May 22, 1998
ASU TRAVELS TO NCAA championship MAY 27-30: A young Arizona State men's golf team travels to Albuquerque for the 1998 NCAA Championships at UNM's Championship Course (par-72, 7,248 yards). UNM hosted the 1992 championships as well, when Sun Devil Phil Mickelson won the individual title with a four-round score of 271. The 30 teams will play 18 holes each day beginning on Wednesday, May 27 and concluding on Saturday, May 30 for a 72-hole championship. With six individuals also competing, there are 156 golfers on the course the first two days of competition.
ASU, winners of a Pac-10 record four straight league championships and national champions in 1990 and 1996, also has a current string of 10 straight NCAA top-10 finishes, the best current mark in the nation. ASU is the only team to finish in the top five at the NCAAs in each of the past three years. ASU is coached by sixth-year head coach Randy Lein, the 1996 National Coach of the Year.
Arizona State has been led by three freshmen for most of 1997-1998, as either Paul Casey (1998 Pac-10 and NCAA West Region Medalist), Jeff Quinney (Second-Team All-Pac-10) or Jin Park (tied for fourth at Pac-10s) have posted the best Sun Devil finish in 10 of 12 tourrnaments. The Sun Devils, who tied for first with New Mexico at the NCAA West Regional on May 14-16 in Tempe, will make their 37th appearance in the NCAA Championships and won the NCAA title in both 1990 and 1996. ASU tied for fifth at the 1997 Championships held at Conway Farms Golf Club in Lake Forest, Ill., with a four-round score of 1,156 (+20).
The Sun Devils have averaged a 4.6 finish at the NCAA Championships in the past 10 years, with only Oklahoma State (4.5) having a better average finish in that time. Paul Casey will be attempting to become just the second golfer to win the Pac-10 title, the NCAA West Region and the NCAA title in the same year (Tiger Woods turned the hat trick in 1996).
MIGHTY CASEY: Arizona State freshman Paul Casey is one of the hottest golfers in the nation, as he has won three of his past five tournaments...has eight rounds in the 60s...is averaging a 68 in his past five rounds...shot 68 and 66 in the final two rounds of the Pac-10 Championship and went 70-65-71 in the NCAA West Regional.
TEE TIMES, PRACTICE TIMES, ETC: Arizona State will tee off from the No. 10 tee on the first day of competition (Wednesday, May 27) at 1:12 p.m. MT (12:12 p.m. Arizona Time), with the final Sun Devil (Paul Casey) set to tee at 1:48 p.m. (12:48 p.m. Arizona Time). On Thursday, May 28, ASU will hit from the first tee at 8:15 a.m., with Paul Casey teeing at 8:51 a.m. The Sun Devils enter the NCAA Tournament as the No. 8 seed and will play with seventh-seeded Houston and ninth-seeded Arizona. ASU's practice round times are 11:50 a.m. from the first tee on Monday, May 25, and 8:20 a.m. from the tenth tee on Tuesday, May 26.
TEAMS/INDIVIDUALS/RANKINGS: In the May 20 MasterCard Rankings, UNLV is the top-ranked team in the nation, with Arizona State ranked 10th.
Individually, Paul Casey is ranked 16th and is the second-ranked freshman in the nation, behind only Bryce Molder of Georgia Tech. ASU freshman Jeff Quinney is ranked 63rd.
RESULTS: Results from the 1998 NCAA Championships can be obtained from the Info Connection by calling (770) 563-1131, conference code 922, document number 1830. Results also will be on the internet at: www.unm.edu/lobo/ncaagolf.html after the final round of competition each day.
TOURNAMENT DATES SITE RESULT/NOTES
Tucker Invitational 9/19-20 Albuquerque, N.M. T-7th/Jin Park T-27th
Ping Preview 9/29-30 Albuquerque, N.M. T-9th/Paul Casey T-15th
Jerry Pate National 10/20-21 Birmingham, Ala. 9th/Jeff Quinney T-13th
Golf World/Palmetto Dunes 11/15-16 Hilton Head, S.C. 7th/Jeff Quinney T-6th
Ping/Arizona Invitational 2/2-3 Tucson, Ariz. T-3rd/Darren Angel T-7th
Taylor Made/Big Island Inv. 2/13-15 Waikoloa, Hawaii 9th/Greg Padilla T-11th
Golf Digest Invitational 3/13-15 Las Vegas, Nev. 7th/Paul Casey T-16th
USC/Southwestern Invit. 3/23-24 Los Angeles, Calif. 1st/Paul Casey 1st
U.S. Collegiate Invitational 4/3-5 St. Augustine, Fla. T-6th/Jeff Quinney 7th
ASU Thunderbird/SAVANE Invitational
4/18-19 Tempe, Ariz. 2nd/Paul Casey T-6th
Pac-10 Championships 4/27-29 Orinda, Calif. 1st/Paul Casey 1st
NCAA West Regionals 5/14-16 Tempe, Ariz. T-1st/Paul Casey 1st
NCAA Championships 5/27-30 Albuquerque, N.M. ASU 1990 and 1996 Champ
COURSE INFORMATION: For the second time in seven years, UNM will host the NCAA Men's Championships. The event will be held at the Championship Course at UNM on May 27-30. The course measures 7,248 and is a par 72 with a 74.2 rating. UNM hosted the 1992 championships as well.
