Puig again a runaway winner as he leads Arizona State to team crown in The Amer Ari

    With David Puig, a sophomore from Spain and No. 19 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), continuing his hot play and his Arizona State teammates following his lead, the Sun Devils rolled to a 12-shot victory over Pac-12 rival Southern California in The Amer Ari Invitational, which wrapped up Thursday at the Hapuna Golf Course in Waimea, Hawaii.

   The Ameri Ari, which normally attracts up to 20 teams to the Big Island, only had eight, including two locals, as the coronavirus pandemic continues to limit travel for some colleges, but that takes nothing away from the showing by Arizona State and, for that matter, the runnerup Trojans.

   The Pac-12 wouldn’t let its teams compete in the fall portion of the wraparound 2020-2021, but Arizona State has hit the ground running with the start of what figures to be a spring sprint to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

   Puig captured the individual title by nine shots in last week’s Southwestern Invitational at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif. against, arguably, a deeper field and helped Arizona State earn runnerup honors, three shots behind San Diego State.

   The Sun Devils were ranked No. 6 by Golfstat when the ill-fated 2019-’20 season was halted by the pandemic last March. A couple of the seniors on that team, Blake Wagoner of Cornelius, N.C. and Chun An Yu of Taiwan and No. 4 in the WAGR, decided to accept the NCAA’s offer of an extra year of eligibility and return for a fifth season. Maybe some unfinished business?

   Fifth-year head coach Matt Thurmond’s biggest challenge appears to be which five to put in the starting lineup. Wagoner played in The Amer Ari as an individual and nearly won the thing, finishing in a tie for second place with Southern California’s Tyler Guo, a sophomore from Irvine, Calif., four shots behind Puig. An Yu, you know the No. 4 guy in the whole darn world, was the Sun Devils’ highest finisher, ending up in 14^th place at 3-under 213, although his final-round 70 was a counter as Arizona State pulled away.

   At the moment, though, no Sun Devil is as hot as Puig is. Trailing his teammate Wagoner by a shot entering the final round, Puig ripped off four straight birdies on the back nine in a 4-under-par 68 that gave him a 13-under 203 total. Puig had opened with a 5-under 67 in Tuesday’s opening round before adding a 4-under 68 in Wednesday’s second round.

   Arizona State started fast with a sizzling 13-under 275 in Tuesday’s opening round over a vulnerable 6,875-yard, par-72 Hapuna layout and then did it again in Wednesday’s second round, yet another 275 giving the Sun Devils an eight-shot lead over Southern Cal heading into the final round.

   It was more of the same -- OK, the Sun Devils were two shots worse -- with their final round of 11-under 277 leaving them with a spectacular 37-under 827 total. Wherever The Amer Ari is played -- last year it was held at the Waikoloa Resort’s Kings’ Course in Weikoloa, a golf course which it appears, is now closed -- it usually seems to be birdie-fest, but give Arizona State credit, the course was there for the taking and the Sun Devils took it. Arizona State finished in third place a year ago at Weikoloa.

   Southern Cal hardly played badly. The Trojans opened with an 8-under 280 and added a 10-under 278 before closing with a 7-under 281 that left them with a 25-under 839 total, 12 shots behind Arizona State, but 15 shots clear of the rest of the field.

   Georgia Tech, like the rest of the Atlantic Coast Conference, did not compete in the fall. It was a really strong group of Yellow Jackets who saw their season come to a sudden end last March. They were No. 7 when the pandemic shut everything down. The Amer Ari was already Georgia Tech’s third start of the spring, the Yellow Jackets finishing seventh in a very competitive Southwestern field last week.

   The Amer Ari has become a traditional stop on the Georgia Tech schedule – the Yellow Jackets finished in fifth place a year ago -- and veteran head coach Bruce Heppler was bringing his team to Hawaii, pandemic or no pandemic.

   Georgia Tech finished in a tie for third place with Oregon State, another Pac-12 entry, in The Amer Ari, each team landing on 10-under 864. The Yellow Jackets actually led Arizona State when they fired a 14-under 274 to open the tournament in spectacular fashion Tuesday.

