(Photo: Ben Parris/Sun Devil Athletics)
After a long road, earning nine top-five finishes throughout his illustrious career, senior Josele Ballester clinched his first collegiate victory on Sunday at the Fighting Illini Invitational. The lengthy journey involved winning the European Amateur Championship in 2023 and the U.S. Amateur Championship in 2024, all leading up to his first collegiate triumph
“I’ve been looking for this victory for a long time, and now it seems that just because of that win at the (U.S.) Am, everything just seems easy.” said Ballester in an interview with PGA Tour University.
As a team, Arizona State fell short on Saturday to a surging Georgia Tech by one stroke. ASU now starts the season with a win at Sahalle and a narrow loss in Chicago.
Ballester, ranked No. 6 in the PGA Tour University ranking, opened up the Fighting Illini Invitational with fireworks tying his career-best 64 with a bogey-free round. Ballester was deadlocked with junior Benjamin Reuter going into Saturday’s second round.
“I had it going in the first round, feeling much more confident. I hadn’t been making that many putts from like 10 to 15 feet. And it was nice to see those putts in the early rounds dropping in,” said Ballester.
With weather impending on Sunday, the OFCC committee decided to finish the tournament on Saturday playing the remaining 36 holes. Ballester, who was in the day’s final group, was on the course when play was suspended late Saturday due to darkness with only two holes to play.
Ballester resumed on Sunday morning leading by one stroke over Reuter while Georgia Tech led ASU by two strokes.
After Ballester and Reuter went chalk on the 17th hole, they arrived at the notorious dogleg par-4 18th hole. Reuter found himself in trouble off the tee, then ultimately missed his par putt to make bogey. After a beautiful low-cut approach shot, Ballester went up and down to secure the victory.
Ballester’s weekend scorecard was 64-66-70 to win by two strokes, shooting 10-under to tie the tournament record. He led the tournament in par-4 scoring at 6-under and kept it clean with only four bogeys through the weekend.
Ballester joins fellow Spaniard, Jon Rahm, as the latest Sun Devil to win at Olympia Fields. Rahm won at the 2020 BMW Championship, a playoff event on the PGA Tour. Ballester also became the second golfer for ASU to win the Fighting Illini Invitational, with Niklas Lemke winning in 2006.
ASU shot the second best round of the week opening the tournament with a 273. The Sun Devils convincingly had the best par-4 scoring by five strokes over the fourteen other schools.
Freshman Peer Wernicke (-2, T11) and sophomore Connor Williams (E, T17) finished in the top 20. Wernicke was one of six players to shoot even or better on par-3, par-4, and par-5 holes. Williams stays on track for a strong sophomore campaign shooting 1-under and even par in his first two tournaments.
Sophomore Nicholas Prieto (+3) and senior Preston Summerhays (+6) rounded out the five-man lineup for ASU to earn the solo second finish. Notably, Prieto had one of ASU’s two eagles, riskily going driver off deck from 278 yards out and putting it within 10 feet during the third round.
A week from today, Arizona State will resume play at the Ben Hogan Collegiate from September 30 to October 1. This will be ASU’s second appearance in the tournament at the Colonial Country Club. Last year, they finished in 3rd place.
As for Ballester, he flies home to Spain where he will compete in the Open de España on the DP World Tour. He earned an exemption into the event after his win at the U.S. Amateur.
“The best thing is it’s my favorite event of the year,” said Ballester walking off the 18th green. He got the first one and the one he wanted.