THE PAC-10 TITLE: On April 27-29, ASU won its fourth straight Pac-10 title with an 11-shot victory over UCLA. ASU freshman Paul Casey shot a 5-under-par 283 to earn medalist honors. ASU has won nine Pac-10 titles, including four straight (1979, 1981, 1989, 1990, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998). The four straight Pac-10 titles is a conference record for men's golf.
RANDY LEIN: Randy Lein has coached 46 tournament victories in 16 seasons, tutored 34 All-Americans and is in his sixth year as mentor at ASU. Lein added the best accolade in all of collegiate golf in 1995-96 -- the NCAA title -- to his collection of honors as the Sun Devils won the title in Chattanooga, Tenn., with a three-stroke victory over UNLV at the Honors Course.
In his sixth season as ASU's coach, Lein has guided ASU to 23 tournament victories (including a school record six in 1995-96), five Pac-10 titles, two NCAA West Regional wins and five top-10 finishes at the NCAAs including the 1996 title. In addition, Lein has tutored NCAA medalist Todd Demsey and seven All-Americans (13 occasions)-Demsey (3), Chris Hanell (3), Cade Stone, Chris Stutts, (2), Joey Snyder (2), Scott Johnson (2) and Darren Angel. He has won Pac-10 Coach-of-the-Year three times (1993, 1995 and 1996) while at ASU.
Lein (pronounced "Line"), a 1975 graduate of CS Northridge, led the USC to the NCAA finals every year from 1984 through 1992. The Trojans won 23 tournaments in 10 seasons and Lein tutored 21 all-Americas.
BEFORE THE PAC-10 CHAMPIONSHIPS: ASU finished second at its Thunderbird/SAVANE Invitational on April 18-19, with Paul Casey leading the way for ASU, as the freshman tied for sixth with an even 216...ASU finished tied for sixth at the U.S. Collegiate Invitational on April 3-5, with freshman Jeff Quinney posting another strong outing with an even round of 216, good enough for seventh. Casey finished tied for 12th with a 3-over-par 219...ASU won the Cleveland Golf Southwestern Invitational on March 23-24, with Casey leading the way with a 4-under-par 209, which earned him medalist honors. ASU shot a team score of 862 (285-290-287), which was 10-over-par. ASU's top two finishers were freshman: Casey (first) and Quinney (fifth). ASU has now won the USC-hosted event twice in the past three years.
FRESHMAN PAUL CASEY: 1998 Pac-10 Champion and NCAA West Region Champion...First-Team All-Pac-10 in 1998...shot a 10-under-par 206, including a second-round 65, to win the NCAA West Regional in Tempe on May 14-16...the round of 65 tied the course record (competitive play)...born in Cheltenham, England...redshirted in 1996-97...has finished in the top 20 in the past eight tournaments...has a 72.06 stroke average, the best mark on the squad...also won the USC Southwestern Invitational...has five top-10 finishes...has nine top-20 finishes...shot a 66 in the final round of the Southwestern Invitational and in the final round of the 1998 Pac-10 Championships...in his final two rounds at the Pac-10s, he shot a 68 and then a 66 to win the title...in his past five tournaments, he has three first-place finishes, a sixth-place finish and a tie for 12th...ranked 16th in the May 20 MasterCard rankings.
Year App. Top 10 Rds. Avg. Low 1997-98 11 5 33 72.06 65 Low Round: 65 in 2nd round of 1998 NCAA West Regional in Tempe
FRESHMAN JEFF QUINNEY: ASU's second-best scorer on the year with a 72.94 stroke average...shot a 68 in the third round of the 1998 Pac-10 Championships...has been in the top 20 in five of 10 tournaments...has three top-10 finishes...best finish was a fifth-place finish at the USC Cleveland/Golf Invitational...Second-Team All-Pac-10 in 1998...finished tied for 13th at Jerry Pate Intercollegiate on Oct. 20-21...tied for sixth at Golf World Intercollegiate on Nov. 15-16 with a 4-under-par 212...tied for 20th at Golf Digest Invitational on March 13-15...also had a seventh-place showing at the U.S. Collegiate Invitational...from Eugene, Ore.
