(Photo: Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)
It has been 82 days since Arizona State men’s golf last took to the links after finishing the fall season at the East Lake Cup. Nearly three months later, the Sun Devils resume their year-long venture in Laguna Niguel, California, as the Copper Cup rings in the spring season for the fifth consecutive year.
ASU is entering 2026 ranked No. 7 in the NCAA off the back of a solid fall campaign. Its first event of the spring season features three familiar faces: the University of Southern California, the University of California, Los Angeles and the University of Arizona, all of which sit inside the nation’s top-30. The Copper Cup has become an event that traditionally features the same four teams, with the familiarity boiling into rivalry over the last several years.
The Sun Devils are coming off a last-place finish at the East Lake Cup against a field of the nation’s best — No. 1 Virginia, No. 6 Florida and No. 10 Ole Miss. Despite the lackluster finish, ASU’s fall season featured two wins at the Sahalee Players Invitational and the Wohali Classic.
Junior Connor Williams led the way from the Maroon and Gold in the first half of his third-year campaign. The California native finished in the top ten four times in the autumn, one of which was a tournament win at the Wohali Classic, with a score of nine-under-par. Williams will likely be leaned upon again for production, as he will look to start the spring season strong in his homecoming tournament.
Senior Michael Mjaaseth also had an impressive effort with two top ten finishes himself, notching a fourth-place finish at the Sahalee Players Invitational and an eighth-place finish at The Wohali Classic. Being the only senior on ASU’s roster, the Norwegian will need to fill the team’s void of experience.
Some of ASU’s fresh faces also settled in over the course of the fall. The freshmen duo of Boston Bracken and Bowen Mauss found a groove early in their careers. Bracken finished fourth at the East Lake Cup with a score of one-under-par, the best mark of his young career. Mauss also had a top ten finish in Atlanta, finishing in a tie for ninth at even par. The pair of Utah natives provided instrumental firepower in addition to head coach Matt Thurmond’s veterans as they look to take a further leap in the season’s second half.
Junior Fifa Laopadkee is also expected to play a big role in the Sun Devils’ spring campaign. The Thai native started in every tournament last fall, claiming sixth place at the Sahalee Invitational. Laopadkee is also coming off a signature win at the Asia-Pacific Amateur, qualifying for The Masters and The Open later this year, the first Thai golfer to do so.
Thurmond’s already young roster also added more newcomers at the start of the second semester. Incoming freshmen Raul Gomez Montalva and Bryan Newmann have planted roots in Tempe for their first semester as Sun Devils.
ASU’s biggest threat coming into the Copper Cup is the host of the tournament, No. 21 UCLA. The Bruins only played four tournaments throughout the fall season, but they were able to claim a win at the Fighting Irish Invitational and a third-place finish at the Sahalee Players Invitational.
Senior Kyle An and Sophomore Baylor Larrabee have been the top two for UCLA so far. An has several top-25 finishes, including a tie for fifth at the Fighting Irish Invitational. Larrabee, the six-foot-five second-year golfer, had been the Bruins’ top catalyst, leading the way in the team’s only win at four-under-par. The Bruins will likely lean on low scores from An and Larrabee in order to defend home turf to start the spring season.
The Maroon and Gold’s bitter rivals, No. 30 U of A, could also prove to be a formidable opponent entering the spring. The Wildcats had an underwhelming fall season with only one finish inside the top three, coming at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup, largely due to a lack of depth.
Senior Filip Jakubik has finished inside the top twenty in all four of U of A’s fall tournaments, including a ninth-place finish at the Sahalee Invitational, leading the way for the Wildcats. Freshman William Wistrand has also shown significant promise with a seventh-place finish at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup. He will look to take strides to start the spring season.
The final team taking part in the Copper Cup is No. 24 USC, which is coming off an impressive first semester. The Trojans entered the winter break with two wins, coming at the Whirlwind Invitational and the Trinity Forest Invitational. Additionally, they finished third in their other two starts: the William H. Tucker Intercolliegate and the Golf Club of Georgia Colliegate.
It has been a collective effort from the Trojans, but sophomore Jaden Dumdumaya has spearheaded their success. The California native finished inside the top three twice last fall, averaging a score of eight-under-par per tournament. Senior Jose Antonio Safa also had a strong fall, notching a win at the Whirlwind Invitational with a score of 17-under-par.
The Copper Cup will serve as the spring kickoff for all four teams, with the two-day tournament starting on Monday, January 19th. The tournament will feature four unique rounds: Rivalry Foursomes, Rivalry Singles, Copper Cup Foursomes, and Copper Cup Singles.
The first two rounds will place the rival schools against each other, before the final two rounds see the winners of those matches compete for the podium’s top spot, as all four teams will look to start their spring seasons on the right foot.