   But Georgia Tech faltered in Wednesday’s second round with a 13-over 301 before closing strong with a 9-under 279. Oregon State matched the Yellow Jackets’ strong finish with the Beavers closing with a 279 to get a share of third place.

   It was another 16 shots back to San Jose State in fifth place as it closed with a 6-over 294 for a 6-over 870 total. Another Pac-12 entry, Washington, was eight shots behind San Jose State in sixth place, the Huskies matching par in the final round with a 288 to end up with a 14-over 878 total.

   It looks like Hawaii-Hilo and Hawaii were waging a little Islands battle of their own and Hawaii-Hilo staged a final-round rally, the Vulcans’ 10-over 298 33 shots better than their second-round 331, to overtake Hawaii and finish in seventh place at 935. Hawaii was three shots behind Hawaii-Hilo in eighth place 938, the Rainbows closing with a 312 total.

   Puig, of course, led the way for the Sun Devils. He was a little up and down in the final round, making birdies at the first and second holes, a bogey at the third, birdies at six and eight and bogeys at nine and 12. But then came the four straight birdies at the 14^th, 15^th, 16^th and 17^th holes that enabled him to pull away before he closed with a bogey at the last to finish at 13-under.

   Wagoner, again playing as individual, had the round of the tournament when he opened with a 9-under 63. Wagoner came out of the gate on fire with birdies at six of his first seven holes. He ended up with 10 birdies and a bogey at the closing hole. He cooled off with a 1-under 71 in Wednesday’s second round before finishing up with a 2-over 73 to end up four shots behind Puig in a tie for second place at 9-under 207.

   Ryggs Johnston, a sophomore from Libby, Mont., backed up Puig as he finished a shot behind Wagoner and Southern Cal’s Guo in fourth place at 8-under 208. Johnston added a 4-under 68 to his opening-round 71 before closing with a 69.

   Mason Andersen, a senior from Chandler, Ariz., was the picture of consistency for Arizona State with three straight 2-under 70s that left him in a trio tied for seventh place at 6-under 210. Andersen lost in a playoff for the individual title a year ago at Waikoloa.

   Cameron Sisk, a junior from San Diego and No. 30 in the WAGR, gave the Sun Devils another top-10 finisher as he landed among the group tied for 10^th place at 5-under 211. Sisk was in contention for the individual title after adding a 69 to his opening round of 5-under 67 before stumbling a little in the final round with a 3-over 75.

   An Yu was steady if unspectacular as he opened with a 1-under 71 and matched par in the second round with a 72 before closing with that counting 70 that left him alone in 14^th place at 213.

   Southern Cal’s Guo opened with back-to-back 4-under 68s that left him two shots behind Wagoner and one behind Puig heading into the final round. Guo closed with a 1-under 71 to get a piece of second place along with Wagoner.

   Guo’s teammate, Shane Ffrench, a freshman from San Diego, sandwiched a 3-under 69 with a pair of 70s to finish in a tie for fifth place with San Jose State’s Sean Yu at 7-under 209, a shot behind Arizona State’s Johnston. Yu started fast with a 4-under 68 and added a 71 before closing with a 70.

   Joining Arizona State’s Andersen in the trio tied for seventh place at 6-under 210 were Georgia Tech’s Connor Howe and Oregon State’s Carson Barry.

   Howe started and finished with a 5-under 67, but lost his way in the midst of the Yellow Jackets’ second-round collapse with a 76. Barry struggled in the opening round with a 77 before registering a 71 in the second round and finishing up with a 4-under 68 that moved him into the top 10.

   Howe’s Georgia Tech teammate, Noah Norton, a senior from Chino, Calif., also struggled in the second round with a 77, but he opened with a 68 and closed with the final round’s best score, a sparkling 6-under 66 that landed him with Arizona State’s Sisk and Southern Cal’s Cameron Henry in a tie for 10^th place at 5-under 211.

   The Trojans’ Henry opened with a 70 and matched par in the second round with a 72 before closing with a 3-under 69 in Thursday’s final round to sneak into the top 10.