Without Jose Luis Ballester, Arizona State wins third straight ASU Thunderbird title
4/12/2025 | by Justin Golba of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for ASU Thunderbird Collegiate, Papago Golf Course
Pongsapak Laopakdee earned medalist honors, leading his team to a 12-shot victory in Phoenix
Four Arizona State Sun Devils finished in the top 15, and Pongsapak Laopakdee earned medalist honors at the 2025 ASU Thunderbird Collegiate at Papago Golf Course in Phoenix, Ariz., to help the Arizona State Sun Devils earn its third straight victory at the tournament.
The Sun Devils were without 2024 U.S. Amateur champion Jose Luis Ballester and head coach Matt Thurmond as they were at the 2025 Masters Tournament, but the host school still finished 39-under with rounds of 262-275-276.
With their opening round of 22-under 262, they secured a wire-to-wire win under associate head coach Thomas Sutton.
Colorado finished in solo second place at 27-under with rounds of 277-273-275, and Utah finished in solo third place at 23-under. New Mexico finished in solo fourth place at 22-under, and Grand Canyon finished in solo fifth place at 20-under.
In the individual competition, Arizona State sophomore Pongsapak Laopakdee secured his second collegiate win in a playoff after finishing 12-under with rounds of 66-67-68.
Laopakdee is currently ranked No. 186 in the Golfweek/AmateurGolf.com World Rankings.
Carson Herron of New Mexico joined Laopakdee in the playoff at 12-under with rounds of 66-68-67.
Preston Summerhays, the highest-ranked player in the field, started the tournament off with an 8-under 63 to hold the first-round lead and finished in solo third place at 11-under and one shot back of the playoff.
Enrique Dimayuga of SMU, Gabriel Palacios of Utah, and Mason Snyder of Loyola Marymount finished T4 at 10-under to round out the top five.
According to Arizona State Athletics, this was the 26th team title under Matt Thurmond and the Sun Devils have won the Thunderbird Collegiate as a team for the 23rd time.
Since the tournament moved to Papago in 2019, they have won three in a row and four of the six.
Arizona State has won three straight Thunderbird Collegiate games, the most since it won three in a row from 2017-19.
It's now the sixth season, winning three tournaments in a season under Matt Thurmond.
By shooting 39-under, Arizona State broke its own Thunderbird Collegiate 54-hole team score vs. par. Last year, ASU finished at 38-under. This year, the Sun Devils ended at a record-breaking 39-under.
It is the fourth straight time the Sun Devils have claimed the Individual Championship at the Thunderbird Collegiate. A Sun Devil has won the Thunderbird Collegiate Individual Title for the 18th time.
Results: ASU Thunderbird Collegiate
| Place | Player | Location | Pts | Scores |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | , Thailand | 700 | 66-67-68=201 | |
| 2 | Deephaven, MN | 500 | 66-68-67=201 | |
| 3 | Scottsdale, AZ | 400 | 63-70-69=202 | |
| T4 | , England | 400 | 68-68-67=203 | |
| T4 | Las Vegas, NV | 400 | 62-70-71=203 |
About the ASU Thunderbird Collegiate
54 hole men's college tournament hosted by Arizona State University. Team (best four scores out of five players each round) and individual competitions.
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