Year App. Top 10 Rds. Avg. Low 1997-98 0 3 31 72.94 68 Low Round: 68 in 3rd round of 1998 Pac-10 Championship
JUNIOR GREG PADILLA: An honorable mention All-Pac-10 pick in 1998...has four top-20 finishes this season...shot a 69 in the third round of the 1998 ASU Thunderbird/SAVANE Invitational on April 19...had the best performance of his career in the 1996 Tucker Invitational with a sixth-place (tie) finish...shot a 5-under-par 211, including a low-round of 67 in the second round...made four appearances in rookie season in 1995-96...posted a 75.67 stroke average in four appearances last year...best outing was a 222 (75-73-74) in the 1996 ASU/Thunderbird Invitational (23rd).
Year App. Top 10 Rds. Avg. Low 1997-98 11 1 33 74.12 69 1996-97 11 1 32 75.59 67 1995-96 4 0 12 75.67 72 Low Round: 67 in 2nd round of 1996 Tucker Invitational
JUNIOR DARREN ANGEL: Has played in 11 tournaments on the year...the only player on the Sun Devil roster with NCAA Championship experience...tied for seventh at the Ping Arizona Invitational...has suffered from a wrist injury during parts of this year...missed most of last year due to an injured elbow and illness...earned Pac-10 honorable mention honors last year...the first freshman since Phil Mickelson in 1988-89 to win a tournament when he won the GOLFWEEK /Ping Preview in Cornelius, Ore., on Sept. 16-17, 1995...earned honorable mention All-America honors in 1996, although he ended tied for third at the NCAA Championships...ended his freshman season fifth in the Rolex/Nicklaus rankings...also earned second-team All-Pac-10 honors in 1995-96...has posted seven rounds in the 60s this year...averaging a 71 in his past four rounds.
Year App. Top 10 Rds. Avg. Low 1997-98 11 1 33 73.76 67 1996-97 7 1 19 75.26 70 1995-96 15 6 47 74.17 68
Low Round: 67 in first round of the 1998 Golf Digest Collegiate Invitational and in 4th round of 1998 Pac-10 Championships
FRESHMAN JIN PARK: Has two top-20 finishes this season...tied for 12th at the USC Cleveland Golf Invitational...posted his best showing of the year at the Pac-10 Championships with a 2-under-par 286 (72-72-66-76), which was good enough for a tie for fourth...shot a 66 in the third round of the Pac-10 title.
Year App. Top 10 Rds. Avg. Low 1997-98 10 1 30 74.10 66 Low Round: 66 in 3rd round of the 1998 Pac-10 Champ.
JUNIOR BRAD CANNON: Tied for eighth at Cleveland Golf Southwestern Invitational...tied for 13th at the 1998 ASU Thunderbird/SAVANE Invitational...Phoenix native who tied for first (lost playoff) at 1997 Oregon Duck Inv....was 11th at 1997 ASU Invitational and 13th at 1998 ASU Invitational...was even at both the Duck Invitational and the ASU Invitational...shot a 69 in final round of 1997 Taylor Made Intercollegiate...honorable mention All-Pac-10 in 1997...had a 75.57 stroke average entering this year.
Year App. Top 10 Rds. Avg. Low 1997-98 9 1 27 75.19 68 1996-97 14 1 42 75.57 69 1995-96 9 0 28 75.57 69 Low Round: 68 at 1998 ASU T-Bird/SAVANE Invitational
CHAMPS FROM THE PAC-10: ASU won the 1990 and 1996 men's golf titles. Other Pac-10 teams to win the NCAA Men's Golf Championship are: Stanford (1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1953 and 1994), UCLA (1988) and Arizona (1992).
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS FROM THE PAC-10: Sun Devils Jim Carter (1983), Phil Mickelson (1989, 1990, 1992) and Todd Demsey (1993) all won NCAA Individual Championships. Other Pac-10 individual winners include: Frank Tatum Jr. of Stanford (1942), Scott Simpson of USC (1976 and 1977), Ron Commans of USC (1981) and Tiger Woods of Stanford (1996).
DOUBLE-CROWN WINNER: ASU is one of two squads to win two NCAA crowns in the 1990s, and is trying to become the first team since Houston in 1982, 1984 and 1985 to win three crowns in a decade. A look at the NCAA team champions in the 1990s:
