Fifa Laopakdee; Arizona State sweep Thunderbird Collegiate

PHOENIX – Sun Devil Men's Golf remained victorious at the Thunderbird Collegiate, with Fifa Laopakdee claiming the Individual Championship in a playoff after posting a 12-under.
 
Hosted by Arizona State at Papago Golf Club, Associate Head Coach Thomas Sutton stepped in due to Head Coach Matt Thurmond and Josele Ballester being present at the Masters Tournament. The squad put together a historical performance on their way to a third-consecutive Thunderbird Collegiate team title. The Sun Devils finished an incredible 39-under to win by 12 strokes. It is the 23rd time ASU has kept the Thunderbird Collegiate trophy home.
 
The Sun Devils triumphed in a decisive win fueled by the play of sophomore Fifa Laopakdee and two-time winner Preston Summerhays. Laopakdee put up his strongest performance of any tournament this season, shooting 12-under over the course of three rounds and emerged victorious in a deciding 18th hole playoff. Laopakdee was extremely consistent and avoided mistakes on his way to the title, recording 11 birdies and one eagle compared to only one bogey. A Sun Devil has now won the Thunderbird collegiate individual trophy four times in a row.
 

The top of the individual leaderboard was full of Sun Devils, as Arizona State proved to be on a different level than the rest of the competition. Preston Summerhays (-11/202) finished in third place, meaning two of the top-three finishers were in Maroon & Gold. Not far behind was Michael Mjaaseth (-8/205), who finished eighth. Peer Wernicke (-6/207) and Connor Williams (-3/210) provided contributions each of the past two days, both finishing in the top-25. 

Final Standings | Tournament Stats
 

Team Standings

Individual Standings

NOTABLES

• The overall win marked the 26th team title under Matt Thurmond.
• Arizona State has won the Thunderbird Collegiate as a team for the 23rd time.
  • They have won three in a row and four of the six since the tournament moved to Papago in 2019.
  • The three-straight wins at the Thunderbird Collegiate are the most by Arizona State since ASU 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 breaks their 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.
  • Fifa Laopakdee (2025)
  • Preston Summerhays (2024, 2023)
  • James Leow (2022)
• This is Fifa Laopakdee's second individual collegiate win. His first came at the Maui Jim Individual at Legend Trail Golf Club (Sept. 8-9, 2023) as a freshman.

ASU THUNDERBIRD COLLEGIATE HISTORY/INFORMATION
YEAR: CHAMPION SCORE (ASU FINISH)/CHAMPION, TEAM (SCORE/VS. PAR)
HELD AT PAPAGO GOLF COURSE IN PHOENIX
2025: Arizona State 813 (-39)/Fifa Laopakdee, ASU (201/-12)
2024: Arizona State 814 (-38)/Preston Summerhays, ASU (201/-12)
2023: Arizona State 824 (-28)/Preston Summerhays, ASU (200/-13)
2022: Oklahoma 821 (-31)/James Leow, ASU-IND (199/-14)
2021: TCU 818 (-34)/Albert Boneta, UNM; (201/-12); Ludvig Aberg, Texas Tech (201/-12); Blake Tomlinson, Utah (201/-12)
2019: Arizona State 832 (-20)/Chun An Yu, ASU (201/-12)
 
QUOTABLES
Associate Head Coach Thomas Sutton
Opening Statement
"I'm excited for the guys. This is the most fun week of the year because it's the only time that we play at home. Every other tournament we get on a flight and go play at someone else's house. To be able to get the team and the individual win at home in front of our fans, as a coach, you can't really ask for much more." 
 
On breaking their previous tournament record 
"We had great performances from almost everybody, that's what it takes to do that as a team. It can't just be one guy. I think every single player contributed in their own way a lot. I think Preston Summerhays - he's played the tournament 4 times, he's won it twice and he just barely lost this. So for almost three and then Fifa as a sophomore, it's the second win this season and it's fun to watch him progress." 
 
Sophomore Fifa Laopakdee
On overall performance 
"I've been playing pretty good. I always played pretty good at Papago. This is one of the courses that I know I can go low, so I was expecting to play good entering this week." 
 
On taking home the individual win 
"It feels amazing to win, especially in the home event in front of all the fans and the Devils. It feels amazing."
 
On taking home the team win 
"We know we got a win this week. I mean from the preparation we made throughout the whole season, we have a great team. I have great teammates and I trust all my teammates. We've been playing great all season. I feel like we have a great mindset and all of us had a great mindset entering this week."

Up Next
Arizona State will enjoy a brief break before turning around and competing at their first Big 12 Championship.The Sun Devils will look to win their second straight conference title in Tulsa, Oklahoma April 22-24.