The ASU men's golf team recorded a seventh-place finish last week in the season-opening TOPY Cup United States-Japan Intercollegiate Golf Championship in Tokyo.
Sun Devil junior Chez Reavie started the year on the right foot at the 54-hole, par-72, 7,086-yard Tanagura Country Club. He carded a 4-under 212 (70-69-73) to finish tied for ninth place in the 60-man field.
Coming off a wrist injury last summer, Reavie missed the entire fall campaign. He returned in the spring and marked three top 10 finishes, two top five finishes and a 73.37 scoring average in six tournaments.
Reavie's best outing in the 2001-02 season came in early February when he finished in fourth place at the Taylor Made/Waikoloa Intercollegiate in Kona, Hawaii. Reavie's scoring average during his freshman season was almost a stroke less at 72.58.
"He looks better," ASU head coach Randy Lein said. "He played a pretty full summer of amateur golf, and he's striking the ball well."
The Sun Devils carded a 14-over 878 (291-294-293). They finished 48 strokes behind tournament winner Clemson, which turned in a 34-under 830 to beat a Japanese powerhouse, Tohoku Finish, by just three strokes. Clemson's score broke a school tournament record for the most strokes under par.
Of the four United States teams that competed in the event, Minnesota was the next-highest finisher. The Golden Gophers finished in fifth place at 3-under 861 in their first tournament since winning the NCAA Championships last spring. Fresno State finished four strokes higher than ASU to place sixth at 10-over 874.
Sun Devil senior Brady Stockton fired an even-par 216 (78, 68, 70) to finish tied for 19th place. His six-over 78 on the tournament's opening day left him in 51st place after just 18 holes. But Stockton rebounded with a pair of solid rounds to climb back onto the leader board.
"Brady has a reputation for that," Lein said. "He has an aggressive nature, and that can hurt him, but I doubt if there were three or four other golfers in the country that played better than him this summer."
Sophomore Jesse Mueller and senior Shane McMenamy both finished tied for 44th place. Each golfer shot a 12-over 228 and turned in the same score (74-79-75) in every round. Sophomore Pat Moore rounded out the field of Sun Devils with a 13-over 229 (73-78-78).
"Brady and Chez played well, but the other three guys were not in top form," Lein said. "But there's plenty of time before the next event."
McMenamy joined his teammates in Japan because junior Ben Flam, who normally plays in ASU's top five, deferred his spot since he traveled there as a junior in high school. The Sun Devils had not competed in the event since 1999 when former Sun Devil Greg Padilla captured medalist honors.
Reach the reporter at casey.pritchard@asu.edu.
