May 25, 2004
ASU TRAVELS EAST FOR NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS: The Arizona State men's golf team travels to Hot Springs, Va., for the NCAA Championships June 1-4 held at The Homestead Resort's Cascades Golf Course (par-70, 6,679 yards). The 30 schools and six individuals will play 18 holes each of the four days, with the top four scores counting for the five-man teams. Arizona State will tee with Georgia Tech and Texas A & M beginning at 1:03 p.m. (ET) on Tuesday, June 1, and will tee at 8:03 a.m. on Wednesday, June 2.
The Sun Devils have won two NCAA titles, in 1990 under head coach and 2002 ASU Hall of Fame inductee Steve Loy and in 1996 under current head coach Randy Lein. In the past 11 years (since Lein took over the ASU duties) nine different team champions have been crowned and ASU is the only school to have two individual champions in that time (Alejandro Canizares in 2003 and Todd Demsey in 1993). ASU also has finished in the top six eight times in those 11 years and has qualified for the NCAA Championships in 20 of the past 21 seasons, missing only in 2002.
ASU LINEUP
1) Chez Reavie...5-7 senior from Mesa, Ariz....45-under par in his past 10 tournaments...has a 70.95 stroke average and eight top-10 finishes on the year...also has six top-five finishes this year...the 2001 U.S.G.A. Public Links champion...had a 13-under 203 at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational on April 9-10.
2) Alejandro Canizares...5-10 sophomore from Manilva, Spain...the 2003 NCAA champion...has a 71.23 stroke average this year...has won three tournaments in his career, including the 2003 National Invitational in Tucson and the 2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational.
3) Niklas Lemke...6-1 freshman from Linkoping, Sweden...has a 73.18 stroke average.
4) Jesse Mueller...5-8 junior from Mesa, Ariz...has a 73.24 stroke average...the 2001 Arizona Amateur champion.
5) Mike Derminio...6-3 senior from Scottsdale, Ariz....has a 74.00 stroke average in six tournaments on the year.
LIVE SCORING: The NCAA Championships will have live scoring available at www.golfstat.com.
CANIZARES DEFENDING TITLE: Sun Devil sophomore Alejandro Canizares became just the sixth freshman in NCAA history to win the individual title with his 1-under 287 last year at the Karsten Creek Course in Stillwater, Okla. Canizares came back from six strokes on the final day to win the event over three-day leader Lee Williams of Auburn and shot a 77-70-71-69. It marked the toughest course on the players in 20 years, as his 287 total was the highest by a champion since another Sun Devil, Jim Carter, won the 1983 title with a 287 as well.
BACK-TO-BACK NOTES: Canizares will try and win back-to-back titles, something that has not happened in NCAA men's golf history since Sun Devil Phil Mickelson notched the feat in 1991-92. Others to earn the honor beginning with the 1965 championships (since the title has been decided by stroke play) include Scott Simpson of USC (1976-77) and three-time winner Ben Crenshaw of Texas (1971-73, as he shared the 1972 title with teammate Tom Kite). Dick Crawford of Houston (1959-60), G.T. Dunlap of Princeton (1930-31), Fred Lampbrecht of Tulane (1925-26) and Dexter Cummings of Yale (1923-24) also earned back-to-back NCAA championships when the honor was earned via match play (1897-1964).
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. UCLA has the opportunity this year as it women's squad won the 2004 title on May 18-22 in Opelika, Ala.
UNDER LEIN: ASU has finished first (1996), fourth (1995), fifth (1998 and 1999), tied for fifth (1997), sixth (1993, 2001 and 2003), tied for ninth (1994) and tied for 25th (2001) under 12th-year coach Randy Lein in the NCAA Championship. It has qualified for the NCAAs in 11 of his 12 seasons.
NCAA CHAMPIONS FROM ASU AND PAC-10: ASU has had four NCAA medalists on six occasions, as Sun Devils Jim Carter (1983), Phil Mickelson (1989, 1990, 1992) and Todd Demsey (1993) all won NCAA titles before Alejandro Canizares took home the honor last year in Stillwater. 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 nine years, as it won the 1996 title and also won the 1990 title. 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).
