in Stillwater, Okla. The 30 schools will play 18 holes each day. ASU has finished in the top five at the NCAA Championships in five of the past eight years as last year marked the first time since 1983 it did not make the NCAA Championship. ASU had gone 18 straight years without missing the NCAA Championships, the third-longest streak in the nation, before finishing 20th at last year's West Regional. The Sun Devils won national championships in 1990 and 1996. ASU is led by 11th-year head coach Randy Lein, the 1996 National Coach of the Year and a seven-time winner of Pac-10 Coach of the Year (five times at ASU and twice at USC). ASU is ranked tenth in the latest Golfstat.com poll and is 16th according to Golfweek. Freshman Alejandro Canizares is ranked 23rd according to Golfweek while Chez Reavie is 38th.
RESULTS: Live scoring of the NCAA men's golf Championship will be available at www.okstate.com, www. golfstat.com and also at the NCAA championship site, www.ncaasports.com.
FAST FACT: ASU is the only school to win both the men's and women's golf championships in the same season, at it won both in 1990.
UNDER RANDY LEIN: ASU has finished first (1996), fourth (1995), fifth (1998 and 1999), tied for fifth (1997), sixth (1993 and 2001), tied for ninth (1994) and tied for 25th (2001) under 11th-year head coach Randy Lein in the NCAA Championship. It has qualified for the NCAAs in 10 of his 11 seasons.
NCAA CHAMPIONS FROM THE PAC-10: ASU has had five NCAA medalists, as Sun Devils Jim Carter (1983), Phil Mickelson (1989, 1990, 1992) and Todd Demsey (1993) all won NCAA individual titles. Other Pac-10 individual winners include: Frank Tatum Jr. of Stanford (1942), Scott Simpson of USC (1976 and 1977), Ron Commans of USC (1981) and Tiger Woods of Stanford (1996).
CHAMPS FROM THE PAC-10: ASU is the only Pac-10 team to win the NCAA championship in the past eight years, as it won the 1996 title and also won the 1990 titles. Other Pac-10 teams to win the NCAA Men's Golf Championship are: Stanford (1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1953 and 1994), UCLA (1988) and Arizona (1992).
THE FIELD/FORMAT: A total of 30 teams and six individuals have qualified for the 2003 NCAA Championship. Eighteen holes are played each day, with the top four scores counting from the five-man teams.
ASU NOTES HEADING INTO NCAAS: ASU's best tournament of the year was a tournament record 40-under 832 to win its Thunderbird Invitational on April 11-12 at ASU's Karsten Golf Course...freshman Alejandro Canizares is ranked 23rd in the latest Golfweek poll and won the National Invitational Tournament in Tucson on March 30-April 1 with a 4-under 212 (69-73-70). He became the first Sun Devil to win a tournament since Matt Jones tied for the NCAA West Regional title in 2001. He is the first freshman to win a title since Paul Casey won the 1998 West Regional. His 71.64 stroke average in tournaments is the best on the team. He has been selected to the European 2003 Palmer Cup squad and is the 2003 Pac-10 co-Freshman of the Year...junior Chez Reavie won the 2001 U.S. Public Links Championship and played in the 2002 Masters. He posted the best round in his collegiate career, a 7-under 265, at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational on April 12. He is ranked No. 38 by Golfweek...senior Brady Stockton won the 2002 Pacific Northwest Golf Association title in July and shot the best tournament of his career in the Thunderbird with a 10-under 206, which tied for fifth...sophomore Kendall Critchfield fired a 65 in the second round of the ASU Invitational, his career best...sophomore Jesse Mueller won the 2001 Arizona Amateur and already has played in 21 collegiate events.
