Sun Devil senior Chun An Yu and sophomore Cameron Sisk have both been named to the 2021 Haskins Award Watch List, announced by Golf Channel, as ASU joins Oklahoma, Texas Tech, SMU and Vanderbilt in having two team members on the list.
The Fred Haskins Award is given to the most outstanding player in NCAA Men's Golf. Pepperdine's Sahith Theegala took home the award in 2020.
A number of Haskins award winners have gone on to have successful PGA careers including Justin Thomas, Patrick Cantlay, Kevin Chappell, Bill Haas, Graeme McDowell, Luke Donald, Matt Kuchar, Tiger Woods, Stewart Cink, Phil Mickelson, and Ben Crenshaw.
An "extra" year senior, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic leading to the cancellation of all spring collegiate sports and the NCAA granting all spring athletes an extra year of eligibility, Yu took the top spot in the World Amateur Golf Rankings on Nov. 18.
In his career at ASU, Yu has a 70.4 stroke average in 38 tournaments, with 78 out of 116 rounds at par or better. He was on a hot streak during his junior season, with seven top-five finishes in nine tournaments, including a win at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational and a third-place finish at NCAA Championships.
"He has all the skills," coach Matt Thurmond said of Yu. "He hits it far, high, and on a string. He [chips] and putts it well, and he never takes a shot off."
Thurmond spoke a lot about Yu's mental game and attitude.
"He's really relentless in his consistency of focus and effort," Thurmond said. "He just stays with things and keeps working and working."
Thurmond and Yu have had multiple prior conversations about his ranking, as Yu entered September's U.S. Open as the world's third-ranked amateur.
"This is something he and I have talked about often," Thurmond said. "It was a very big goal for him and for me and it's very satisfying to see it reached. I'm so happy for him."
While Yu heard about the No. 1 ranking, he was doing what all great golfers do for countless hours. He was out practicing.
"He was out working hard today," Thurmond said. "He knows that part of being a powerfully humble competitor is having to go earn it every single day all over again. He knows it doesn't get easier from here, but harder and he will be up for it. He's a really tough competitor."
Junior Cameron Sisk received 2020 third-team All-American honors as just a sophomore. Sisk set an ASU freshman scoring mark in 2018-19 with a 71.18 stroke average, won the 2019 Maui Jim Intercollegiate and Sonoran Showdown, was a 2017 AJGA Rolex All-American, was chosen to the All-Southern California Junior Team, and is a member of the AJGA Wyndham Cup West Team.
Sisk is ranked No. 29 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and has made a strong 2020 campaign in amateur tournaments, finishing in the top 10 in four of the last six tournaments he competed in, which includes a 5th-place finish at the U.S. Amateur Championship and a runner-up finish at the Lampkin Grips SD Classic.
Coach Matt Thurmond had plenty of praise for the rising star.
"I don't think people realize how great Cameron Sisk is," Thurmond said. "This guy is a big-time player with a big-time future. He's as steady as they come as a player and person. I've known him now for several years and his development trajectory has been on a constant incline the whole time. He absolutely belongs among the best amateur golfers in the world and it may not be long before he stands out even among them."
Full article: https://thesundevils.com/news/2020/11/30/mens-golf-has-two-on-haskins-awards-list.aspx