Senior Braxton Marquez placed third at the 2008 Thunderbird Invitational with a 1-under par 212, his best finish of his career.

Click here for a complete listing of Golfweek's top men's collegiate teams

Click here for a complete listing of Golfweek's top men's individual players

Oct. 12, 2009

Senior Braxton Marquez and junior Jesper Kennegard each posted a career-low round Saturday after an interteam competition at the par-72 Gainey Ranch Golf Course in Scottsdale.

Kennegard collected an eagle, 10 birdies and eight pars en route to a 12-under par 60 and a two-stroke victory over his teammates. Although Kennegard's 12-under par occurred in unofficial competition, it is the lowest round ever posted by a Sun Devil to par, besting Paul Casey's 10-under par in the 1999 Pac-10 Championship. Kennegard's previous top round was 9-under par, which he has shot three times.

Marquez, who finished with a 10-under par 62, tallied two eagles, eight birdies and eight pars. He topped his previous low round, a 9-under par, by one stroke.

Intersquad competitions offer a great opportunity for players to showcase their skills, especially for "a number six or seven player trying to make the starting line-up or traveling team," head coach Randy Lein said.

While the course was not in top shape and the atmosphere was fairly laid back, Lein said those were not the only reasons why Marquez and Kennegard played so well.

"You still have to hit your wedges close and make your putts," he said.

The men's golf team maintained its No. 2 ranking in the latest edition of Golfweek's weekly rating of the top men's collegiate teams in the country. The Sun Devils trail No. 1 Oklahoma State by less than a point and are one of five Pac-10 teams ranked in the top-10. The other four programs are No. 3 Washington, No. 4 Stanford, No. 8 Oregon State and No. 9 USC.

Three Sun Devils are ranked in Golfweek's top-50 men's collegiate players ratings, including No. 10 Scott Pinckney, No. 27 Knut Borsheim and No. 34 Kennegard.

Men's golf resumes action on Oct. 25, when they travel to Orlando, Fla. for the three-day Isleworth Invitational.

Golfweek's Top-10 Men's Collegiate Teams

No. 1 Oklahoma State
No. 2 Arizona State
No. 3 Washington
No. 4 Stanford
No. 5 Illinois
No. 6 Florida State
No. 7 Texas
No. 8 Oregon State
No. 9 USC
No. 10 Florida

WEB

TheSunDevils.com