The No. 35 Arizona men’s golf team heads to Tempe today for the two-day Thunderbird Invitational. The event will be hosted by No. 9 ASU and played at the 7,026-yard ASU Karsten Golf Course.
Last year the Wildcats tied for third in the tournament and three Arizona players took the top three spots individually. However, the only remaining Wildcat from that threesome is junior Henry Liaw, who tied for third place last year.
Arizona assistant head coach John Knauer said that after the team’s performance in the Tucson Omni National Tournament last week, where Arizona dropped from third to seventh place in a single round, he is hoping the team got its wakeup call.
“”We were in the hunt, we just did not get it done,”” Knauer said.
He said that he is hoping for Liaw and sophomore Travis Esway to have standout performances, saying that he thinks that this week could be Esway’s week. He had his best round in last week’s final round, and Knauer said he is hoping that it will carry over this week.
Knauer added that the course has been changed with a new kind of configuration.
“”The course plays more like a championship course now,”” Knauer said.
The course sports a famed 16th hole that, when played well, leaves golfers with a birdie. However, when it’s not played so great, golfers often score a bogey or worse.
The hole, which has a 217-yard carry over water, leaves the golfers with two choices: hit over the water or take the safe way.
This is a decision all golfers will have to make this weekend in Tempe: to be bold, or not to be bold.