The Sun Devils roster of seven features two seniors and five underclassmen. Four of the five scorers from last year’s championship lineup have given way to a youth movement.
Despite the turnover, Arizona State had a fall calendar filled with elite competition, high finishes and low scoring cards. Depth has proven evident, as the Sun Devils used a different combination of its five scorers in three of the four fall tournaments.
Following a fall slate that saw ASU match up against the best in the nation, head coach Matt Thurmond feels that this squad is ready to compete with the best.
“Sometimes you think depth is numbers but depth is really the strength of the ones you have,” coach Thurmond said. “To win a national championship, you have five points each match and they’re all equal. Having five guys that are really strong any time we tee it up is massive.
In their four fall tournaments, the Sun Devils never finished lower than fourth. ASU’s Maui Jim Intercollegiate performance resulted in a program record 40-under par for a tournament including 23-under 257 in the second round, eventually finishing second.
Michael Mjaaseth also tied for the win in the individual tournament at 14-under in his first collegiate appearance.
They followed that up with a fourth place finish at the Fighting Illini Invitational. Ryggs Johnston carded a six-under 64 in the second round. It was the second best round in the 16-year history of the tournament, only bested by one stroke from PGA Tour Professionals Rickie Fowler and Thomas Gentry.
“It was a good fall season for me,” Johnston said. “It was nice to get started right off the bat. I played a good preseason and then started out with two really good tournaments. Probably the high point would be the Fighting Illini. It was pretty fun to be in the mix there and have a chance to win that at the end.”
The opportunity to win proved a common mentality for Arizona State.
A third place finish at the Colonial Collegiate gave way to the East Lake Cup. The tournament hosted the top four teams from last year’s NCAA Championship. Freshman Luke Potter finished second overall in stroke play and ASU won the team competition. They followed it up with a win against Pepperdine before falling to Vanderbilt in the championship.
“The East Lake Cup was my favorite tournament this fall,”…
..
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at Arizona State University Athletics…