May 13, 2005
ASU TRAVELS NORTH FOR NCAA WEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP: The Arizona State men's golf team travels to Stanford, Calif., for the NCAA West Regional May 19-21 (Thursday-Saturday) at the Stanford Golf Club (par-71). The 27 schools and six individuals will play 18 holes each of the three days. The low 10 teams and the low two individuals not on those teams will advance to the NCAA Championships held June 1-4 at Caves Valley Golf Club in Owings Mills, Md. (hosted by Loyola College of Maryland). The Sun Devils have won or tied for the NCAA West Regional title in three of the past seven seasons and have won or tied for the West Regional title on five occasions in the 16 years of regional play, as it won outright titles in 2001, 1999 and 1995 and tied for the title in 1998 and 1991. Live scoring of the tournament will be available at www.golfstat.com.
REGIONAL STREAK: According to the NCAA Spring Championship Records Book, ASU is one of just six schools that has competed in the NCAA Regionals all 17 years it has existed (including 2005). 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.
THE ASU LINEUP: Here is a quick look at the ASU lineup for the 2005 NCAA West Regional with appearances, rounds and stroke average noted.
Pat Moore 6-1/Sr./Phoenix, Ariz. 11-33-71.94 *U.S. Intercollegiate Medalist (April 16-17) *Three top-10 finishes this yearAlejandro Canizares 5-10/Jr./Manilva, Spain 12-36-71.59 *Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge, Arizona/PING and Puerto Rico Classic Medalist *Six Career Individual Titles *Selected to third European Palmer Cup team
Niklas Lemke 6-1/So./Linkoping, Sweden 11-33-73.76
Jesse Mueller 5-8/Sr./Mesa, Ariz. 11-33-72.42
Charly Simon 6-3/Jr./Marbella, Spain 7-21-73.19
GETTING MOORE: Senior Pat Moore won the U.S. Intercollegiate held at Stanford Golf Course April 16-17 with a 2-under 208 (71-70-67) and has posted three top-10 finishes in his past three tournaments. He also finished sixth at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational April 8-9 with a 1-over 214 (68-74-72) and was third at the Pac-10 Championships April 25-27 in Walla Walla, Wash., with a 5-under 279 (67-67-69-76). The senior from Washington High School in Phoenix earned first-team All-Pac honors this year and has earned Pac-10 All-Academic honorable mention honors the past two seasons. He has played in 28 collegiate events. He has a 71.94 stroke average this year in 11 events.
ALEJANDRO NOTES: Junior Alejandro Canizares earned 2005 Pac-10 Player of the Year honors, joining an impressive list of Sun Devils who have won the honor including Scott Watkins (1979 co-player of the year), Dan Forsman (1981 co-player of the year), Billy Mayfair (1987), three-time NCAA champion Phil Mickelson (1990, 1991 and 1992), 1993 NCAA Champion Todd Demsey (1994), three-time Pac-10 champion Paul Casey (2000) and 2000 U.S. Amateur champion Jeff Quinney (2001 co-player of the year). Canizares has won three tournaments in 2004-2005, with victories at the Big/Ten Pac-10 Challenge at Bandon Dunes, Ore., on Oct. 25-26, the Arizona/Ping Intercollegiate Jan. 31-Feb. 1 in Tucson and the Puerto Rico Classic Feb. 27-March 1. He has a 71.59 stroke average in 12 events this year with five top-10 finishes. He also earned first-team All-Pac-10 for the second straight year after earning second-team honors and co-Freshman of the Year in his rookie season of 2002-2003. The native of Spain also gets it done in the classroom as well, as he has a 3.91 grade point average through the spring semester of 2005.
