Day One Copper Cup Recap: Luke Potter Wins Two Matches, Sun Devils Face USC Monday

MARICOPA, Ariz. – The Sun Devil men’s golf team opened the spring season Sunday in the first of two days at The Copper Cup presented by Goldberg Family Foundation at AK-Chin Southern Dunes Golf Club in Maricopa. ASU fell in a close match to Arizona (6.5 – 4.5), and now will face USC on Monday in the consolation match. 

ASU notched 2.5 points in the morning in alternate shots, but couldn’t get the four points in the afternoon singles matches. The Ryder-Cup-style tournament had four matches in the morning (alternate shots) and eight singles matches in the afternoon.

Luke Potter was the only Sun Devil to get a point in the morning and afternoon.

COURSE HISTORY

AK-Chin Southern Dunes is the host of the Saguaro Amateur on a course that is familiar to most players on all teams. The championship Australian Sand Belt-style golf course sits on 320 acres of land that was once a part of Ak-Chin’s original May 1912 reservation before it was removed by Presidential Executive Order in late 1912. Nearly 100 years later, in 2010, the Community recovered its sacred land when it purchased the Brian Curley and Fred Couples designed facility after it was originally developed as a private club.

FALL RECAP

The Sun Devils had a very successful fall tournament schedule, consistently placing in the top five. The Sun Devils are now 184-35-3 in head-to-head play the past two seasons (after going 143-27-3 last year), including 41-8 in the fall. Preston Summerhays won the Sahalee Players Championship to earn a PGA chance in Napa Valley at the Fortinet Championship. Arizona State finished out their season with a match play victory at Cypress Point, where Ryggs Johnston, Nicholas Prieto, and Luke Potter had wins over Texas.

SUNDAY MORNING ALTERNATE BALL (ASU LED 2.5-1.5 AFTER FOUR MORNING ROUNDS)

Kiko Coelho/Luke Potter (ASU) defeated Johnny Walker/Zach Pollo (UA), 1-UP

Sam Summerhauser/Jackson Norwich (UA) defeated Anawin Pikulthong/Connor Williams (ASU), 1-UP

Tianyi Xiong/Flip Jakubcic (UA) vs. Ryggs Johnston/Preston Summerhays (ASU), All Squared

Jose Ballester/Wenyi Ding (ASU) def. Yannick Malik/Griffin Rhoads (UA), 3 & 1

 

SINGLES MATCHES (UA EARNS FIVE SINGLES POINTS TO WIN MATCH)

Griffin Rhoads (UA) def. Josele Ballester (ASU), 2 & 1

Johnny Walker (UA) def. Gabe Salvanera (ASU), 4 & 2

Zach Pollo (UA) def. Michael Mjaaseth (ASU), 3 & 2

Yannick Malik (UA) def. Wenyi Ding (ASU), 2 & 1

Nicholas Prieto (ASU) def. Jackson Norwich (UA), 4 & 3

Ryggs…