# #

Men's Golf Excited For Top-Level Schedule in 2021-22

by thesundevils.com
Aug 25, 2021
Ryggs Johnston finished the 2020-21 season ranked No. 21 by Golfstat.

Last year, the Sun Devil men's golf team played no fall tournaments and played 1,000 in the spring.

OK, not really, it just felt like that (41 rounds in 136 days in the spring), but the 2021-22 schedule begins in mid-September just like old times and has the Sun Devils traveling to Texas, Illinois, Ohio, Florida and Georgia in a 45-day span to compete against similar NCAA Championship contenders.

ASU will open its spring season with the second Copper Cup against Arizona, and then make trips to California, Hawaii, Mexico, Florida and Eugene before returning home to host its annual Thunderbird Collegiate April 15-16 at Papago Golf Club.

"Look at this schedule!" says head coach Matt Thurmond. "It's actually really amazing to see the courses we are playing and the places we are going. We are playing various PGA Tour courses, scattered all over the country, against the very best competition. We don't really schedule to pad our ranking or guarantee wins, but instead for player development. Playing this schedule will give us all kinds of weather, grass types, course difficulties, and time zones and Sun Devils can now watch us play on Golf Channel four times this year."
 
"While we are traveling all over the country and beyond to play this season, we also have three tournaments right here in our own community for our local fans, supporters, and students to attend."

Below is a list and breakdown of the tournaments the Sun Devils are scheduled to compete for a championship in 2021-22.

----------------------------------------------------
MARIDOE COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL (SEPT. 13-15)/DALLAS, TX/MARIDOE GOLF CLUB HOSTED BY NORTH TEXAS
Golf Channel will air three hours every day of live coverage at the Maridoe Collegiate Invitational, going from 4-7 p.m. ET.  The course will play as a par-72 at more than 7,600 yards. Schools competing with ASU are Baylor, Florida Gulf Coast, Howard, Liberty, North Texas, Ohio State, Oklahoma, SMU, TCU, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Texas, USC and Wake Forest.

----------------------------------------------------
FIGHTING ILLINI INVITATIONAL (SEPT. 17-19)/OLYMPIA FIELDS, IL/OLYMPIA FIELDS COUNTRY CLUB HOSTED BY ILLINOIS
Niklas Lemke won the 2006 Illini Invitational with a 66 in the final round.

----------------------------------------------------
BARBARA NICKLAUS CUP (OCT. 4-5)/COLUMBUS, OH/MUIRFIELD VILLAGE HOSTED BY OHIO STATE
Muirfield Village Golf Club was the dream and work of Jack Nicklaus. The land was acquired in 1966, but construction did not begin until July 28, 1972. The golf course is situated on 220 acres, which includes an 11-acre driving range. The course was officially dedicated on Memorial Day, May 27, 1974, with an exhibition match between Nicklaus and Tom Weiskopf. Nicklaus scored a six-under par 66, which stood as the course record until 1979. Along with hosting the prestigious Memorial Tournament, the course has also hosted the 1986 U.S. Junior Amateur, the 1987 Ryder Cup Matches, the U.S.G.A's 1992 United States Amateur Championship, the 1995 Wendy's Three-Tour Challenge, and the 1998 Solheim Cup.

----------------------------------------------------
ISLEWORTH COLLEGIATE INVITATIONAL (OCT. 17-19)ORLANDO, FL/ISLEWORTH GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUBHOSTED BY UCF
Often called the Tavistock Invitational, the Isleworth is the second of three straight events in the Eastern Time Zone for the Sun Devils

----------------------------------------------------
EASTLAKE CUP (OCT. 25-27)/ORLANDO, FL/EAST LAKE GOLF CLUG HOSTED BY GOLF CHANNEL
ASU makes its first appearance in the event, which showcases the top performers from previous years NCAA Championship in a match play format after one round of individual stroke play.

