Day One Recap From NCAA Men's Golf Regional

Arizona State is one of seven teams within nine shots of the lead at the Rancho Santa Fe Men's Golf Regional held at The Farms Golf Club after the first round Monday.

ASU shot 6-over 286, with North Florida leading the way at 3-under 277. Josele Ballester, Wenyi Ding and Connor Williams are all tied for 13th at 1-over 71

ASU will tee with Washington and South Florida starting at 8:55 a.m. Tuesday in the second of three rounds.

THE FORMAT
Six 54-hole regional tournaments will be conducted May 13-15. Thirteen teams and 10 individuals not on those teams will compete at each of three regionals while the other three regionals will have 14 teams and five individuals not on those teams. The top five teams and the low individual not on those teams from each regional will advance to the finals. Team and individual medalist titles will be decided May 24-29 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. Texas is the host institution for the 2024 championships.

REGIONAL ALWAYS TOUGH
NCAA golf regional action annually is a time when several possible championship contenders don't make it through to NCAA Championships. The following note puts into perspective how difficult it is to advance...eight of the Top-30 Golfstat teams did not make the cut in 2023: #7 Auburn, #8 Oregon, #11 Arizona, #19 UCF, #20 Iowa State, #21 Florida, #23 Ohio State and #29 Kentucky.

NCAA MEN'S GOLF RANCHO SANTA FE REGIONAL
THE FARMS GOLF CLUB
FIRST ROUND (MAY 13)
PAR 70/6,962 YARDS
MAY 13-15, 2024
North Florida 277/-3
Oklahoma State 278/-2
California 280/E
Oklahoma 284/+4
San Diego 285/+5
West Virginia 285/+5
Arizona State 286/+6
Washington 290/+10
South Florida 293/+13
Chattanooga 294/+14
Kansas 297/+17
Wright State 298/+18
Seton Hall 302/+22
Winthrop 305/+25

ABOUT THE FIELD
The Pac-12 champion Sun Devils are the top regional seed in the 14-team Rancho Santa Fe field held at The Farms Club, with West Coast Conference champion University of San Diego as the host. ASU will be joined by Washington, Oklahoma, California, Oklahoma State, North Florida, Chattanooga, South Florida (AAC champion), West Virginia, Kansas, Wright State (Horizon League champion), Seton Hall (Big East champion) anad Winthrop (Big South champion). ASU has won back-to-back regionals, is 97-under in that time and has won or tied for a NCAA regional title nine times. ASU tied with Arizona in 1991 and tied with New Mexico in 1998. It won the title outright in 1995, 1999, 2001 2009, 2016, 2022 and 2023.

SUN DEVIL MEN'S GOLF REGIONAL TITLES
2023: Las Vegas, Nevada
2022: Stockton, California
2016: Albuquerque, New Mexico
2009: Daly City, California
2001: Corvallis, Oregon
1999: Tucson, Arizona
1998: Tempe, Arizona (tie)
1995: Albuquerque, New Mexico
1991: Albuquerque, New Mexico (tie) 

BUSHNELL COACHES POLL
ASU is ranked third in the May 3 Bushnell Coaches poll, behind only Auburn and Vanderbilt. Pac-12 foes ranked include Washington (ninth), Arizona (12th), California (22nd) and Oregon (24th), while Big 12 future opponent Texas Tech is 15th.

REGIONAL HOSTS
University Club – Baton Rouge, Louisiana (LSU)
Finley Golf Club – Chapel Hill, North Carolina (North Carolina)
Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex – West Lafayette, Indiana  (Purdue)
The Farms Golf Club – Rancho Santa Fe, California (San Diego)
Stanford Golf Course – Stanford, California  (Stanford)
The University of Texas Golf Club – Austin, Texas (Texas)
 
DEFENDING CHAMPION
Florida is the defending national champion after claiming its fifth national championship. The Gators defeated Georgia Tech, 3-1 in the 2023 national championship match at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

