Saturday, July 16, 2016

Tim Mickelson steps down as Arizona State University men’s golf coach

Jon Rahm (right) and Tim Mickelson
Jon Rahm (right) and Tim Mickelson (Tracy Wilcox)
Tim Mickelson, brother of Open championship leader Phil,  has stepped down as head men’s golf coach at Arizona State, the university said in a statement released Wednesday.
In five seasons at ASU, Mickelson led the Sun Devils to two national top-10 finishes. Mickelson, the younger brother of PGA Tour veteran Phil Mickelson, said he is resigning to pursue “other business opportunities,” without elaborating.
Mickelson responded to Golfweek via text message: “No decision on my future as of yet.”
Assistant coach Judd Easterling, who joined the program last July, will be retained to manage the program during a national search for Mickelson’s replacement, the school said.
In June, rumours swirled that Mickelson would leave to work with Jon Rahm as the recent Sun Devils alumnus made his way into professional golf.  
Mickelson, however, rebutted those reports.
With Rahm, the No. 1 player in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings for the 2015-16 season, Arizona State finished the year ranked 12th. The Sun Devils placed ninth at the NCAAs, four strokes short of qualifying for the eight-team match play.
“(Tim) mentored one of the most decorated golfers in program history, helped our student-athletes not only graduate, but also find success professionally both on and off the golf course, and further connected the program to our community,” said Ray Anderson, the school’s athletic director. “We wish him the best in his future endeavors.”
Mickelson came to Arizona State in 2011 after eight seasons at San Diego, where he built the Toreros into national prominence. He was a four-time West Coast Conference coach of the year.
Mickelson played three seasons at Arizona State, including on the 1996 national champions, before transferring to Oregon State. He was the Pac-10 runner-up with the Beavers in 1999, his graduation year.
“This program is made up of very fine young gentlemen who deserve a coach that is passionate and energetic toward helping them reach both their team and individual goals,” Mickelson said in the ASU statement. 
 “I have lost that passion and energy, and so for the betterment of the program I am stepping aside for someone to come in and take the reins. I wish the program all the best moving forward and am confident that Ray will find the right coach to lead the program to the next level.”

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