----------------------------------------------------
COPPER CUP/ (JAN. 16-17)/AK-CHIN SOUTHERN DUNES/MARICOPA, AZ/ARIZONA STATE
The second annual Copper Cup, a two-day, four-round match -- think Ryder Cup format -- between the Arizona and Arizona State men's golf teams, will take place Jan. 16-17 (Sunday-Monday) at Ak-Chin Southern Dunes in Maricopa. The teams will play four four-ball matches on Jan. 16 in the morning, followed by eight single matches in the afternoon. On Jan. 17, four matches with foursomes will take place followed by eight singles matches in the afternoon to finish.

THE 2021 RESULT...
 


----------------------------------------------------
SOUTHWESTERN INVITATIONAL PRESENTED BY TOPGOLF (JAN. 24-26)/NORTH RANCH COUNTRY CLUB/WESTLAKE, CA/PEPPERDINE
The Southwestern Invitational will be contested Monday-Wednesday, Jan. 24-26. Taking place at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif., and hosted by Pepperdine, the competition will feature a 54-hole stroke play team and individual championship. Notable past winners (medalists) include: Tiger Woods, Patrick Cantlay, Paul Casey, Corey Pavin, Billy Mayfair and Anthony Kim. Pepperdine's Sahith Theegala won medalist honors at the 2020 event in January, his second individual Southwestern win (2017). In total, medalists over the years at the Southwestern Invitational account for nearly 120 PGA TOUR victories. The Southwestern Invitational will welcome 12 elite men's golf programs, highlighted by tournament host (and defending champion) Pepperdine, along with reigning national champion (2019) Stanford University. First staged in 1978 as the Southwestern Intercollegiate, the event was established by C.W. Johnson, who served as tournament director for more than 25 years. Pepperdine fully assumed the role of tournament host in 2016.

THE 2021 RESULT...
 


----------------------------------------------------
AMER ARI INVITATIONAL (FEB. 3-5)/WAIKOLOA KINGS/WAIKOLOA, HI/HAWAII
ASU returns for the 31st Hawaii tournament, as it took home team honors in 2015 and 1995 while Todd Demsey (1995), Chris Hanell (1996), Jesper Kennegard (2009) earned individual medalist honors.

THE 2021 RESULT...
 


----------------------------------------------------
CABO COLLEGIATE (FEB. 27-MAR. 1)/CABO, MEXICO/CABO DEL SLO/ARKANSAS
Down some strokes, the Arizona State men's golf team -- playing without senior All-American Chun An Yu as he was competing in the Arnold Palmer Invitational March 5-8 – had a great final round and won the 2020 Cabo Collegiate. The Sun Devils got 3-under-68s from freshman David Puig, sophomore Cameron Sisk and freshman Ryggs Johnston and jumped 36-hole leader Arizona in tough winds to take an 8-stroke victory at 20-under-par 832 (281-277-274). The third-round total of 274 was 10-under-par. Arizona State and Texas A&M were the only teams to break par in the windiest conditions of the three-day event.

THE RESULT...

----------------------------------------------------
VALSPAR COLLEGIATE (MAR. 28-29)/PALM CITY, FL/FLORIDAN GOLF CLUB/HOUSTON
Floridian Golf Club is the site of the Valspar Collegiate in the middle of March. 

THE 2021 RESULT...
 

----------------------------------------------------
THE DUCK (MAR. 21-22/EUGENE, OR/EUGENE COUNTRY CLUB/OREGON
The Sun Devils and the 2021 U.S. Open champion both won this event in 2015. The Sun Devils were the only team to finish under par, shooting a tournament total of 1-under 863 (288-291-284) at the par-72, 7,020-yard Eugene Country Club. 

