2026-27 ASU Men’s Golf Season Preview

(Photo: Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)

The Arizona State men’s golf team looks to continue its long history of success in the 2026-27 season. The team is led by head coach Matt Thurmond, who enters his eleventh season under the helm.

This year marks the first time Thurmond is coaching solo. Former associate head coach Thomas Sutton accepted the role of Washington’s head coach after four years with the program.

The Sun Devils come off a three-win season that saw them take home the Sahalee Players Invitational, the Wohali Classic and the Desimone Invitational. The season, however, was capped off by falling short in the stroke-play portion of nationals and missing the 54-hole cut for the first time since 2019.

The Sun Devils begin the season ranked No. 2 in the country according to Golfweek and No. 4 according to Golf Channel.

Returners

The Sun Devils returned seven players from 2025-26. These key returners are headlined by a two-headed monster of fourth-year players Connor Williams and Fifa Laopakdee. The two currently sit inside the top 20 of the PGA Tour U Rankings in a loaded senior class, landing at 16th and 19th, respectively. Williams is currently ranked 25th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings (WAGR), while Laopakdee is ranked 29th.

Williams earned honorable mention All-America honors last season after earning third-team All-America honors two years ago. Laopakdee does not have the same traditional collegiate accolades as Williams, but one could argue his are more impressive. He won the 2025 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship, earning him starts at both the 2026 Masters and Open Championship. The Sun Devils’ success will hinge in part on strong senior campaigns from both players.

The next returner for the Sun Devils is third-year Peer Wernicke. The Leverkusen, Germany native is coming off a disappointing year two after a solid first season. Wernicke struggled to make the competition roster in most events, competing mostly as an individual if he tee’d it up at all. The lone third-year will have to work hard this year to earn his spot back with the abundance of talent the Sun Devils have in the two classes below him.

Another duo of returners are the Utah-native second years Boston Bracken and Bowen Mauss. The two were massive parts of a very freshman reliant 2025-26 roster. Bracken boasts some of the most pure talent on the team. The St. George, UT-native started every tournament as a true freshman, a season highlighted by multiple tied second finishes.

The two made match-play in the U.S. Amateur this summer. Mauss was able to catch his second back-to-back championship at the Utah State Amateur. He will look to build off of that momentum this season and cement himself in Matt Thurmond’s starting five.

The final two returners are both international second years, Raul Gomez Montalva and Bryan Newman, both joined the Sun Devils midway through last season. The two come from very good golf heritage, heiring from Spain and South Africa, respectively.

Thurmond had high hopes for Gomez when he signed here, stating, “He has explosive potential and upside, played at a high level over many years, and we see him having big success carrying on the great tradition of Spanish Sun Devils.” A history that just recently includes names like Josele Ballester, John Rahm, and David Puig.

Newman is a prodigy of his own, who, despite not having a huge collegiate resume, has a very impressive junior and amateur golf resume. He is the 2025 African Amateur Champion and also earned his way into playing in a major championship at the 2025 Open Championship. Newman also took first place at the 2026 SA Stroke Play Championship.

The talent the Sun Devils returned from a year ago is undeniable, so Matt Thurmond will have his fair share of toys to pick and choose from.

Newcomers

The Sun Devils brought in three new faces, bringing their roster total up to ten for the season. Thurmond kept his trend of recruiting international players, adding France-native Oscar Couilleau and England-native Kris Kim. Thurmond also added the recruit that the Golf Channel called “the diamond of this year’s transfer class” in Oregon State sophomore transfer Nguyen Anh Minh.

Minh posted a more than impressive freshman season, winning the West Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and garnering GCAA Freshman All-America honors. He also flaunts a very impressive junior and amateur golf record himself, with wins at the 2024 Asia Pacific Golf Confederation – Nomura Cup and the 2024 Malaysian Amateur. He will look to immediately slot into one of the five starting sports for Thurmond.

The two freshmen also post impressive resumes themselves. Couilleau took third at the 2025 World Amateur Team Championships, as well as earning European Men’s Club Trophy champion honors.

Thurmond had high praise for his French newcomer, stating, “Oscar is already one of the world’s top amateurs and is a huge talent combined with exceptional training. He plays with a huge smile and loves competing.”

Kim joins the Sun Devils as the newest addition to the squad, signing just back in August. Kim is a child prodigy who thrived throughout junior golf in England. His young career has so far been highlighted by his victory at the 2023 R&A Boys Amateur Championship and his made cut at the PGA Tour event, the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, at just age of 16.

The new additions will hope to make an instant impact for Thurmond and the Sun Devils who have high expectations heading into the season.

Expectations

For a program with the pedigree of the ASU men’s golf team, year in and year out, the expectation never changes, and that is to qualify for nationals and give yourself a chance to win. Since 2016, the Sun Devils have only missed nationals once – back in 2024.

ASU’s historical standards for recruiting and talent evaluation in junior golf and now the transfer portal position the Sun Devils in a spot for a strong national finish.

Going into the season Williams, Laopakdee, and Minh project to be locked in as regular starters, while the remaining seven compete for the final two spots. Even with that being the case, all ten players will still compete and make starts throughout the season, especially when the team loses some of its top guys due to pro and international competition at different points in the year.

With a revamped roster and sky-high expectations, the outlook for head coach Matt Thurmond and the Sun Devils looks promising for 2026-27.