The ASU men's golf team begins the spring portion of its season today at the PING-Arizona Intercollegiate in Tucson.
UA is hosting the two-day, 54-hole event at the Arizona National Golf Club, a par-71 course. The first 36 holes will be completed today and the final 18 on Tuesday.
ASU senior Alejandro Canizares will try to defend his individual title after he shot 11-under par to win the tournament last year. The three-time All-American from Manilva, Spain needs two tournament titles to match Billy Mayfair for second all-time at ASU.
Canizares' last individual championship came on Mar. 1, 2005 when he shot a 12-under to win the Puerto Rico Classic.
The PING-Arizona Intercollegiate features 15 teams, six of which are ranked in Golfweek's top 30, with the No. 10 Sun Devils leading the pack. ASU finished fifth overall as a team at the tournament in 2005, shooting a two-over par 854. Last year's winner, New Mexico, is slated to compete again this year.
The Sun Devils as a team are experiencing a title drought. ASU last won a team championship when it tied for first at the Pac-10 Championships on April 27.
This week's event marks ASU's first action in more than two months. ASU played in four tournaments last semester, placing third in the Big 10/Pac-10 Challenge, and tied for fourth at the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational.
Canizares led the Sun Devils with a 72.56 stroke average during the fall season. Junior Niklas Lemke's 73.11 and freshman Benjamin Alvarado Holley's 73.56 average rounded out ASU's top three performers in the fall.
Reach the reporter at derrik.miller@asu.edu.
