(Photo: Ben Parris/Sun Devil Athletics)
No. 2 Arizona State men’s golf takes the trip to Chicago to compete in the 18th annual Fighting Illini Invitational, one of the most challenging college golf contests. Fourteen of the 15 teams playing are ranked or received votes in the GCAA Preseason Bushnell/Golfweek Coaches Poll.
Olympia Fields Country Club is filled with history and will give all teams a challenging test over the three days. Notably, ASU alum Jon Rahm won the 2020 BMW Championship at the storied track.
Starting the season off on the right foot, ASU dominated the Sahalee Players Championship winning by 12 strokes, and was the only team under par. The five-man squad was firing on all cylinders and was ranked top two in par-three, par-four, and par-five scoring.
The two Sun Devil seniors, Preston Summerhays (ranked No. 1 in PGA Tour U) and Joselle Ballester (No. 6), led the way tying for second individually at 3-under. Summerhays put on a clinic, scoring the most birdies with 13 and tied first with the lowest par-five scoring average at 8-under. Ballester’s first college tournament after winning the U.S. Amaetur was a successful one, earning his ninth career top-five individual finish.
To start his sophomore year, Connor Williams fired off three clean rounds, tying for sixth carding 71-73-71. In his first ever start, freshman Peer Wernicke stayed solid tying for 13th at 1-over. Wernicke tied for second in par-four scoring at Sahalee Country Club, known for its formidable par-fours,
The Sun Devils have finished in the top five in their last three appearances at the Fighting Illini Invitational. Their abilities will be tested against 15 strong universities, 14 of which advanced to the 2024 NCAA Regionals last spring.
Olympia Field has been the home of the Fighting Illini Invitational for 17 years and counting. The course stands at a Par 70 and 7,353 yardage. Four major championships have been held at Olympia Fields along with the 2020 and 2023 BMW Championships.
The tournament saw historic low scoring last year. The reigning champions, North Carolina, recorded the lowest 36-hole team score of 550. ASU will try to capitalize on the potential for low scores after it had the most team birdies at Sahalee.
ASU will be rolling out a roster of Summerhays, Ballester, Williams, Wernicke, and sophomore Nick Prieto. The crew will look to get the first team win in the tournament since 2009. The last individual to win it for ASU was Niklas Lemke in 2006.
