EUGENE, Oregon — After making the cut and advancing to the final round of stroke play on Monday, No. 7 ASU men's golf saw its season come to an end at Eugene Country Club as it finished 9th at the NCAA golf championships — one spot shy of moving on to match play.
It wasn't the result that the Sun Devils had hoped for, but head coach Tim Mickelson and company can still pencil this season in as a successful one.
"Before the tournament we certainly thought we would make match play and that was the goal," Mickelson said. "But I'm very optimistic about next year."
Next year's team will have a different look with three key players graduating, including senior Jon Rahm, who exits college golf as the only two-time Ben Hogan Award winner in history. On top of that and many other accolades, Rahm went his entire senior season without finishing outside the top 10 in a tournament — a feat that showcases just how successful Rahm could be at the professional level.
Rahm will start off his post-ASU career in less than two weeks when he participates in the U.S. Open as the world's #1 amateur. For now, however, Rahm can reflect on a decorated and memorable career in Tempe.
"Looking back, I'm just really proud of my career," Rahm said. "I'm really happy that the (ASU) community gave me a chance to be a Sun Devil. All I can say is thank you."
Despite falling four strokes short of the individual national championship (Aaron Wise of Oregon finished first at -5), Rahm finished his college career with an excellent approach on No. 9 followed by a smooth birdie putt that garnered applause from fans and opponents alike.
One fan in particular that was always in Rahm's corner was his girlfriend Kelley Cahill — a former javelin thrower for ASU track and field. Cahill cheered Rahm on at nearly all of his tournaments this season and accompanied him at the Ben Hogan Award ceremony. She was the first person Rahm embraced as he emerged from the scoring tent at the end of his emotional final round.
Rahm said it's always great to have loved ones consistently supporting you in a mental game like golf.
"At least when you have support, you make a putt and someone's gonna clap," Rahm said with a laugh. "Sometimes when I'm not doing great and I look at them it brings a smile to my face."
While Rahm put the team on his back throughout this season and his career, the Sun Devils wouldn't have made it as far as they did this season if it weren't for the four other ASU players that participated at NCAAs: Seniors Max Rottluff and Alberto Sanchez, as well as juniors Jared du Toit and Nicolo Galletti.
Coach Mickelson said his team consistently competed throughout the 2015-16 season.
"We had a chance to win almost every single tournament we played in," Mickelson said. "I think that says a lot about our guys and their competitiveness."
Reach the reporter at rclarke6@asu.edu or follow @RyanTClarke on Twitter.
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