SUN DEVIL NOTES: ASU's best tournament of the year was on April 9-10 when it shot a tournament record 43-under 821 to win its Thunderbird Invitational at ASU's Karsten Golf Course, as Alejandro Canizares tied a tournament record with a 16-under 200...ASU has won four tournaments this year (New Mexico's Tucker Intercollegiate, UNLV's Southern Highlands Championship, the National Invitational Tournament in Tucson and its Thunderbird Invitational), its most since the 1999-2000 team also won four...Chez Reavie has eight top-10 finishes and 22 in his four-year career...ASU has finished in the top five at the NCAAs in five of the past nine years and has won the Pac-10 title six of the past 10 years. The Sun Devils also won national championships in 1990 and 1996...Reavie's 70.95 stroke average is the best since Paul Casey posted a 69.87 average in 1999-2000...ASU has won three out of the past six tournaments beginning with the UNLV Southern Highlands Championship March 12-14.
CAREER NOTES ON SENIOR Chez Reavie: The 2001 U.S. Public Links Champion...a top-10 finisher in 22 of 41 career events...has finished in the top 10 in 17 of his past 25 tournaments...also won the 2001 Mesa City Championship by eight strokes...tied for fourth at the 2001 NCAA Championships after shooting a 7-under 281 (71-67-74-69).
Year App Top 10 Rds. Avg. Low 2003-04 13 8 39 70.95 66 2002-03 13 9 41 72.05 65 2001-02 6 3 19 73.37 67 2000-01 10 2 31 72.58 67 Career 42 22 130 72.04 65
CAREER NOTES ON SOPHOMORE Alejandro Canizares: The 2003 NCAA Champion...also earned medalist honors at 2003 National Invitational Tournament in Tucson and at the 2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational...one of just six freshman to win the NCAA title, and just the second in the past 14 seasons (James McLean of Minnesota in 1998 was the other)...came back from six strokes on the final day to win the NCAA title with a final round 69...led the nation in par-3 scoring in 2002-2003 with a 2.96 average.
Year App Top 10 Rds. Avg. Low 2003-04 13 8 39 71.23 65 2002-03 8 3 26 71.65 68 Career 21 11 65 71.40 65
SUN DEVIL AVERAGES: Both Chez Reavie and Alejandro Canizares are in the top seven with their current season stroke averages. Paul Casey set the school record with a 69.87 mark in 1999-2000. Phil Mickelson has three of the top five season averages in Sun Devil history.
ASU MEN'S GOLF SCORING AVERAGES (1987-2004) Rk. Name, Events Year Stroke Average 1. Paul Casey, 10 1999-2000 69.87 2. Phil Mickelson, 12 1991-92 69.95 3. Phil Mickelson, 11 1990-91 70.08 4. Billy Mayfair, 13 1986-87 70.59 5. Phil Mickelson, 14 1989-90 70.82 6. Chez Reavie, 13 2003-04 70.95 7. Alejandro Canizares, 13 2003-04 71.23 8. Chris Hanell, 13 1996-97 71.44 9. Matt Jones, 12 2000-01 71.46 10. Alejandro Canizares, 8 2002-03 71.65
ASU HEAD COACH Randy Lein: Randy Lein has coached 60 tournament victories in his 22 seasons, tutored 43 All-Americans and added the top accolade in collegiate golf in 1995-96 - the NCAA title - to his collection as the Sun Devils won the title in Chattanooga, Tenn., with a three-stroke victory over UNLV at the Honors Course. In his 12th season as ASU's coach, Lein has guided ASU to 38 tournament victories (including a school record six in 1995-96), seven Pac-10 titles, four NCAA West Regional wins and nine 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.
SUN DEVIL FRESHMAN AVERAGES: Niklas Lemke's 73.18 stroke average currently is seventh-best by a Sun Devil freshman. Current teammate Alejandro Canizares set the school mark last year en route to NCAA medalist honors with a 71.65 stroke average in eight events, while Chez Reavie had a 72.58 stroke average in his freshman year.
