With a 2009 victory at Olympia Fields under its belt and a five-player lineup loaded with experience, the ASU men’s golf team had high expectations for the Olympia Fields/Fighting Illini Invitational.
The Sun Devils fell far short of those expectations with a disappointing 15th place finish on a team score of 884.
ASU’s final score of 884 was 39 strokes behind Florida, the winners of the event.
The Sun Devils were led by senior James Byrne who tied for 20th place overall. Junior Phil Francis tied for 45th in the tournament by shooting a 71, 76, and 75.
Following its 2009 victory at Olympia Fields, ASU had much higher hopes for this year’s tournament.
“It’s disappointing because I believe it’s potentially the best team I’ve coached,” ASU coach Randy Lein said. “To finish where we did was not at all what we expected. We were looking to defend our title from last year.”
The opening round saw two Sun Devils finish in the top 20 with Byrne and Francis tying for 19th place.
The Sun Devils were forced to battle the nasty Illinois weather throughout the second round. After a three-hour rain delay, ASU took to the course; however, the struggles persisted for ASU.
“For myself the second and third round, I hit the ball terrible,” Francis said. “This course is not easy if you’re not hitting the ball well. I’m real pleased with my putting and short game, but ball-striking wise, not where I wanted it to be.”
A rejuvenated ASU squad came out swinging well during the final day. Byrne continued to lead the pack for the Sun Devils with his one-under-par 69.
“We recovered nicely today,” Lein said. “The guys pretty much across the line played their best golf, but [it was] one of those too little too late scenarios.”
Although disappointed with the weekend’s results, the Sun Devils view it as a minor obstacle in the much bigger picture.
“As a team we know we are better than how we finished,” Francis said. “We worked real hard and we have, I think, some of the top players in the country all playing on the same team. I think we have a real good chance the rest of the fall and on to the spring. Spring is when it matters.”
The Sun Devils are far from finished competing against many of the nation’s elite golfers and are already looking forward to the opportunity to tee off again.
“We just have to address some issues this week and practice harder,” Lein said. “Then we depart this weekend for Stillwater for the preview. Probably half the teams that played this week will be playing in Stillwater. We’ll have an opportunity to redeem ourselves and save some face.”
The Sun Devils will compete again next weekend in the NCAA Ping Preview in Stillwater, Okla.
Reach the reporter at gregory.dillard@asu.edu
