Luke Potter is one of two freshmen on Arizona State’s men’s golf team and joined a decorated program that was one match away from being national champions.
The Sun Devils have one of the smallest rosters in the country which boasts only seven golfers, after losing veteran talent, Potter has stepped up already in the biggest of ways during the fall season alongside fellow freshman Michael Mjaaseth.
Coming from California, the freshman accumulated many honors when he competed in high school, including being the California State Individual Champion and becoming a three-time Rolex All-American. One of his biggest achievements in his young career was being named California Freshman Athlete of the Year, in which the last California freshman to accomplish that was a young Tiger Woods.
Being part of one of the country’s most highly decorated golf teams comes with high expectations, but Potter answered the call early in his collegiate career.
“Everyone had really high expectations for Luke.” head coach Matt Thurmond said. “We’ve been hearing about Luke Potter forever, so we expected him to come in and make an impact.”
Confidence is one thing that Potter has always had. He searches for any competitive battle at practice and during competition to gain the extra edge. “Luke came in, he’s this young freshman, he’s got a swagger to him.” Senior Ryggs Johnson said. He relishes his time on the practice range and strives to get better every day as a golfer.
“Golf is a game where it’s impossible to master and I get here, show up to The Thunderbird every day trying to get better.” Potter said. “It’s something that I enjoy, just practicing, working hard and being outside.”
The Maui Jim Intercollegiate was Potter’s first taste of collegiate golf right in Scottsdale. The freshman started his career by shooting a 68 and leading the team in birdies with seven on day one. He would later finish five-under par 65 (68-67-70=205/-5) and notch a top-25 finish in his first career start at ASU.
“When you step on the first tee with the ASU colors on, it means something different.” Potter said. “So there’s definitely a lot of nerves on the first tee but it was more of like, excitement and ready to get going, I was happy to have a decent tournament.”
After the Maui Jim, he would compete in two more…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Arizona State University Athletics…