ASU MEN'S GOLF FRESHMAN SCORING AVERAGES (1985-2003) Rk. Name, Events Year Stroke Average 1. Alejandro Canizares, 8 2002-03 71.65 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. Niklas Lemke, 9 2003-04 73.18 8. Matt Jones, 8 1998-99 73.38 9. Billy Mayfair, 14 1984-85 73.49
RECENT INDIVIDUAL FINISHES: A look at top-10 Sun Devil individual finishes at the NCAA Men's Golf Championships dating to Jim Carter's 1983 NCAA Championship. Chez Reavie will have a chance to be the only Sun Devil besides Phil Mickelson to have at least three top-10 NCAA finishes at the 2004 Championships:
Player (Year) Place 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.) T3rd 1996 Chattanooga, Tenn. Chez Reavie (Fr.) T4th 2001 Durham, N.C. Phil Mickelson (Jr.) T4th 1991 Pebble Beach, Calif. Paul Casey (So.) 4th 1999 Chaska, Minn. Joey Snyder (Jr.) T5th 1995 Columbus, Ohio Darren Angel (Jr.) T7th 1998 Albuquerque, N.M. Todd Demsey (Jr.) T7th 1994 Dallas, Texas Scott Johnson (So.) T8th 1995 Columbus, Ohio Chez Reavie (Jr.) 9th 2003 Stillwater, Okla. Billy Mayfair (Sr.) T9th 1988 Westlake Village, Calif. Scott Johnson (Sr.) T10th 1997 Chicago, Ill. Chris Hanell (Sr.) T10th 1997 Chicago, Ill. Chris Hanell (Fr.) T10th 1994 Dallas, Texas
REGIONAL STREAK: According to the NCAA Record Book, ASU is one of just six schools that has competed in the NCAA Regionals all 16 years it has existed (including 2004). ASU is joined by Arizona, Clemson, UNLV, North Carolina and Oklahoma State. NCAA Regional play began in 1989.
FRESHMAN CHAMPIONS: Alejandro Canizares became just the sixth freshman in NCAA history to win the men's golf title last year and was just the second freshman in the past 14 seasons.
NCAA CHAMPIONS AS FRESHMAN 2003-Alejandro Canizares, Arizona State 1998-James McLean, Minnesota 1989-Phil Mickelson, Arizona State 1982-Billy Ray Brown, Houston 1974-Curtis Strange, Wake Forest 1971-Ben Crenshaw, Texas
NCAA CHAMPIONS: A look at the schools that have produced the most NCAA men's golf individual champions and the year the most recent champion took home the title:
School NCAA Ind. Champs Last Champion Year Yale 13 Tom Aycock 1929 Harvard 8 J.W. Hubbell 1916 Houston 8 Billy Ray Brown 1982 Oklahoma State 7 Charles Howell 2000 Princeton 7 G.T. Dunlap 1931 Arizona State 6 Alejandro Canizares 2003 Texas 6 Justin Leonard 1994
NCAA CHAMPIONS IN THE PAST 11 YEARS (1993-2003/RANDY LEIN AT ASU)Team (NCAA Titles) TOP 10 TOP 5 Arizona State (1996) 9 5 Clemson (2003) 9 5 Oklahoma State (1995, 2000) 8 7 UNLV (1998) 6 2 Florida (1993, 2001) 5 3 Stanford (1994) 3 3 Georgia (1999) 2 2 Pepperdine (1997) 2 1 Minnesota (2002) 1 1
IN THE TOP 10: Lein's nine top-10 NCAA finishes in his 11 years is tied with Clemson for the most in that span. In that time, there have been nine different NCAA team champions, while ASU is the only school to have two NCAA medalists in his 11 years. ASU also has finished in the top six eight times under Randy Lein in 11 years.
IMPRESSIVE: Rand Lein has recruited a NCAA champion (Alejandro Canizares), a U.S. Amateur champion (Jeff Quinney), a U.S. Public Links champion (Chez Reavie), an Arizona Amateur champion (Jesse Mueller) and a British Amateur champion (Paul Casey) to ASU.