May 30, 2003
Arizona State Sun Devil Alejandro Canizares, the Pac-10 co-Freshman of the Year, shot a 3-under 69 to claim the NCAA individual men's golf title Friday afternoon at the Karsten Creek Course in Stillwater, Okla. Canizares came back from six strokes off the lead in the final round to overtake Lee Williams of Auburn. Canizares finished at 1-under 287 (77-70-71-69), while Williams finished at 1-over 289 (69-72-71-77).
It marks the sixth time a Sun Devil has won a NCAA men's golf individual title. Todd Demsey (1993), Phil Mickelson (1992, 1990, 1989) and Jim Carter (1983) also won the title, but only Mickelson in 1989 was a freshman.
 Canizares is just the sixth freshman to win a NCAA men's golf title.  |
|
The team finished sixth with a 3-over 291 on the final day, the best score among the 18 teams in the final round. ASU finished at 50-over 1,202 (306-308-297-291). Clemson won its first NCAA title with a 39-over 1,191 (299-302-287-303), while host Oklahoma State finished second at 41-over 1,193 (299-300-290-304).
ASU now has nine top-10 finishes in Randy Lein's 11 seasons as head coach, the most in the nation in that time. ASU also is the only Pac-10 team to win a NCAA title in the past nine years when it won the title in 1996. Clemson is the ninth school to win the NCAA men's golf title in the past 11 seasons.
Junior Chez Reavie, the 2001 U.S. Public Links Champion, finished ninth with a 6-over 294 (74-77-70-73). Reavie finished in the top 10 in nine of 13 tournaments on the year and in 14 of 29 events in his three-year career. Sophomore Jesse Mueller, the 2001 Arizona Amateur champion, posted his best score of the tournament with a even 72.
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 Alejandro Canizares, Fr. 1st 2003 Stillwater, Okla. 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
Final Individual Scores 1. Alejandro Canizares, Arizona State 77-70-71-69=287, -1 2. Lee Williams, Auburn 69-72-71-77=289, +1 9. Chez Reavie 74-77-70-73=294, +6
Other ASU Scores T59. Jesse Mueller 80-78-81-72-=311, +23 T67. Kendall Critchfield 75-83-75-80=313, +25 T91. Brady Stockton 84-86-83-77=330, +42
Final Team Scores 1. Clemson 299-302-287-303=1,191 (+39) 2. Oklahoma State 299-300-290-304=1,193 (+44) 3. UCLA 303-295-301-298=1,197 (+45) T4. Wake Forest 304-306-290-298=1,198 (+46) T4. Florida 302-300-297-299=1,198 (+46) 6. Arizona State 306-308-297-291=1,202 (+50) 7. Augusta State 311-306-294-301=1,212 (+60) 8. Auburn 299-303-301-312=1,215 (+63) T9. North Carolina 308-308-299-301=1,216 (+64) T9. Texas 306-314-299-297=1,216 (+64) T11. USC 300-311-298-=909(+45) T11. UNLV 313-300-294-=907 (+43) T11. Georgia Tech 310-306-302-300=1,218 (+66) T11. Washington 314-300-301-303=1,218 (+66) 15. North Carolina State 299-317-296-312=1,224 (+72) 16. Georgia 315-306-297-308=1,226 (+74) 17. Arizona 307-308-303-311=1,229 (+77) 18. Wichita State 308-309-299-316=1,232 (+80)