The UA men’s golf team is set to head to Tempe this weekend to compete in the final tournament of the 2017-2018 regular season. This year’s Thunderbird Invitational will be played at the ASU Karsten Golf Course, which is also the home course of the ASU golf teams. While the Sun Devils have the advantage of playing on their home course, Arizona’s head coach Jim Anderson talked about what his team brings to the table.
“We are looking forward to competing in Arizona again. Three players from our lineup have grown up in Arizona and our team is very comfortable in this environment. From what we have gathered, the course will play firm and fast putting a premium on wedges and putting. Our team has an opportunity to put a stamp on the regular season and build momentum for the championships. We believe in our team and look forward to a fun few days in The Valley playing in front of Arizona fans and family members,” Anderson said to Arizona Athletics.
The tournament starts Saturday morning April 14 where the field of players will play the first two rounds of the tournament. Round three of the tournament will be completed on Sunday April, 15. This weekend gives Arizona a final chance to tune up its play before heading to southern California April 23-25 for the Pac-12 Championship tournament.
The ‘Cats look to continue their successful 2017-2018 season with another top five finish. Last week in Santa Cruz, Calif. Arizona senior George Cunningham tied for first place in the individual category. Cunningham had a big week last week, earning his PGA Tour-Canada card and tied for 1st place up in Northern California with the team.
Traveling to Tempe for the Wildcats this weekend is senior George Cunningham, sophomores David Laskin and Brad Reeves, along with freshman Trevor Werbylo and Gavin Cohen. This will be Cunningham’s last regular season tournament with the team as he is set to graduate this May. The Wildcats are bringing five golfers this weekend to compete as individuals too. Juniors Travis Fredborg and Dylan Stein, sophomore Briggs Duce, freshman Drake Mendenhall and Tianlang Guan make up the golfers representing UA as individuals.
The Wildcats are set to go up against a field of elite golf programs this weekend. The No. 1 team in the country, Oklahoma State and No. 3 team Oklahoma will be competing this weekend. Baylor who is currently ranked 11th in the country will be in attendance as well. ASU is ranked 25th in the country, making for a highly competitive tournament.
The tournament will begin with a shotgun start at 7 a.m. on Saturday morning. Stay tuned for tournament updates and recaps.
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