Arizona State Heads to Florida for the Valspar Collegiate Invitational

(Photo Courtesy – Stryder Bigler)

Fresh off a huge win in Cabo three weeks ago, the Arizona State men’s golf team will take to the sunshine state Monday for a two-day tournament.

The Sun Devils won the Cabo Collegiate in early March after finishing 14th in the tournament prior.

Head Coach Matt Thurmond said the 14th place finish was one of the worst during his tenure, but his team bounced back in an impressive way in Cabo.

In the 15-team field, Arizona State dominated, beating second place Texas Tech by nine strokes and third place Arkansas by 17 strokes.

The Sun Devils were led by junior Preston Summerhays who shot 8-under and finished third on the individual leaderboard.

Freshman Wenyi Ding and junior Josele Ballester were the other two to shoot under par on the weekend in Mexico, both going 3-under on the weekend.

A comfortable win amongst a field of high-level competition is just what ASU needed as the national tournament looms, and the late success should bode well for the Sun Devils heading into this week.

In Palm City, ASU will play a 54-hole tournament with 36 being played on Monday and the final 18 on Tuesday.

The Valspar Collegiate will feature powerhouses from all around the country, as the Sun Devils will be up against the likes of Florida State, Alabama, North Carolina and Vanderbilt, among others.

With the Tar Heels and Commodores taking to the links with the Sun Devils this week, it could be a mini-preview of what’s to come late in the season.

Coach Matt Thurmond will keep the same lineup that got the job done in Cabo.

Summerhays, Ding, Ballester, sophomore Michael Mjaaseth and freshman Connor Williams will tee it up for ASU.

Beyond just playing for another win, Summerhays and Ding will look to continue to build their respective resumes for the Ben Hogan Award.

The Ben Hogan Award is given to the nation’s top amateur male golfer, and the two ASU stars were both put on the award’s watch list recently.

This week’s event will be played at the well-known Floridian National Golf Club in Palm City, Florida.

Outside of golf, the par-71 course features native Florida Wildlife and makes for beautiful views of the St. Lucie River.

The Floridian plays 7,114 yards and was designed to be difficult, but playable.

It will surely be a destination that will enhance the already highly-anticipated, competitive event in which the Sun Devils will look to make a statement against some of the nation’s best.