Many times after college graduation friends, colleagues and teammates are forced to go their separate ways in search of future endeavors.
Former ASU golfers Kendall Critchfield, Jesse Mueller and Pat Moore, however, share the same path. The three Valley natives, who made up the entire 2005 men's golf graduating class, are all competing professionally on the Grey Goose Gateway Tour in the Desert Summer Series.
Last week, all three competed together for the first time since graduation.
While Critchfield and Mueller have been playing on the tour since spring, Moore made his professional debut appearance Aug. 16-19 at the Alta Mesa Country Club in Mesa.
Moore opted to compete in amateur events earlier in the summer after turning in four top-10 tournament performances in his final year at ASU.
Critchfield took third after carding a 19-under-par 268 and earning $7,500.
Critchfield is yet to miss a cut in his first 10 tournaments.
Not only did Critchfield, Mueller and Moore compete together at ASU for four years, but as Valley natives they have grown as golfers in the same community since childhood.
"Jesse, Kendall and Pat have played golf together from junior golf to high school and through college, so the three of them are very close friends," ASU coach Randy Lein said. "I think all of them being on the Gateway Tour together adds to the competitiveness and makes it more comfortable for them."
Critchfield, who struggled during his senior year, has thrived in professional competition climbing to 18th on the money list and ranking third in total birdies with 169.
"I think the big thing with the Gateway event is that you're in competition every week," Lein said. "In college, even if you're Alejandro Canizares, you're playing in 10 tournaments over the course of eight months," Lein said, referring to the 2003 national champion who started every tournament for the Sun Devils last season.
Constant competition has shaved Critchfield's stroke average from 75.81 during his senior year at ASU to 70.50 on tour. Lien also said that the absence of long breaks and random Pac-10 travel weather can boost a player's performance.
"This is Kendall's home, it's where he grew up, and he's comfortable here," Lein said. "This game, especially at the level that they're playing at, is so much mental. It's believing that you'll hit good shots and that you belong. Kendall has that belief now, he's very confident, and he's certainly the surprise of the three."
Also improving his game is Mueller, the 2004-05 team captain.
Since competing in 47 collegiate events and compiling a 72.78 stroke average at ASU, Mueller's average has dropped by more than three strokes after nine tour starts.
Lein said that Mueller made constant improvement at ASU, knocking a stroke off his average during his four seasons.
"Jesse has continued to get better every year," Lein said. "He's got a great work ethic, and he's got confidence because of the maturity and the experiences he's had."
Mueller's experience helped him to accumulate $30,488 in earned money on tour, making him seventh of 143 on the money list. More than half of his earnings came in June when he carded a tournament-winning 17-under 271 at McCormick Ranch Golf Club in Scottsdale in just his second professional outing.
"It was definitely nice to have my entry fee covered by the second week in," Mueller said. "That really took the pressure off and let me work on my game a bit and get ready for PGA Qualifying School in October."
The Grey Goose Gateway Tour has ties to ASU beyond its current three competitors. Former ASU golfer Chris Stutts founded the Gateway Tour in 2002 to fill a need for developmental golf in the West Coast region.
Lein said that by keeping close ties to the program, many ASU golf alumni have had success beyond their college years.
"A lot of the guys are here two or three times a week in the morning," Lein said, noting ASU allows its graduate golfers access to it's Karsten Golf Course practice facilities. "These guys continue to have close ties to the ASU golf program."
Reach the reporter at michael.fowler@asu.edu.
