The ASU men’s golf team took home its fourth team title of the season and head coach Tim Mickelson saw his eighth player win a tournament under his watch at the Oregon Duck Invitational on Tuesday.
The team won the event by six strokes topping after finishing the tournament a 1-under 863 beating the second place Washington Huskies who finished a 5-over 869. The team had to fight through some tough conditions during its first two rounds on Monday, including some heavy rain, but the weather cleared up for the most part on Tuesday.
“I’m very proud of how our guys battled in some very adverse conditions,” Mickelson said. “This team never gives up, they’re fighters to the end. They’ll keep fighting until they can’t fight anymore, which basically means they’re out of holes.”
The top two spots in the clubhouse both belonged to Sun Devils in Eugene this week. Juniors Jon Rahm and Max Rottluff took home first and second place respectively. For Rahm, this is his fifth tournament win of his career, which moves him into a tie for fourth place in ASU history with Todd Demsey. Rahm finished with a 4-under 212 and Rottluff was right behind him with a 3-under 213.
It looked for a while that the two Sun Devils may have to split tournament individual crown but Rahm was able to get a birdie in his last few holes edging out his teammate. Mickelson said the two Sun Devil golf stars are extremely close friends but also, as athletes, are always competitive.
“Certainly when they get out on the golf course they don’t want to lose to each other,” Mickelson said.
Mickelson said the success that the team as a whole has had is not like the great professional sports dynasties in that their success has been determined by two outstanding players who make the rest of the team better.
“If you look back at dynasties, in the NBA and places like that, Scottie Pippen and Michael Jordan, Larry Bird and Robert Parish, when you have two guys that can basically carry a team, you can win championships,” Mickelson said.
Mickelson said that in each event the team is clearly led by Rahm and Rottluff and that gives them a chance to win every time they go out to compete.
“Just like those dynasties in basketball, every single game they had a chance to win because of those two guys,” he said.
A third member of the team who had his best performance so far this season in Eugene was junior Alberto Sanchez who was the third Sun Devil to finish in the top five. Sanchez finished with a 1-over 217 for a tie for fifth place, by far his best finish this season.
“He’s starting to figure out his game,” Mickelson said. “We’ve been working with him on driving the ball and he’s certainly driving the ball better and with more confidence.”
Next up for the red-hot Sun Devils is their home tournament, the ASU Thunderbird Invitational starting on April 3. It's another great opportunity for the team to keep the momentum it has going. The Pac-12 Championships are fast approaching, and the NCAAs are not far behind.
Reach the reporter at wslane@asu.edu or follow @bill_slane on Twitter.
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