(Phoenix, AZ) Sun Devil Women’s Golf finished second at the 2023 PING/ASU Invitational hosted at Papago Golf Club.
In the 50th edition of the event, Sun Devils could be found all over the top of the leaderboard, as four of the Top-11 finishers were representatives of the Maroon & Gold. No. 11 Arizona State (-4/860) finished only behind No. 23 Northwestern for the team title, as both squads beat out three Top-10 teams. For Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye‘s team, it is yet another building block in what has been a fantastic Spring season.
Ashley Menne led the way for the Sun Devils, earning a tie for sixth place, her second straight Top-10 finish at the PING/ASU Invitational. She fired her second consecutive round under par (-1/71) to secure a spot in the Top-10. Not far behind her was Grace Summerhays, who made a late push that allowed her to shoot up the leaderboard. She elevated 34 spots by the end of the day, climbing into the Top-10 as she tied for ninth. Summerhays’ 67 (-5) was the best round of any golfer today. Freshmen duo Beth Coulterand Paula Schulz-Hanssen showed no effects from the pressure of their first home tournament, as they each finished in a tie for 11th.
Arizona State has a quick turnaround, as they get ready to compete in the Silverado Showdown in Napa, California running Monday, April 3-5. This will be the last regular season tournament for the Sun Devils, as they then turn their attention to hosting the 2023 Pac-12 Women’s Golf Championship April 17-19 back at Papago Golf Club,
ROUND BREAKDOWN
The Sun Devils started their day on the first hole, sitting within striking distance of the team lead. The team got off to a hot start, as Ashley Menne and Calynne Rosholt birdied their first hole. Grace Summerhays would follow with three birdies during a four-hole stretch starting on hole three. She set the tone on the front nine, finishing three under as ASU attempted to close the gap. Ashley Menne birdied seven while Paula Schulz-Hanssen birdied nine before making the turn.
Coach Farr-Kaye’s team made a late push on the back nine, led by Grace Summerhays and Ashley Menne. Summerhays birdied three of her first six holes on the back nine, while Menne went one-under thanks to a birdie on 13. Rosholt finished the back nine under par as well, recording birdies on 10 and 15. Breyana Matthews found success on the back nine today, going two under with birdies on the 10th and 18th holes.
QUOTABLES
“Ashley is really playing well as she heads to the Augusta National Women’s Amateur,” Coach Farr-Kaye remarked after the round. “She put together another Top-10 finish while doing a great job of leading our team. We will be cheering her on this week.”
“I am really happy with how we responded the last two days,” Coach Farr-Kaye added. “We struggled the first day to get going and we changed our focus the last two days to be process-oriented. Trying to get back to our strategy to put ourselves in position to make birdies. It took the pressure off.”
“The wind was strong than it usually is this time of year,” Coach Farr-Kaye observed. “It took us a little bit to get used to how to play this course under these conditions.”
“The freshman are coming into their own and finding their confidence,” Coach Farr-Kaye mentioned. “They are both capable of winning individually. They are an integral part of our team, so it is great to see both of them playing so well.”
“It is always nice to play well in your home tournament,” Ashley Menne reflected. “Thank you to all the fans that came out to support us. I look forward to playing in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur this week.”
TEAM STANDINGS
| Place | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | To Par |
| 1 | #23 Northwestern | 282 | 282 | 282 | -18 |
| 2 | #11 Arizona State | 295 | 277 | 288 | -4 |
| 3 | #14 Baylor | 290 | 287 | 290 | +3 |
| 4 | #6 Mississippi State | 290 | 288 | 290 | +4 |
| 5 | #8 Texas | 294 | 290 | 286 | +6 |
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS
| Place | Player | 1 | 2 | 3 | To Par |
| T6 | Ashley Menne | 75 | 68 | 71 | -2 |
| T9 | Grace Summerhays | 76 | 73 | 67 | E |
| T11 | Beth Coulter | 73 | 70 | 74 | +1 |
| T11 | Paula Schulz-Hanssen | 71 | 70 | 76 | +1 |
| T38 | Calynne Rosholt | 77 | 69 | 76 | +6 |
| T45 | Amanda Linner | 69 | 76 | 78 | +7 |
UP NEXT
Silverado Showdown – April 3-5 (Napa, CA)
The final regular season tournament is another familiar one for ASU, as they return to the Silverado Showdown at Silverado Resort & Spa. Colorado and Oregon host the event that the Sun Devils have had past success at. In 2022, Alessandra Fanali won the final regular season tournament of her career, becoming the first Sun Devil to win the Silverado Showdown. This represents the final tune-up before the postseason run begins.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Connor Smith
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