ASU senior Pat Moore looked down in disbelief at the thistles and brush that line the 10th hole at the Karsten Golf Course. Somewhere laced between the reeds was his tee shot.
With the whir of Ironman competitors racing down Rio Salado Parkway in the background, Moore scooted his ball back into the playable rough. While he had stayed dead-on par all day Saturday, this hole threatened to drive him into the black.
Much to his family's amazement, Moore's approach into a howling wind was uncanny and sat just five feet from the pin, leaving the door open for a birdie attempt.
Such was not the case for the ASU men's golf team, which finished third in its home tournament.
ASU coach Randy Lein said the wind was a big reason why his team could not convert birdie putts at this weekend's ASU Thunderbird Invitational.
"With all the wind you would expect the greens to firm up," Lein said. "They really didn't and the guys were expecting them to roll faster. It's our home course and with or without the wind we just have to be able to play."
Moore fired an even par 72 on Saturday and led ASU in scoring, finishing tied for sixth at 1-over par 214.
"Anything today at par or better is a heck of a round," Lein said.
Without the services of Ryan Moore, the nation's top player, UNLV beat out Pepperdine by two strokes, carding a 7-over par 859 for the team win. Moore was busy tying for 13th place at The Masters and picking up low-amateur honors.
Afterward, Moore admitted he didn't think the team was as focused as they should have been entering its home tournament.
"The wind hurt us a little bit," he said, adding the team didn't wait for opportunities. "But I think it was more of a mental thing, trying to force it."
With just one more tournament before the Pac-10 championships, Moore said the team should be ready to win.
"I think I would rather go into the postseason more hungry for a win," he said in comparison to last year's squad that had won three of its last four tournaments down the stretch. "Hopefully the seniors and coach Lein can get on the team heading into the postseason."
Reach the reporter at mark.saxon@asu.edu.
