Men's golf ties eighth at 2010 Thunderbird Invitational


2010 Thunderbird Invitational Final Results Get Acrobat  Reader

The eighth-ranked Arizona State men's golf team finished in a tie for eighth place at the 2010 Thunderbird invitational held at ASU's own par-71, 7,057 Karsten Golf Course. The Sun Devils shot a 4-over 856 (291-276-289) to tie with UNLV.

Shooting a tournament low 16-under in the final round, No. 3 Washington bounded six spots to claim the team championship. The Huskies started out the day tied for seventh place. San Diego State's J.J. Spaun was named the Thunderbird Invitational individual champion, chipping in the winning shot in three strokes over Washington freshman Chris Williams in a play off on 18. Both Spaun and Williams finished the tournament at 8-under par.

Junior Jesper Kennegard (75-67-71) and senior Knut Borsheim (70-71-72) led the Sun Devils' line-up, tying for 24th at even par. Senior Braxton Marquez tied for 30th, shooting a 1-over 214 (72-70-72). Carding a 5-over 218, junior James Byrne finished tied for 49th. Junior Scott Pinckney rounded out the line-up, shooting a 6-over 219 (74-71-74).

Shooting the low round of the tournament, ASU sophomore Spencer Fletcher, carded a career-low 64 in the final round. Fletcher, playing as an individual, tied for 16th with a 2-under 211 (70-77-64). In addition to Fletcher, the Sun Devils had four other players compete individually. Jin Song tied for 30th at 1-over. Tristan Bierenbroodspot tied for 49th shooting 5-over. Wes Tucker tied for 74th shooting 11-over, while ASU newcomer Thomas Buren carded 14-over to tie for 79th.

The 2010 Thunderbird contained a heavily laden Pac-10 field all testing out the course for the upcoming Pac-10 Men's Golf Championship, April 26-28. Hosted by Arizona State at the ASU Karsten Golf Course, the Pac-10 features five teams ranked in the top eight in the nation according to Golfweek.