No. 37 ASU (1-over 865) finished second at the Kikkor Golf Husky Invitational in Washington, and the Sun Devils didn't stand a chance against a dominant performance by the host Washington Huskies (17-under 847).
ASU sophomore Alberto Sanchez played an exceptional tournament, matching his career low with a 4-under 68 in the second round and finished sixth with a score of 3-under 213.
Sanchez said this was his third time playing in Washington and that he feels good when he plays there.
"I love taking the trip out here, and I was getting good vibes going into this week," Sanchez said. "I was able to rattle in a lot of birdies and was having a blast. It was rainy and cloudy but that did not affect my attitude or play.”
Sanchez has been battling tendinitis in his right thumb, but played through it and said that it didn't affect him very much.
“It hurt off and on while I was playing, but I wasn’t really thinking about it, I was having a lot of fun," Sanchez said. "It is not 100 percent yet so when I get back to campus I will get more treatment.”
Sophomore No. 37 Jon Rahm (3-over 219), last year’s Pac-12 Freshman of the Year, finished tied for 25th and did not have the type of performance he was looking for.
Rahm struggled in the opening round shooting a 3-over 75, but he got better as the tournament progressed. Rahm finished strong in the last round with a score of 1-under 71.
Coach Tim Mickelson said he was very pleased with the team’s finish, but said there is still plenty to work on.
“Anytime you finish second then it is good event,” Mickelson said. “Especially playing against Pac-12 schools, it is a good feeling because the Pac-12 is the best conference in the nation. We had a good start, but we still lot of room to improve."
Mickelson the team is still rusty and had some "uncharacteristic bad shots," despite playing through injuries.
"I was very impressed by Sanchez’s play especially because he has tendinitis in his right thumb," he said. "He fought really hard and Rahm was fighting a wrist injury. I was really impressed with his play and his capability to play through it.”
Juniors Austin Quick (even-216) and Mathias Schjoelberg (3-over 219) finished tied for 13th and tied for 25th respectively, while freshman Ki Taek Lee (4-over 220) finished tied for 28th.
Rahm, Quick, Schjoelberg and Lee all had their best rounds of the tournament on the final day.
ASU plays next at the Tucker Invitational in Albuquerque, N.M. on Sept. 27-28.
Reach the reporter at afeyrer@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @coffeeblack910
