May 21, 2008
ASU OFF TO INDY
The Arizona State University (#19 Golfweek/#22 Golfstat) men's golf team competes in the NCAA Championships held May 28-31 at Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex, Kampen Course Golf Course (par-72, 7,431 yards) in West Lafayette, Ind. (hosted by Purdue). The 30 schools and six individuals will play 18 holes each day. Live scoring will be available at www.golfstat.com. The Sun Devils have won two NCAA titles, in 1990 under then-head coach and 2002 ASU Hall of Fame inductee Steve Loy, and in 1996 under current head coach Randy Lein. In the past 15 years (since Lein took over the ASU duties) ten different team champions have been crowned and Lein is the only coach to have two individual champions in that time (Alejandro Canizares in 2003 and Todd Demsey in 1993). ASU also has finished in the top six eight times in those 15 years and has qualified for the NCAA Championships in 24 of the past 25 seasons, missing only in 2002, including each of the past six seasons, tied for the fourth-best mark in the nation in that time.
YOUNG TEAM
ASU's lineup will have three freshmen (Jesper Kennegard, January arrival Stephan Gross and James Byrne), a first-year sophomore (Braxton Marquez who also arrived in January) and the grizzled veteran, Knut Borsheim, who is just a sophomore as well. ASU is expected to be the only team at the NCAA championships without a junior or senior in the lineup and one of three teams playing three freshmen (Oregon and Oklahoma State). Nine teams are expected to play without a freshman.
LINEUP CHATTER
Freshman Jesper Kennegard has a 71.76 stroke average in 11 events and is ranked #38 by Golfweek. He has five top-10 finishes and was a first-team All-Pac-10 pick...freshman Stephan Gross has a 72. 55 stroke average and three top-10 finishes...sophomore James Byrne has led ASU the past two tournaments as he tied for third at the Pac-10s and has a 72.82 stroke average.
IT WASN'T EASY
ASU has made the NCAA Championship in the past six seasons and in 15 of 16 seasons under Randy Lein, but it sure isn't getting easier with the 27-team, three-round regional format. Using Golfweek's rankings through the regionals, ninth-ranked Georgia Tech, No. 10 Tennessee, No. 11 Florida State, No. 12 Chattanooga, No. 13 South Carolina, No. 15 Duke, No. 21 Michigan State, No. 22 UNLV and No. 25 Texas Tech all missed this year's championships. Sixteen of the 30 teams did not make the NCAA Championships last year.
THE HEAD COACH
Randy Lein added the top accolade in collegiate golf in 1995-96 - the NCAA title - to his collection as the Sun Devils won the title in Chattanooga, Tenn., with a three-stroke victory over UNLV at the Honors Course. In his 16th season as ASU's coach, Lein has guided ASU to 41 tournament victories (including a school record six in 1995-96), eight Pac-10 titles, four NCAA West Regional wins and eight top-10 finishes at the NCAAs including the 1996 title. In addition, Lein has tutored NCAA medalists Todd Demsey and Alejandro Canizares and 14 All-Americans (34 occasions): Todd Demsey (3), Chris Hanell (3), Paul Casey (3), Cade Stone, Chris Stutts, Joey Snyder (2), Scott Johnson (2), Darren Angel (2), Jeff Quinney (3), Matt Jones (2), Chez Reavie (3), Alejandro Canizares (4), Niklas Lemke (3) and Benjamin Alvarado Holley (2). He has won Pac-10 Coach-of-the-Year five times (1993, 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2000) while at ASU and twice at USC (1980 and 1986). Lein (pronounced "Line") is a 1975 graduate of Cal State Northridge.
ASU'S BEST FRESHMEN
ASU's freshmen trio of Jesper Kennegard, Stephan Gross and James Byrne have a chance to finish in the top 10 for best scoring average by an ASU freshmen. Kennegard's 71.76 stroke average is just .11 off Alejandro Canizares' 2002-03 mark of 71.65 when he won the NCAA title.
ASU MEN'S GOLF SCORING AVERAGES (1985-2008)
Rk. Name, Events, Year, Average
1. Alejandro Canizares, 8, 2002-03, 71.65
2. Jesper Kennegard, 11, 2007-08, 71.76
3. Todd Demsey, 15, 1991-92, 72.10
4. Phil Mickelson, 14, 1988-89, 72.14
5. Paul Casey, 12, 1997-98, 72.30
6. Benjamin Alvarado Holley, 10, 2005-06, 72.50
7. Stephan Gross, 7, 2007-08, 72.55
8. Jeff Quinney, 11, 1997-98, 72.57
9. Chez Reavie, 10, 2000-01, 72.58
10. Tristan Bierenbroodspot, 7, 2006-07, 72.64
11. James Byrne, 7, 2007-08, 72.82
12. Knut Borsheim, 9, 2006-07, 72.93
13. Niklas Lemke, 10, 2003-04, 73.32
14. Matt Jones, 8, 1998-99, 73.38
15. Billy Mayfair, 14, 1984-85, 73.49
START IT OVER
Back in 2002, ASU head coach Randy Lein saw ASU's 18-year NCAA championship consecutive streak snapped in a season that had injuries and some bad luck. ASU is back in the saddle with six straight appearances, and to show you how competitive the NCAA men's golf champioships is, that streak already is tied for the sixth-best active streak, as Arizona (1987-2007) had a 21-year streak snapped this year after failing to post a .500 record and not make regionals, while Georgia Tech did not qualify out of regional action after making the NCAAs for 10 straight years (1998-2007).
