June 5, 2012
Nogales' Sanchez living life to fullest (by Pat Finley, Arizona Daily Star/June 4, 2012)
Cross-border golf phenom makes U.S. Open (by Tod Leonard, San Diego Union Tribune/June 13, 2012)
Sanchez goes to school with Mickelson (by Tod Leonard, San Diego Union Tribune/June 13, 2012
Sun Devil signee Alberto Sanchez enjoys a spectacular debut at the U.S. Open Championship
@ASU_Alumni Mueller captures first pro tour win (Gothenburg Times/May 24, 2012)
Everyone knows that 1992 Sun Devil graduate Phil Mickelson will be at the U.S. Open next weekend at the Olympic Club in San Francisco, with 40 PGA Tour wins and four majors in his trophy case.
He will be joined by former Sun Devil All-Americans Chez Reavie and Paul Casey. Casey was a first-team All-American in 2000 and a second-team All-American in 1998-99, a three-time Pac-10 champion and the English Amateur winner in 1999 and 2000. Reavie won the 2001 U.S. Public Links title and was a 2004 second-team All-American after earning All-America status in 2001 and 2003.
But they also will be joined by two other Sun Devils on arguably golf's biggest stage that represent the past and the present.
Mesa native Jesse Mueller, a 2005 graduate of Arizona State who played for four seasons and also won the 2001 Arizona Amateur, qualified in section play in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, while incoming freshman Alberto Sanchez qualified in California.
The 29-year old Mueller earned his B.S. in marketing in May of 2005 and competed in 47 events in four-year Sun Devil career. He improved his stroke average by a full stroke from the previous year in each of his first three seasons and then by nearly a half stroke between from to junior and senior season. A local product from Mesa, he became the second youngest player to win the Arizona Amateur when he won the title on July 21, 2001.
He won the GOLFWEEK National Pro Tour's stop in Gothenburg, Neb., at the end of May with a 14-under 274 in the Midwest Open. He was in a two-way tie on the top of the leaderboard following the first day of play with a six-under 66. He had a 75 on the second day and then shot a 66 in the third round and finished with a 67.
The 17-year old Sanchez (he turns 18 on the day of final round) participated in high school graduation ceremonies on Friday and then in the 36-hole U.S. Open sectional qualifying tournament in Northern California on Monday. He posted a 5-under-par 67 at Harding Park in the first round and 1-under 71 at Lake Merced in the second for a 6-under total that put him in a two-way tie for sixth and the top seven scorers advanced.
He played who played two seasons at La Jolla Country Day School in La Jolla, Calif., and posted five birdies and an eagle at Harding Park. He birdied his last hole at Lake Merced, the par-5 9th, to avoid a playoff. He concluded his high school career by finishing third at the San Diego Section Championships.
Sanchez, who is from Nogales, Ariz., had an impressive junior career, as he finished tied for second at the 2009 Under Armour/Hunter Mahan Classic in McKinney, Texas and at the 2008 Stockton Sports Commission Junior Classic in Stockton, Calif. He has two top-10 finishes in the Heather Farr Classic, finishing tied for fifth in 2010 and tied for seventh in 2009.
MORE ON SANCHEZ...
At the age of fourteen played in the 2009 Thunderbird Invitational, becoming one of the youngest competitors in the event's history...top-12 finish at the 2009 Junior World Championship at Torrey Pines South...along with former Sun Devils Scott Pinckney and Philip Francis represented the Arizona Delegation on the Morse Cup team at the 2010 Pacific Coast Amateur...qualified for the 2010 Pacific Coast Amateur, winning the qualifier while shooting a final round 63 at The Legacy Golf Club...tied for 25th at the 2010 Pacific Coast Amateur...at age of 15 was low amateur in Monday Qualifier for the 2009 PGA Tour's Frys.com (69)...has played in prestigious events like the Footjoy Invitational, The Rolex Tournament of Champions, The Junior Players Championship, HP Invitational, The Polo Golf Junior Classic, The Western Junior Championship, and twice qualified for the United States Junior Amateur Championship.