March 21, 2011
Some notes and other items as the Sun Devil men's golf teams heads towards the final stretch of its season.
SUN DEVILS CHATTER
In the past 18 seasons (since Randy Lein took over the ASU duties) 13 different team champions have been crowned and Lein is the only coach to have two individual champions in that time (freshman Alejandro Canizares in 2003 and junior Todd Demsey in 1993). ASU also has finished in the top six nine times in those 18 years and has qualified for the NCAA Championships in 26 of the past 27 seasons, missing only in 2002, including each of the past eight seasons, tied for the third-best mark in the nation in that time.
THE HEAD COACH
Coach Jesper Kennegard (3), Scott Pinckney (1) and Stephan Gross (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.
IT ISN'T EASY, PART TWO
Arizona State is one of just a dozen teams to play in the past three NCAA Championships. UCLA, Stanford, USC, Oklahoma State, Washington, Florida, Texas A&M, Illinois, Texas, Virginia and Oregon are the others.
START IT OVER
Back in 2002, Randy Lein saw ASU's 18-year NCAA championship consecutive streak snapped in a season that had injuries and bad luck. ASU is back in the saddle with eight straight, and to show you how competitive the NCAA men's golf championships is, that streak already is tied for the third-best active streak, as Georgia had a 12-year streak snapped in 2010 and Wake Forest had a five-year run ended. Only four teams have made the NCAAs in each of the past eight seasons.
CURRENT CONSECUTIVE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP APPERANCES
Oklahoma State, 1947-2010, 64
Florida, 2001-2010, 10
Arizona State, 2003-2010, 8
UCLA, 2003-2010, 8
UNDER LEIN
ASU has finished first (1996), fourth (1995), fifth (1998 and 1999), tied for fifth (1997 and 2009), sixth (1993, 2001 and 2003), tied for eighth (2010), tied for ninth (1994), tied for 11th (2005), tied for 17th (2008), tied for 18th (2007), tied for 21st (2004) and tied for 25th (2001) under 18th-year coach Randy Lein in the NCAA Championship.
NCAA CHAMPS FROM ASU/PAC-10
ASU has had four NCAA medalists on six occasions: Jim Carter (1983), Phil Mickelson (1989, 1990, 1992), Todd Demsey (1993) and Alejandro Canizares (2003). Other Pac-10 winners include: Frank Tatum Jr. of Stanford (1942), Scott Simpson of USC (1976 and 1977), Ron Commans of USC (1981), Tiger Woods of Stanford (1996), James Lepp of Washington (2005), Jamie Lovemark of USC (2007) and Kevin Chappell of UCLA (2008).
IMPRESSIVE
Randy Lein has recruited a European Amateur champion (Stephan Gross in 2008), a NCAA champion (Alejandro Canizares in 2003), a U.S. Amateur champion (Jeff Quinney in 2000), a U.S. Public Links champion (Chez Reavie in 2001), an Arizona Amateur champion (Jesse Mueller, 2001) and an English Amateur champion (Paul Casey, 1998 and 1999) to ASU.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES
ASU has made 17 NCAA Championship appearances in Randy Lein's 18 years (1993-2010), tied for the second-best mark in the nation with Florida.
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS (1993-2010)
Oklahoma State-18
Arizona State and Florida-17
Arizona-16
Clemson and Georgia Tech-15
Texas and Wake Forest-14
North Carolina and UNLV-13
Auburn, Georgia and New Mexico-12
COACH LEIN IN TOP TEN
Randy Lein has finished in the top ten at the NCAA Championship 11 times in his 18 years at ASU, behind only Oklahoma State (13).
NCAA TOP-10 FINISHES (1993-2010)
Oklahoma State-13
Arizona State and Clemson-11
Georgia Tech-10
Florida-8
Texas-7
CHAMPS FROM THE PAC-10
Pac-10 teams ASU (1996), Cal (2004), Stanford (2007 and 1994) and UCLA (2008) have won NCAA men's golf titles in the past 18 years. Other Pac-10 teams to win the title are Stanford (1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1953), UCLA (1988) and Arizona (1992).
COACH LEIN IN TOP FIVE
Coach Randy Lein has finished in the top five at the NCAA Championship six times in his 18 years, behind only Oklahoma State (11), Georgia Tech (eight) and Clemson (seven) in that time.
NCAA TOP-FIVE FINISHES (1993-2010)
Oklahoma State-11
Clemson-8
Georgia Tech-7
Arizona State and Texas-6
Stanford and Florida-5