Next Man Up: Thomas Sutton Named Men's Golf Associate Head Coach
Sun Devil head men's golf coach Matt Thurmond has named Thomas Sutton as an associate head coach after Armen Kirakossian earned the UCLA head coaching position. The Huskies earned the Pac-12 title this year and Sutton was part of a program that recorded 11 team wins in his five seasons.
The Huskies were ranked No. 10 this past year, its best mark since 2013-14, as Sutton was part of a program that posted a first-team All-American, an honorable mention All-American, five All-West Region picks, a Pac-12 Player of the Year and seven All-Pac-12 picks.
"There are so many different roles and skills expected in this job and I think Thomas has them all," notes Coach Thurmond. "He connects well with players on and off the course and knows how to communicate and coach them. I think he shines as a leader by how he lives his life and lifts everyone else's around him. He's a hard worker and he's smart. Armen left him some very big shoes to fill and he can do it...I'm excited to work with Thomas and our program will continue to grow and improve."
Sutton also spent two seasons as assistant coach at UAB, where he both played and graduated from in 2014 with a degree in accounting. He competed professionally for two seasons, played in two NCAA Championships and was team captain in junior and senior seasons.
Farewell and good luck to Thomas Sutton, who has taken a position as associate head coach with @sundevilmgolf.
Thank you for all you've done at UW, Thomas!#GoHuskies pic.twitter.com/7hh0hkGBgl
— Washington Men's Golf (@UW_MGolf) June 17, 2022
SOLID COACHING TREE
Sun Devil head coach Matt Thurmond can be proud of his former assistants as six have moved on to head coaching positions. Armen Kirakossian is the most recent, including three currently in the Pac-12. Oregon State under John Reehoorn earned a regional bid for just the second time in the past seven chances and its sixth-place Pac-12 2021 finish matched its best in past eight while Garrett Clegg at Utah led his program to a regional for the first time since 1992 and to the NCAA Championships in 2022 for the first time in three decades. Outside the Pac-12 Michael Wilson at Long Beach State won its first conference title since 2004 and made its first regional appearance since 2012 and just its fourth overall in 2021. Dan Potter at Boise State took the Broncos to regionals for the first time since 1994 and just second time overall in 2021. Van Williams, a fifth former assistant -- this one from Arizona State -- is also leading the program at Wofford.
QUOTING WASHINGTON HUSKY RJ MANKE, 2022 FIRST-TEAM ALL-AMERICAN AND PAC-12 PLAYER OF THE YEAR
"Although I only played for Coach Sutton for one year, the impact he made on my golfing career will last a lifetime. He uses his experiences on the course to teach his players the strategic and mental skills of the game. Thomas created a fun team environment both on and off the course through competition, camaraderie, and maximizing opportunity. Thomas will be missed at University of Washington, but I know that he will cherish the relationships and experiences he made in Seattle as he helps build lifelong memories for his players."
QUOTING WOOLSEY, ALL-AMERICAN, PAC-12 CHAMPION AND PGA TOUR CANADA MEMBER
"Thomas and I spent the last five years together at the University of Washington and has made such an impact on our team's culture, mindset, and individual games. His ability to inject a mix of fun and competition into whatever he is doing easily makes him one of the best assistants in the country."
QUOTING COACH THOMAS SUTTON
"I would like to thank Coach Thurmond and ASU for this opportunity. Working with Coach Thurmond became a hope of mine as soon as I coached against him for the first time. The energy and passion surrounding his program instantly stood out as being something special. Combine that with ASU's rich history and a recent string of excellent seasons, and it was an opportunity that I could not wait to grab with both hands. The program is in a great position thanks to Coach Kirakossain. It was noticeable looking from the outside-in, but since starting, it's become apparent Armen has left big shoes to fill as his work will have long lasting impacts on the success of this program. I can't wait to get to Tempe, meet the guys, and go to battle with them this year."