The ASU men's golf team, and 18 other squads competing in the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational, scrambled to squeeze in 36 holes of play Sunday as Hurricane Wilma approached the southwest coast of Florida.
The tournament, originally scheduled to take place over three days at the Isleworth Country Club near Orlando, Fla., lies just north of Wilma's projected path.
"We had to push it to get in 36 holes, and we finished right as it got dark," ASU coach Randy Lein said. "About 10 minutes after we finished it starting pouring, and it's been raining ever since."
ASU improved throughout the day, as the team shaved eight strokes off their first round score to post an even-par 288 as daylight expired.
The finish allowed ASU to jump four spots from the first round action to a tie for fifth going into the one-day hiatus.
"They're expecting 10 inches of rain and 70-mph wind gusts tomorrow," Lein said. "It's just a waiting game for now."
Teams will forgo play Monday as the Category 2 hurricane is forecasted to cross the entire peninsula of Florida by Tuesday morning. Final round play is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon barring unforeseen weather impact.
Wake Forest and defending national champion Georgia were unscathed by the weather. Wake Forest leads the tournament at 7-under 569, and Georgia lags just one stroke behind. All others teams are above par with 18 holes remaining.
ASU senior Alejandro Canizares leads the Sun Devils at 1-under 143 after two rounds of play. Canizares is currently tied for sixth in the tournament, and is one of just eight golfers to finish 36 holes under par.
A finish in the top five would be Canizares' second in two appearances and make him 3-for-3 this season in top-20 showings. The three-time All American won three tournaments last year, and with six career wins is third all-time in tournament victories for ASU.
Newcomer Benjamin Alvarado, who finished the day in a tie for 16th, was on the heels of Canizares. The freshman capped off his second round with a birdie, dropping him to even-par 72 on the round.
"Benjamin's a great player," Lein said. "And with all the false fronts and front hole locations, the guys are seeing challenges that they don't get back in Phoenix."
Making his first appearance this season, senior Charly Simon struggled early and turned in a 9-over 81 only to match the best Sun Devil round-two score at even-par 72. Simon was a mainstay on the Sun Devil's squad last season, making nine tournament appearances.
After a career-best tournament finish at the Big Ten/Pac-10 Challenge early this month, junior Niklas Lemke fired a second-round even-par 72 to contribute to ASU's late rally. With one round remaining Tuesday, Lemke sits in a tie for 40th place.
Lein said that the team would try to stay loose while Wilma passes to the south.
"Hopefully something on the grounds will be open so be can bide our time and try to entertain ourselves," he said of the team's accommodations located on the Walt Disney World grounds.
Reach the reporter at michel.fowler@asu.edu.
