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The prestige of being an ASU golfer culminated at the 2011 Sun Devil Thunderbird Pro-Am on Monday afternoon at the ASU Karsten Golf Course.With plenty of professionals in attendance, there was a lot for Sun Devil golf fans to be proud of.
Phil Mickelson was the most prominent alumni in attendance. Mickelson won three national championships while at ASU in 1989, 91 and 92. He went on to make a name for himself in the pros by winning three Masters and a PGA Championship among other achievements.
Now his younger brother, Tim Mickelson, is the men’s golf coach and the Mickelson family has never been closer to ASU.
“It’s fun to get everybody together and see the people that are involved with helping the program get back to where we want to be,” Phil Mickelson said. “This program has meant a lot to me through the years. It was such an incredible four years of my life.
“To have my brother here as the coach, it makes it really fun for me to be involved in the program day to day.”
The elder Mickelson talked about how special the pro-am was, saying “you get to have a personal interaction and an emotional involvement” with both the alumni and current players.
Mickelson’s agent and former ASU golf coach Steve Loy also was in attendance supporting the program he made national champions in 1990.
“It’s always a high every day with the Mickelsons and the Mickelson family,” Loy said. “I just can’t wait to get the program going under (Tim’s) players, his time, and watch what happens with him as the head coach.”
Loy wasn’t the only former coach there. Linda Vollstedt, who is responsible for six national championships on the women’s side, was in attendance.
Vollstedt was also a player at ASU and is still with the program today as the Director of Golf Marketing and Promotions.
“I love being a Sun Devil,” Vollstedt said. “There’s nothing better than being a Sun Devil here.”
Since the 1980-81 seasons the ASU women’s golf has only had two head coaches, Vollstedt and Melissa Luellen.
Though she is no longer at the helm Vollstedt “couldn’t be happier” with the progress her predecessor has made.
While Vollstedt is still with the program, other ASU alumnae have moved elsewhere with their golfing career. That’s what made Monday afternoon so unique.
“It’s wonderful,” Vollstedt said. “I’ll tell you what. As a coach you start finding out some of the things that really went on behind your back. All the stories are really fun to listen to.”
The event was put on by the current golf coaches at ASU with help from the current players.
The constant rain made playing difficult, but players who didn’t feel comfortable playing in the conditions were welcome to stay in the clubhouse. However, a lot of players persevered through the elements to play alongside PGA players.
“It was another successful event,” Jeff Quinney said, “Seeing people that you haven’t seen in a long time, catching up, telling old stories and meeting some of the new current players.
“It’s a close knit group.”
Along with PGA tour veterans there were also recent golfers such as Braxton Marquez, Jennifer Johnson, Phillip Francis and Jesper Kennegard who competed.
“It feels like I didn’t really leave,” Johnson said. “The team isn’t really the same but (Giulia Molinaro) is still on it. So I still feel like I have some connection with the team and then the coaches are so great. I really miss it.”
Reach the reporter at jjmckelv@asu.edu