ASU HEAD COACH RANDY LEIN: Randy Lein has coached 57 tournament victories in his 21 seasons, tutored 43 All-Americans and added the top accolade in collegiate golf in 1995-96 - the NCAA title - to his collection of honors as the Sun Devils won the title in Chattanooga, Tenn., with a three-stroke victory over UNLV at the Honors Course. In his 11th season as ASU's coach, Lein has guided ASU to 34 tournament victories (including a school record six in 1995-96), seven Pac-10 titles, four NCAA West Regional wins (three of the past five) and eight top-10 finishes at the NCAAs including the 1996 title. In addition, Lein has tutored NCAA medalist Todd Demsey and 11 All-Americans (23 occasions): Todd Demsey (3), Chris Hanell (3), Paul Casey (3), Cade Stone, Chris Stutts, Joey Snyder (2), Scott Johnson (2), Darren Angel (2), Paul Casey (3), Jeff Quinney (3), Matt Jones and Chez Reavie (1). He has won Pac-10 Coach-of-the-Year five times (1993, 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2000) while at ASU and twice at USC (1980 and 1986). Lein (pronounced "Line") is a 1975 graduate of Cal State Northridge.
CANIZARES ON ASU CHART: Alejandro's 71.64 stroke average is the best by a Sun Devil freshman in school history. Todd Demsey, who won the 1993 NCAA Championship, posted a 72.10 stroke average in 1991-92 to set the mark.
ASU MEN'S GOLF FRESHMAN SCORING AVERAGES (1989-2003) Stroke Rk. Name, Events Year Average 1. Alejandro Canizares, 7 2002-03 71.64 2. Todd Demsey, 15 1991-92 72.10 3. Phil Mickelson, 14 1988-89 72.14 4. Paul Casey, 12 1997-98 72.30 5. Jeff Quinney, 11 1997-98 72.57 6. Chez Reavie, 10 2000-01 72.58 7. Matt Jones, 8 1998-99 73.38
NCAA NOTE: The Sun Devils averaged a 4.1 finish at the NCAAs in the 1990s, the best mark in the nation. Only Oklahoma State (4.5) averaged higher than an eighth-place finish.
NCAA INDIVIDUAL FINISHES: A look at top-five Sun Devil individual finishes in the NCAA Championships beginning with 1983, when Jim Carter won the NCAA title:
Player Finish Year Site Todd Demsey, So. 1st 1993 Lexington, Ky. Phil Mickelson, Sr. 1st 1992 Albuquerque, N.M. Phil Mickelson, So. 1st 1990 Tarpon Springs, Fla. Phil Mickelson, Fr. 1st 1989 Edmond, Okla. Jim Carter, Jr. 1st 1983 Fresno, Calif. Darren Angel, Fr. T-3rd 1996 Chattanooga, Tenn. Chez Reavie, Fr. T-4th 2001 Durham, N.C. Paul Casey, So. 4th 1999 Chaska, Minn. Phil Mickelson, Jr. T-4th 1991 Pebble Beach, Calif. Joey Snyder, Jr. T-5th 1995 Columbus, Ohio
REGIONAL STREAK EXTENDED: According to the NCAA Spring Championship Records Book, ASU is one of just six schools that has competed in the NCAA Regionals all 15 years it has existed (including 2003). ASU is joined by Arizona, Clemson, UNLV, North Carolina and Oklahoma State. NCAA Regional play began in 1989 and ASU has finished outside the top five just twice, when it tied for sixth in 2000 and when it finished 20th in 2002.
ASU MEN'S GOLF NCAA PROJECTED LINEUP (Tourn.-Rds.-Avg.)Chez Reavie 5-7/Jr. Mesa, Ariz. 12-37-71.89 2001 U.S. Public Links Champion
Alejandro Canizares 5-10/Fr. Manilva, Spain 7-22-71.64 2003 National Invitational Champion
Brady Stockton 6-3/Sr. San Ramon, Calif. 8-25-72.52 2002 Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) Champion
Kendall Critchfield 5-8/So. Mesa, Ariz. 7-22-74.00
Jesse Mueller 5-8/So. Mesa, Ariz. 10-31-73.97 2001 Arizona Amateur Champion