Jordan Spurgeon
Grayhawk is the place to be for top tier NCAA Division 1 golf. Arizona State is hosting the 30-team NCAA Championship event.
The women played from Friday May 20 to Wednesday May 26, with Ole Miss winning the ring. The course is ready to host the men from Friday, May 28 to Wednesday, June 2. Grayhawk Director of Golf, Joe Shershenovich, says the course is ready following years of preparation once their bid was announced.
“We’re excited, we know we have a great golf community,” Shershenovich said. “People have been saying how excited they are for awhile and now that they see it on tv, especially the Grayhawk community, are proud to have such a prestigious event in the valley.”
The Sun Devils enter as the No. 10 seed after competing in 11 tournaments this spring alone. The PAC-12 didn’t allow golf to play in the fall, unlike many other schools across the country. However, this team is no stranger to Grayhawk, so they feel there is a bit of a “home course” advantage.
“There’s a lot of advantages to hosting,” ASU men’s golf head coach Matt Thurmond said. “We know the course pretty well, but it’s not like we’re playing here everyday… we’ll certainly have an energy from our local people out here watching.”
Time to chat with media practice round soon today.
12:47 tee time Friday
7:27 tee time Saturday pic.twitter.com/KsuxdlgwR5— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) May 27, 2021
The Sun Devils are honing in on an impressive resume. They won team titles at three tournaments, including the Copper Cup against Arizona, and finished in second in four others. Despite that resume, the pressure was on just to qualify at regionals.
Tee Times Plus More
Now that they’re officially teeing off at 12:47 p.m. today with Vanderbilt and Georgia, the golfers are ready to play loose by staying in the moment. That moment isn’t too big for fifth year senior Chun An Yu, also known as Kevin, because he’s been here before. In 2019, he placed third in individuals at the NCAA Championship.
12:47 Friday we begin..@GrayhawkGolf
Free Admission
4 days of stroke play
Details: https://t.co/2RnPaVfbbP pic.twitter.com/6kJz0tFXmG— Sun Devil Men's Golf (@sundevilmgolf) May 28, 2021
“I tell everyone to just relax and just be you,” Yu said. “Enjoy the course, enjoy the vibes, because it’s the biggest tournament in college. You’re not going to regret this.”
PAC-12 newcomer of the year David Puig, is ready to showcase his skillset on national tv. The Spain native is also excited that his family can watch from back home. However, he enjoys the atmosphere that ASU fans bring to their home matches.
“It’s at home, it’s always really good to have a lot of fans,” Puig said. “There’s a lot of nerves here too because you want to play good at home.”
Here’s the full list of tee times and pairings for day 1. Admission is free for all.