ON THE ASU CHARTS: Alejandro Canizares has already captured six tournament championships in his 34-tournament career. Canizares won the 2003 National Invitational in Tucson, the 2003 NCAA Championship in Stillwater, Okla., the 2004 ASU Thunderbird Invitational, the 2005 Big/Ten Pac-10 Challenge at Bandon Dunes, Ore., the 2005 Arizona/Ping Intercollegiate in Tucson and the 2005 Puerto Rico Classic. A look at Canizares on the ASU career wins list:
ASU MEN'S GOLF CAREER VICTORIES Rk. Name (Years) Wins 1. Phil Mickelson (1989-92) 16 2. Billy Mayfair (1985-88) 8 3t. Alejandro Canizares (2002-present) 6 3t. Paul Casey (1997-2000) 6 3t. Charlie Gibson (1972-75) 6 6. Todd Demsey (1991-95) 5 7t. Howard Twitty (1970-72) 4 7t. Scott Watkins (1978-79) 4 7t. Dan Croonquist (1976-79) 4 10t. Jeff Quinney (1997-2001) 3 10t. Jim Carter (1981-84) 3 10t. Mark Mattingly (1977-78) 3
ASU QUICK NOTES: ASU has finished in the top five at the NCAAs in five of the past 10 years and has won the Pac-10 title six of the past 11 years...the Sun Devils also won national championships in 1990 and 1996...ASU is led by 13th-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'S BEST: Junior Alejandro Canizares is looking to bump himself out of the ASU top-10 single-season stroke average list. After 12 tournaments this year, Canizares has a 71.59 stroke average, just .06 better than his freshman year mark when he posted a 71.65 mark in eight events. His 71.38 stroke average last year is seventh-best in ASU history.
ASU MEN'S GOLF SCORING AVERAGES (1987-2005) 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, 14 2003-04 71.05 7. Alejandro Canizares, 14 2003-04 71.38 8. Chris Hanell, 13 1996-97 71.44 9. Matt Jones, 12 2000-01 71.46 10. Alejandro Canizares, 12 2004-05 71.59 11. Alejandro Canizares, 8 2002-03 71.65
HEAD COACH Randy Lein: Randy Lein has coached 60 tournament victories in his 22 seasons, tutored 48 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 13th season as ASU's coach, Lein has guided ASU to 37 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 medalists Todd Demsey and Alejandro Canizares and 12 All-Americans (27 occasions): Todd Demsey (3), Chris Hanell (3), Paul Casey (3), Cade Stone, Chris Stutts, Joey Snyder (2), Scott Johnson (2), Darren Angel (2), Jeff Quinney (3), Matt Jones (2), Chez Reavie (3) and Alejandro Canizares (2). 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.
NEXT UP: The NCAA championships will be held at Caves Valley Golf Course in Owings Mills, Md., June 1-4. The Golf Channel will televise the final three rounds June 2-4 from 3-5 p.m. EST.
BOOK SMARTS: All six of the Sun Devils who competed in the Pac-10 Championships have at least a 3.0 grade point average. Alejandro Canizares leads the team with a 3.91 with all his spring of 2005 grades already posted.
PAC-10 HONORS: Junior Alejandro Canizares and senior Pat Moore earned first-team All-Pac-10 honors this year, with Canizares taking home Player of the Year in voting done after the Pac-10 Championships in late April. Senior Jesse Mueller earned second-team honors while sophomore Niklas Lemke was an honorable mention selection.
ASU IN THE WEST REGIONALS: ASU has won or tied for the title in the NCAA West Regional five times and has won the event in three of the past seven seasons.
NCAA West Regional Champions Year Champ ASU Finish Individual Champion 1989 Arizona 2nd Robert Gamez (Arizona) 1990 UNLV 3rd* Hub Goyen (UNLV) 1991 ASU/UA T-1st *Warren Schutte (UNLV) 1992 Arizona* 2nd Harry Rudolph (Arizona) 1993 Arizona 2nd Manny Zerman (Arizona) 1994 UNLV 2nd Edward Fryatt (UNLV) 1995 ASU 1st Mike Sauer (New Mexico) 1996 Stanford 2nd* *Tiger Woods (Stanford) 1997 UNLV 2nd Aaron Oberholser (SJ St.) 1998 ASU/UNM T-1st Paul Casey (ASU) 1999 ASU 1st Jeff Quinney (ASU) 2000 Arizona T-6th Michael Beard (Pepperdine) 2001 ASU 1st Matt Jones (ASU) Kyle Thompson (South Carolina) 2002 UNM/UW 20th Ricky Barnes (UA) Justin Smith (Minnesota) 2003 UCLA 5th Michael Letzig (UNM) 2004 UCLA 4th Travis Johnson (UCLA) *Eventual NCAA Champion