----------------------------------------------------
ASU THUNDERBIRD COLLEGIATE (APRIL 15-16)/PAPAGO GOLF COURSE /PHOENIX, AZ/ASU
In 2021 ASU marked 48 competition years and counting for the Thunderbird. ASU has hosted the event since 1973 and has now won 12 of the past 22 (1999-2001, 2003-04, 2008-09, 2014-15, 2017-18-19) and 19 of the past 32, including the 2018 win over eventual 2018 NCAA champion Oklahoma State and the 2019 defeat of the Cowboys.

ASU THUNDERBIRD SUN DEVIL MEDALISTS
Chun An Yu, 2019
Jon Rahm, 2014, 2015, 2016
Stephan Gross, 2009 (shared)
Alejandro Canizares, 2004
Paul Casey, 2000
Jeff Quinney, 1999
Todd Demsey, 1995
Larry Barber, 1994
Phil Mickelson, 1991 and 1992
Jim Carter, 1984
Mark Sollenberger, 1974

----------------------------------------------------
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP (APRIL 25-27)/ALDARRA GOLF CLUB/SEATTLE, WA/WASHINGTON
Arizona State has won 12 Pac-10 titles in its 42 competition seasons, including a conference record six straight from 1995-2000. In addition to the six straight Pac-10 titles, ASU's other six Pac-10 titles were in 1979 (its first year in the league), 1981, 1989, 1990, 1993 and 2008. ASU tied for the league title in 2005 with Washington but lost on a tiebreaker formula, and the league decided to go to a playoff format after that season. 
 
PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP SUN DEVIL MEDALISTS
Jon Rahm, 2016
Paul Casey (3), 2000, 1999, 1998
Scott Johnson, 1997
Phil Mickelson, 1990
Dan Forsman and Tony Grimes, 1981(co-medalists)
Jim Bertoncino , 1980 (co-medalist)
Scott Watkins and Dan Croonquist, 1979 (co-medalists)

----------------------------------------------------
NCAA REGIONALS (MAY 15-18)/SPECIFIC SITE AND COURSE TBD SELECTED IN LATE APRIL
With the team victory and Jon Rahm's title at the 2016 Albuquerque Regional, ASU has won or tied for a NCAA regional title seven times. ASU tied with Arizona in 1991 and tied with New Mexico in 1998. It won the title outright in 1995, 1999, 2001 2009 and 2016. In addition to Rahm's two titles (2015 as well), Sun Devil Paul Casey won a 1998 individual regional title outright followed by Jeff Quinney (1999), Benjamin Alvarado Holley (2007) and then Jesper Kennegard in 2009. Matt Jones shared medalist honors in 2001.

2022 REGIONAL LOCATIONS (MAY 15-18)
Traditions Club, College Station, TX (Texas A&M)
PGA National Resort-Champion Course, Palm Beach Gardens, FL (Florida Atlantic/Palm Beach County Sports Commission)
The Course at Yale, New Haven, CT (Yale)
The Reserve at Spanos Park, Stockton, CA (Pacific and Visit Stockton)
Ol' Colony Golf Complex, Tuscaloosa, CA (Alabama)
Ohio State Golf Club, Columbus, OH (Ohio State)

----------------------------------------------------
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP (MAY 27-JUNE 1)/GRAYHAWK RAPTOR/SCOTTSDALE, AZ/ARIZONA STATE
Sun Devil sixth-year head coach Matt Thurmond leads the Sun Devils, who under 2008 National Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee and Pac-12 Coach of the Century Randy Lein won the 1996 team title and won the 1990 title under 2002 ASU Hall of Fame and 2009 NGCA Hall of Fame inductee Steve Loy. ASU has now made the NCAA Finals in the 16 of the past 19 seasons and 34 of past 37. Arizona State in 1990 is the only program to have its men's and women's teams win the NCAA golf championships in the same season (1990). The Sun Devils tied for third in 2021, losing in the semifinals to top-ranked Oklahoma after earning its first match play win in history over North Carolina.

MOST NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES
OKLAHOMA STATE, 73
TEXAS, 66
USC, 58
ARIZONA STATE, 56

Related News & Videos