April 19, 2007
Official Pac-10 Men's Golf Tournament Website
Updated ASU Men's Golf Statistics
ASU TRAVELS TO PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIP: The Arizona State University men's golf team travels to Eugene, Ore., for the Pac-10 Championships held April 23-25 at Eugene Country Club Club (par-72, 6,854 yards). The 10 schools will play 36 holes on Monday, April 23, followed by single rounds on Tuesday, April 24, and Wednesday, April 25. The Sun Devils will tee with Arizona and Washington at 9 a.m. for its first 36 holes on Monday. The Pac-10 Championship counts the low five scores from the six-man teams. Live scoring of the tournament will be available at www.golfstat.com.
ASU AT THE PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS: Arizona State has won 11 Pac-10 titles in its 28 seasons, including a conference record six straight from 1995-2000. In addition to the six straight Pac-10 titles, ASU's other five Pac-10 titles have come in 1979 (its first year in the league), 1981, 1989, 1990 and 1993. ASU tied for the league title in 2005 with Washington but lost on a tiebreaker formula. In its past four Pac-10 championships, ASU has finished third (2003), second (2004), tied for first (2005) and third (2006).
GOING FOR EIGHT: ASU coach Randy Lein has led ASU to seven Pac-10 titles in his 14 seasons. ASU won titles in 1993, Lein's first year, and then won six straight from 1995-2000. ASU tied for first but lost in a tiebreaker in 2005, finished second in 2001 and 2004 and third in 1994, 2003 and 2006. Since joining the Pac-10 in the 1978-79 school year, ASU has finished out of the top five just twice in its 28 championships (ninth in 2002 and sixth in 1983).
BEST IN THE NATION: ASU senior Niklas Lemke is currently the top-ranked player in the nation according to Golfstat and has posted a 70.03 stroke average in nine tournaments. He earned medalist honors at the 2006 Illini Invitational (Sept. 24-25) and at the 2007 National Invitational (April 2-3). He has seven top-five finishes on the year and now has 11 top-10 finishes in his 45-tournament career. He has a 72.25 stroke average in his career. He finished send (2006), tied for seventh (2005) and 13th (2004) in his three previous Pac-10 championships. He earned 2006 third-team All-American honors and was a honorable mention pick in 2005.
ASU HEAD COACH Randy Lein: Randy Lein has coached 61 tournament victories (including the 2007 National Invitational) in his 25 seasons, tutored 53 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 15th season as ASU's coach, Lein has guided ASU to 39 tournament victories (including a school record six in 1995-96), seven Pac-10 titles, four NCAA West Regional wins (three of the past seven) 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 14 All-Americans (32 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), Alejandro Canizares (4), Niklas Lemke (2) and Benjamin Alvarado Holley (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 DEVILS AS PAC-10 MEDALISTS: Paul Casey won three straight Pac-10 titles from 1998-2000, which is the last time a Sun Devil won the title and is a conference record for consecutive Pac-10 titles. Other Sun Devils who have won the Pac-10 championship are Scott Johnson (1997), Phil Mickelson (1990), co-medalists Dan Forsman and Tony Grimes (1981), Jim Bertoncino (co-medalist in 1980) and co-medalists Scott Watkins and Dan Croonquist (1979). Niklas Lemke finished second last year and tied for seventh in 2005.
PAC-10 PLAYER OF YEAR: Alejandro Canizares earned 2006 Co-Pac-10 Player of the Year honors and also earned the honor outright in 2005, 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 was the first Pac-10 golfer to earn the honor in back-to-back seasons since Tiger Woods of Stanford in 1995-96.
ASU'S BEST: After nine tournaments this year, both Niklas Lemke and Benjamin Alvarado Holley have a chance to move into the top-10 in terms of single-season scoring average in ASU history. Lemke enters the Pac-10 championship with a 70.03 mark, while Alvarado Holley has a 71.33 average.
ASU MEN'S GOLF SCORING AVERAGES (1987-2007) Rk. Name, Events Year Average 1. Paul Casey, 10 1999-2000 69.87 2. Phil Mickelson, 12 1991-92 69.95 3. Niklas Lemke, 9 2006-07 70.03 4. Phil Mickelson, 11 1990-91 70.08 5. Billy Mayfair, 13 1986-87 70.59 6. Phil Mickelson, 14 1989-90 70.82 7. Chez Reavie, 14 2003-04 71.05 8. Alejandro Canizares, 13 2005-06 71.22 9. Benjamin Alvarado Holley, 9 2006-07 71.33 10. Alejandro Canizares, 14 2003-04 71.38 11. Chris Hanell, 13 1996-97 71.44 12. Matt Jones, 12 2000-01 71.46 13. Alejandro Canizares, 14 2004-05 71.65 13. Alejandro Canizares, 8 2002-03 71.65
NEXT UP: The 2007 NCAA West Regional will be held at ASU's Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz., May 17-19. The 2007 NCAA Championships will be held in Williamsburg, Va., May 30- June 2 with Virginia Commonwealth serving as host.