SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — All month long, Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale has been playing host to the NCAA Men's and Women's Golf Championships. Arizona State fans remember when the men fell just short of a national title here last year, but head coach Matt Thurmond and his team are eager to compete in their own backyard for a third straight year.
“Sparky, or Sun Devil Nation came out. It was awesome. It was University of Texas with their history and with their team… Matt Thurmond and Arizona State with their team and their rich history. You had the two best teams and they faced off,” Grayhawk Director of Golf Joe Shershenovich said. “Unfortunately, we didn't get it done but Matt Thurmond's back and he's ready. He's excited.”
This is the final year Grayhawk will be hosting Nationals since the event rotates sites and host teams every three years. The Sun Devils have now made the NCAA Finals in the past eight seasons, the fourth-longest streak in the country. Grayhawk is less than 25 miles from ASU’s home which makes this week even more special for Thurmond’s group.
“It's been absolutely incredible. This is going to be sort of a nostalgic sad week, although a happy week because it's the last. It's the last one. At least for now,” Thurmond said. “If we end up finding a way to win this thing, I think we'll look back on last year and say that it really helped us."
The NCAA Championships are free for spectators and one of the players to watch on the course this week is Scottsdale’s own Preston Summerhays. The Sun Devil, now in his sophomore season, earned Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and is looking forward to building on the success of last season.
“College golf is great the entire season but you're really just working to get right to this point,” Summerhays said. “This is our biggest tournament of the year. You want to win it for your team and for school. So, to be back here, especially with how close we got last year is it's exciting.”
Follow the conversation with Lina Washington on Twitter: @LWashingtonTV. If you have a sports story idea, e-mail Lina at LWashington@12News.com.
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