(San Francisco, CA) Sun Devil Women’s Golf senior Amanda Linner was named Pac-12 Women’s Golfer of the Week, the conference announced on Tuesday as part of their weekly awards.
Linner becomes the first Sun Devil to win the Pac-12 Golfer of the Week honor, which was created by the conference coaches prior to the start of the 2023 Spring season as an additional way to honor the outstanding golfers in the league. The Pac-12 features the top individual and team talent in the country, which makes this award for Linner even more impressive.
“Amanda really stepped up her play at the Cactus Cup,” Head Coach Missy Farr-Kayeremarked. “She played excellent against some challenging competition. I am excited to see how she builds off this momentum.”
At the 2023 Cactus Cup, Linner enjoyed a breakout performance, going undefeated in her matches. On her way to a 3-0 record last week, Linner took down two Top-150 ranked golfers, including No. 7 Hannah Darling from South Carolina. She also defeated Louisa Carlbom from No. 6 San Jose State to secure a tie in the match with the Spartans.
“She is so deserving of this recognition,” Coach Farr-Kaye added. “All her hard work has not only made her a better golfer, but has pushed the team as well.”
As a team, Arizona State finished in second place by recording 9.5 points and winning nine matches, totals that were both just behind No. 8 Texas. They ended the Cactus Cup in impressive fashion, knocking off previously undefeated Texas to cap the event. Linner defeated the Longhorns’ Emily Odwin, 5&3, to seal the match for ASU.
SUN DEVILS IN THE RANKINGS
The Sun Devils have faced one of the nation’s toughest schedules so far and still have managed to stay in the Top-25 all season. Golfweek has Arizona State at No. 10, with the WGCA and Golfstat slotting them at No. 11 in the latest rankings. ASU has already climbed several spots since the start of the Spring, making one of the biggest ascents of any team. Coach Farr-Kaye’s team has a huge opportunity to move up in those rankings with another strong performance at the PING/ASU Invitational.
TEAM RANKINGS (AS OF 3/17)
Golfweek/Sagarin: 10th
WGCA: 11th
Golfstat: 11th
Prior to this season, only a Pac-12 Golfer of the Month was awarded. In the Coach Farr-Kaye era, Arizona State has had six individuals win Pac-12 Golfer of the Month. Highlighting that group is Alexandra Forsterling, who accomplished the feat twice last season, becoming the first Sun Devil to accomplish the feat multiple times in a season. Linner joins an exclusive group, as previous winners of a Pac-12 in-season honor include All-Americans Linn Grant (March, 2020), Olivia Mehaffey (April, 2019), Linnea Strom (April, 2016), and Monica Vaughn (February, 2016).
UP NEXT
“We will be ready to go and look forward to hosting PING/ASU Invitational coming up later this month,” Coach Farr-Kaye mentioned. “So many talented teams and golfers are coming to Papago once again and it will be another tough test.”
PING/ASU Invitational – March 24-26 (Phoenix, AZ)
The Sun Devils continue a stretch in which they don’t leave the state as they host the annual PING/ASU Invitational at Papago Golf Club. Several of the nation’s top teams will once again take part in one of the most historic collegiate golf tournaments, the third chance for fans to check out ASU in the state. Arizona State is the defending champions, winning their 21st team championship in a run-a-way, claiming the victory by an enormous 15 strokes. Not only was the 839 (-25) tied for the lowest score in program history, the 15-stroke advantage was the most ASU has won by in PING/ASU Invitational history.
Alexandra Forsterling was sensational in taking home individual medalist honors, becoming the 17th Sun Devil to win the individual crown. Forsterling (-9/207) had to beat out teammate Ashley Menne for the title, as Arizona State finished 1-2 in the final player standings. She is the first Sun Devil to win at PING/ASU since Roberta Liti back in 2017.
2023 NCAA WOMEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Arizona State University and the Thunderbirds will host the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships for the third consecutive year, taking place at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale May 19-31. This is the final of successful three-year run as the host school of the most prestigious event in all of college golf. Don’t miss your last chance to check out the top individuals and teams in the nation square off for the ultimate prize in your own backyard.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Connor Smith
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