Year Team Score Host School
1990 Arizona State 1,155 Florida
1991 Oklahoma State 1,161 San Jose State
1992 Arizona 1,129 New Mexico
1993 Florida 1,145 Kentucky
1994 Stanford 1,129 Southern Methodist
1995 Oklahoma State 1,156 Ohio State
1996 Arizona State 1,186 UT-Chattanooga
1997 Pepperdine 1,148 Northwestern
1998 May 27-30, 1998 New Mexico
NCAA West Regional Results
Year Champ ASU Finish Individual Champion
1989 Arizona 2nd Robert Gamez (Arizona)
1990 UNLV 3rd* Hub Goyen (UNLV)
1991 ASU T-1st *Warren Schutte (UNLV)
Arizona
1992 Arizona* 2nd Harry Rudolph (Arizona)
1993 Arizona 2nd Manny Zerman (Arizona)
1994 UNLV 2nd Edward Fryatt (UNLV)
1995 ASU 1st Mike Sauer (New Mexico)
1996 Stanford 2nd* *Tiger Woods (Stanford)
1997 UNLV 2nd Aaron Oberholser (San Jose St.)
1998 ASU
New Mexico T-1st Paul Casey (ASU)
*Eventual NCAA Champion
GOLFSTAT CUP: In the latest Golfstat Cup rankings (ranks the country's lowest adjusted yearly scoring average) Paul Casey is 13th with an adjusted average of 72.03. Casey is the second-best freshman in the country, as Bryce Molder of Georgia Tech is ranked fourth with a 71.34 adjusted average. ASU's Chris Hanell won the 1997 Golfstat Cup with an average of 71.44.
ALL-PAC-10 HONORS: Paul Casey (first-team) and Jeff Quinney (second-team) both earned All-Pac-10 this year, with junior Greg Padilla earning honorable mention honors. Casey was the only freshman on the first team while Quinney was the lone freshman selection on the second team.
TEAM TRAVEL: ASU and men's golf SID Doug Tammaro will stay at the Airport Courtyard by Marriott at 1920 Yale Blvd. SE in Albuquerque, 87106. The phone number is 505-842-5203. ASU will return to Phoenix on Saturday, May 30 in the early evening.
NCAA FINISHES: ASU started the 1990s with an NCAA title and has been in contention each year since. A look at the NCAA finishes of some of the top teams in the 1990s:
Team 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 ASU 1 3 2 6 T-9 4 1 T-5 Okla. St. 4 1 3 12 5 1 8 T-5 Florida 2 -- 7 1 3 13 6 15 UNLV -- 8 4 8 7 15 2 --AVERAGE FINISH IN THE PAST 10 YEARS Rank School Average Finish 1. Oklahoma State 4.5 2. Arizona State 4.6 3. Florida 8.3 4. Texas 9.3 5. Arizona 10.5 6. Clemson 10.7 7. Arkansas 13.4 8. North Carolina 13.4 9. Georgia Tech 14.4 10. UNLV 15.0
ALBUQUERQUE NOTES: ASU finished tied for seventh in the Tucker Invitational on Sept. 19-20 when lightning forced a two-round tournament...ASU shot a 6-over-par 582...Jin Park was the top ASU finisher with a 1-over-par 145...ASU freshman Jeff Quinney has yet to play the Championship Course, as he did not make either trip to UNM in the fall...Darren Angel fired a 69 in the second round of the Ping Preview on Sept. 29...ASU finished tied for ninth at the Ping Preview with a 10-over-par 874...Paul Casey shot a par 216 at the Ping Preview to finish tied for 15th...Greg Padilla shot a 5-under-par 211 to tie for sixth at the 1996 Tucker Invitational, including a 67 in the second round.
NCAA UNDER LEIN: ASU has finished tied for fifth (1997), first (1996), fourth (1995), tied for ninth (1994) and sixth (1993) under sixth-year head coach Randy Lein in the NCAA Championship, an average finish of fifth place.
THE LINEUP: Quick notes on the probable ASU lineup:
(1)--Paul Casey...freshman from England with a 72.06 average....medalist at 1998 West Regional, Pac-10 Championships and at USC Invitational...First-Team All-Pac-10.
(2)--Jeff Quinney...one of three freshmen in the ASU lineup...from Eugene, Ore....tied for sixth at Golf World Collegiate...has three top-10 finishes and a top five finish...Second-Team All-Pac-10...72.94 stroke average.
(3)--Greg Padilla...has made 11 appearances in 1997-98...74.12 stroke average...tied for 6th at 1996 Tucker Invitational.
(4)--Darren Angel...junior who won Ping Preview in freshman season and finished tied for third at 1996 NCAA Championships...73.76 stroke average in 1997-98.
(5)--Jin Park...freshman from Fullerton, Calif....tied for 12th at USC Invitational...tied for 4th at 1998 Pac-10 Championships...74.10 average.
ASU Quick Facts
*ASU has posted 10 straight NCAA top-10 finishes, the best current mark in the nation.
*ASU is the only school to finish in the top five at the NCAA Tournament in each of the past three seasons.
*ASU's NCAA Championships: 1990 and 1996
*ASU has won the Pac-10 title in the past four years and in five of the past six years.
*Randy Lein has won Pac-10 Coach of the Year five times, three times at ASU and twice at USC.