The ASU men’s golf team is entering a crucial stretch at this point of the season.
In order to qualify for the postseason, the Sun Devils must be at least .500 in their matches. With an eighth place finish in what might be its easiest tournament this fall at the William H. Tucker Invitational, that goal is beginning to move out of sight.
For a program that has qualified for nationals in 19 of the last 20 seasons, that would be a major disappointment.
“The guys know that we are behind the eight ball when it comes to the .500 rule and prepping for the postseason,” men’s golf coach Tim Mickelson said. “They know they need to step up their game because if they don’t then we are going to be in pretty deep trouble.”
The team might have to tough it out without one of its most consistent players, freshman Mathias Schjoelberg, who injured his back while playing in this tournament. Schjoelberg was the only Sun Devil to not record a round over 75, and led the team with an 18th-place finish.
“With back injuries, you want to be smart,” Mickelson said. “You don’t want have somebody play and injure themselves further and never be able to recover. So we are giving him a few days off to get better. If he is able to play then we will certainly take him to the next event.”
Toughing it out was a bit of a theme for the Sun Devils, as a couple players had to fight through difficult rounds. Freshman Stan Gauthier came storming out of the gate in his ASU debut, recording a four-under-par 68 and earning him a first place spot after one round.
Gauthier’s first round was tied for the second best score in the entire tournament with UNLV junior Kevin Penner. However things turned quickly for the Frenchman as he closed out his tournament with matching 5-over-par 77s.
“That’s golf,” Mickelson said. “I’ve seen guys shoot 65 and then go out and shoot 82. That’s just part of golf. Every round is different. It’s frustrating to know that because you have such a young team they are vulnerable to have inconsistencies.”
One of the problems was the team’s inability to finish rounds in the red numbers, as only Gauthier and lone senior Spencer Fletcher recorded rounds of even par or better.
Fletcher was inconsistent coming off his first-ever top-ten finish in the team’s last tournament. In a field where Fletcher looked to be among the top golfers, he just couldn’t seem to find his rhythm and finished tied for 41st. His even-par 72 showed what the big senior is capable of but it was sandwiched by a 5-over-par 77 and a 6-over-par 78.
Also, the team continued to have trouble around the green. Mickelson views that as a weakness going forth that “did not get worse, but didn’t get any better.”
Part of it was the rough on the course that was surprisingly high for a tournament played in New Mexico. Normally, Southwest golf courses are known for their small fairways and fast greens.
“From the last time I was there in 2003, they have added about 400 yards to the golf course and more rough around the course than I remembered,” Mickelson said, “We struggled in the first tournament with the long rough and we struggled in this tournament because of the rough as well.”
Reach the report at jjmckelv@asu.edu
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