With the ASU program’s prestige, it takes a lot for a golfer, even a senior, to stand out.
A native of Anthem, Ariz., Scott Pinckney knew long before he took the course for local Boulder Creek High School that he belonged on the greens.
“You work so hard to get on the (ASU) team, and you’re finally here and you’re playing well; that’s special,” Pinckney said.
When Pinckney started his career, the team was heavily laden with seniors, so it was hard for him to break through. His chance came his sophomore year when he played in 10 tournaments. ASU coach Randy Lein credited it to Pinckney’s work ethic.
“He has worked as hard as any player I have had,” Lein said. “Someone asked what made Phil Mickelson as good as he was. It’s just that he worked harder than the other guys. Same thing with my best players, and I put Scott there.”
Pinckney has noticed how far hard work can take a golfer in his position. Both he and Lein acknowledged that it was the key to his overall success and his potential for the next level.
Since Pinckney will be turning professional in August, he has already started to peek ahead at what the future holds.
“I’ve heard sometimes it gets lonely, because you don’t get to see your family that much. But once I am there it’s going to be so satisfying and awesome,” Pinckney said
However, he did still enjoy his time in Tempe, saying that if he had the chance to do it all over again, he would still go to ASU for college.
“I love Arizona, the people that surround you here, they are unbelievable,” he said. “They treat you so well. It’s such a special place.”
During his tenure at ASU, Pinckney has interacted with a wide range of teammates. This year ASU has three transfer players competing on the roster.
Combined with the fact that in his four-year career as a Sun Devil Pinckney has played alongside players from Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Scotland and Sweden, his time at ASU has broadened the perspective of the local golfer.
“It ha in to get to known their cutlures and a little bit of the languages they speak."ategory this yes opened so many doors,” Pinckney said. “It’s fun to get to known their cultures and a little bit of the languages they speak. They are all really cool guys.”
Despite the wide variety of athletes, it is still one of the hometown players leading the team in almost every statistical category this year, including a career low 71.77 season scoring average, which is only 0.45 over par. This means that this year, including the fall semester in which he did not do as well, Pinckney’s average round was just barely over par.
Pinckney’s strength has been his ability to continually get better at ASU.
“His game has been on a steady curve up since his freshman year. He hasn’t had any dips — he has just continued to get better each year,” Lein said.
This has shown in his statistics as well, and Pinckney has climbed significantly in every category since his first year and doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. He has already accumulated six sub-70 rounds this year in half the total rounds it took him to get four last year.
Also, this spring Pinckney has shown the ability the rest of the team must master in order to achieve their goals, the ability to finish. He currently ranks 27th in the nation in last round score average with a total of 70.57. He and senior Thomas Buran are the only two Sun Devils who are in the top 400 in this category.
On April 9 and 10 the Sun Devils will compete in the ASU Thunderbird Invitational in Tempe on the ASU Karsten Golf Course. The annual event is hosted by ASU every year, and it looks to be the best chance for the Sun Devils to get a win this spring.
The invitational is Pinckney’s final home tournament, a senior day of sorts, during which he is looking to make a lasting impression.
“It’s going to be special. I am going to treat it almost like a major,” Pinckney said. “It would be really special to win my last tournament here. It’s definitely one of my goals.”
Reach the reporter at jjmckelv@asu.edu