LAST YEAR IN LAS VEGAS
ASU emerged victorious in record-breaking fashion from four strokes down to win the 2023 Las Vegas NCAA Regional, shooting 21-under 267 (65-67-67-68=267) to outpace No. 8 Stanford by two strokes. ASU shot 59-under (262-276-267=805) for the tournament led by Preston Summerhays' magnificent round of 65, while Josele Ballester's and Michael Mjaaseth rounds of 67 placed them in the top-10 at Bear's Best Las Vegas. The final round of 59-under set the NCAA postseason record as well as the Pac-12 record previously set by USC in 2005 at 54-under. It marked the team's ninth regional victory, tying Texas for second-most all-time and the second consecutive year ASU had claimed a regional title after winning the Stockton regional in 2022 by ten strokes. It marked the 58th time the program had reached the national championship, tied for the most in the Pac-12.

NOTCHED A NCAA REGIONAL WIN IN 2022
The Sun Devil men's golf team advanced to the 2022 NCAA Championship in convincing fashion with a win at the Stockton Regional. The Sun Devils shot 38-under 826 (279-276-271) and had all four players who competed each day finish in the top 10. All-American David Puig -- who sat out the first round as he returned from a back injury -- wasted no time in proving he is back going 8-under in his two rounds (69-67). Mason Andersen tied for second at 10-under 206 (70-68-68), while freshman Josele Ballester tied for sixth at 8-under 208 (68-69-71). Freshman Preston Summerhays (72-70-67) and senior Cameron Sisk (69-71-69) tied for tenth at 7-under 209.

SUN DEVIL MEN'S REGIONAL FINISHES UNDER MATT THURMOND
2023: 1st/Las Vegas, Nevada
2022: 1st/Stockton, California
2021: T-2nd/Albuquerque, N.M.
2019: T-2nd/Stanford, California
2018: 5th/Raleigh, N.C.
2017: 5th/Austin, Texas

COACH THURMOND REGIONAL NOTE: Coach Thurmond has reached the NCAA Championship in all six chances at ASU. Since becoming a head coach in 2002, his squads have made the NCAA Championship in 18 of his 21 seasons, missing only in 2016, 2011 and 2007.

REGIONAL NOTE: The 2024 Regional will marked just the sixth time ASU has competed in a NCAA regional in the Pacific Time Zone in 14 years (2010-present). It won the Las Vegas Regional in 2023, the Stockton Regional in 2022, tied for second at Stanford in 2019, was second in San Diego in 2015 and fifth in Tempe in 2013.

SUN DEVIL MEN'S GOLF REGIONAL FINISHES
2023: 1st/Las Vegas, Nevada
2022: 1st/Stockton, California
2021: T-2nd/Albuquerque, New Mexico
2019: T-2nd/Stanford, California
2018: 5th/Raleigh, N.C.
2017: 5th/Austin, Texas
2016: 1st/Albuquerque, New Mexico
2015: 2nd/San Diego, California
2014: 6th/Columbia, Mo.
2013: 5th/Tempe, Arizona
2012: DNC
2011: T-4th/Erie, Colorado
2010: T-4th/Atlanta, Georgia
2009: 1st/Daly City, California
2008: 8th/Bremerton, Washington
2007: T-3rd/Tempe, Arizona
2006: T-3rd/Tucson, Arizona
2005: T-4th/Stanford, California
2004: 4th/Sunriver, Oregon
2003: T-5th/Seattle, Washington
2002: 20th/Albuquerque, New Mexico
2001: 1st/Corvallis, Oregon
2000: T-6th/Fresno, California
1999: 1st/Tucson, Arizona
1998: T-1st/Tempe, Arizona
1997: 2nd/Santee, California
1996: 2nd/Stanford, California
1995: 1st/Albuquerque, New Mexico
1994: 2nd/Tucson, Arizona
1993: 2nd/Provo, Utah
1992: 2nd/Tucson, Arizona
1991: T-1st/Albuquerque, New Mexico
1990: 3rd/Las Cruces, New Mexico
1989: 2nd/El Paso, Texas

SUN DEVILS AS NCAA REGIONAL CHAMPIONS
Jon Rahm, 2016 and 2015
Jesper Kennegard, 2009
Ben Alvarado, 2007
Matt Jones, 2001 (shared)
Jeff Quinney, 1999
Paul Casey, 1998