CURRENT NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES
1. Oklahoma State, 1947-2008, 62
2. Georgia, 1998-2008, 11
3. Florida, 2001-2008, 8
T4. Arizona State, 2003-2008, 6
T4. UCLA, 2003-2008, 6
NCAA CHAMPS FROM ASU/PAC-10
ASU has had four NCAA medalists on six occasions: Jim Carter (1983), Phil Mickelson (1989, 1990, 1992), Todd Demsey (1993) and Alejandro Canizares (2003). Other Pac-10 winners include: Frank Tatum Jr. of Stanford (1942), Scott Simpson of USC (1976 and 1977), Ron Commans of USC (1981), Tiger Woods of Stanford (1996), James Lepp of Washington (2005) and Jamie Lovemark of USC (2008).
IMPRESSIVE
Randy Lein has recruited a NCAA champion (Alejandro Canizares in 2003), a U.S. Amateur champion (Jeff Quinney in 2000), a U.S. Public Links champion (Chez Reavie in 2001), an Arizona Amateur champion (Jesse Mueller, 2001) and an English Amateur champion (Paul Casey, 1998 and 1999) to ASU.
UNDER LEIN
ASU has finished first (1996), fourth (1995), fifth (1998 and 1999), tied for fifth (1997), sixth (1993, 2001 and 2003), tied for ninth (1994), tied for 11th (2005), tied for 18th (2007), tied for 21st (2004) and tied for 25th (2001) under 16th-year coach Randy Lein in the NCAA Championship.
RECENT INDIVIDUAL FINISHES
A look at top-10 Sun Devil individual finishes at the NCAA Men's Golf Championships dating to Jim Carter's 1983 NCAA Championship both by place and chronologically.
ASU NCAA TOP-10 FINISHES
Alejandro Canizares (Fr.), 1st, 2003, Stillwater, Okla.
Todd Demsey (So.), 1st, 1993, Lexington, Ky.
Phil Mickelson (Sr.), 1st, 1992, Albuquerque, N.M.
Phil Mickelson (So.), 1st, 1990, Tarpon Springs, Fla.
Phil Mickelson (Fr.), 1st, 1989, Edmond, Okla.
Jim Carter (Jr.), 1st, 1983, Fresno, Calif.
Darren Angel (Fr.), T3rd, 1996, Chattanooga, Tenn.
Chez Reavie (Fr.), T4th, 2001, Durham, N.C.
Phil Mickelson (Jr.), T4th, 1991, Pebble Beach, Calif.
Paul Casey (So.), 4th, 1999, Chaska, Minn.
Joey Snyder (Jr.), T5th, 1995, Columbus, Ohio
Darren Angel (Jr.), T7th, 1998, Albuquerque, N.M.
Todd Demsey (Jr.), T7th, 1994, Dallas, Texas
Scott Johnson (So.), T8th, 1995, Columbus, Ohio
Chez Reavie (Jr.), 9th, 2003, Stillwater, Okla.
Billy Mayfair (Sr.), T9th, 1988, Westlake Village, Calif.
Scott Johnson (Sr.), T10th, 1997, Chicago, Ill.
Chris Hanell (Sr.), T10th, 1997, Chicago, Ill.
Chris Hanell (Fr.), T10th, 1994, Dallas, Texas
FAST FACT
ASU is the only school to win both the men's and women's golf titles in the same season (1990).
CHAMPS FROM THE PAC-10
Pac-10 teams ASU (1996), Cal (2004) and Stanford (2007 and 1994) are have won NCAA men's golf titles in the past 15 years. Other Pac-10 teams to win the title are: Stanford (1938, 1939, 1941, 1942, 1946, 1953), UCLA (1988) and Arizona (1992).
NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES
ASU has made 15 NCAA Championship appearances in Randy Lein's 16 years (1993-2008), tied for the second-best mark in the nation.
MOST NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP APPEARANCES (1993-2008)
Oklahoma State-16
Arizona State, Arizona, Florida-15
Clemson-14
Georgia Tech, North Carolina, Wake Forest-13
Auburn, New Mexico, Texas, UNLV-12
Georgia-11
UCLA-10
LEIN IN TOP TEN
Randy Lein has finished in the top ten at the NCAA Championship nine times in his 15 years at ASU, behind only Oklahoma State and Clemson (10 each).
NCAA TOP-10 FINISHES (1993-2007)
Rk. School (National Titles), Top 10
T1. Clemson (2003), 10
T1. Oklahoma State (1995, 2000, 2006), 10
T3. ASU (1996), Ga. Tech, 9
T5. Florida (1993, 2001), 8
6. Texas-7
T7. Arizona, UNLV (1998), 6
NCAA CHAMPIONS AS FRESHMAN
2007-Jamie Lovemark, USC
2006-Jonathan Moore, Oklahoma State
2003-Alejandro Canizares, Arizona State
1998-James McLean, Minnesota
1989-Phil Mickelson, Arizona State
1982-Billy Ray Brown, Houston
1974-Curtis Strange, Wake Forest
1971-Ben Crenshaw, Texas
ACADEMICALLY
Forty six players have earned their undergraduate degrees under 16th-year head coach Randy Lein including former All-Americans such as Alejandro Canizares (B.I.S., Landscape Architecture/Sociology in 2006 and 2003 NCAA champion), Todd Demsey (B.A., Psychology in 1995 and 1993 NCAA Champion) and Jeff Quinney (B.S. Finance in 2002 and 2000 U.S. Amateur Champion).