(Phoenix, AZ) Sun Devil Women’s Golf is in position to contend after the first round of the PING/ASU Invitational.
No. 11 Arizona State is tied for sixth after the first day, sitting only four strokes out of second place. The Sun Devils used a strong back nine to rally and make a climb up the leaderboard, settling for a tie for sixth with 36 holes left to play. Three Sun Devils sit in the Top-25 following the completion of round one, highlighted by Amanda Linner (4th) and Paula Schulz-Hanssen (T-8th). The duo each went under par, with Linner’s 69 putting her only two strokes shy of the individual lead.
Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye‘s team is home the rest of the weekend, with the remainder of the PING/ASU Invitational taking place over the next two days at Papago Golf Club. The Maroon & Gold start the second round tomorrow at 8:45 AM MST on Hole 1, with two individuals starting on Hole 10 at the same time. Live scoring for the PING/ASU Invitational will be provided by Golfstat at the following link.
ROUND BREAKDOWN
The front nine was an opportunity for the Sun Devils to get used to the weather, as winds were heavy throughout the day. This mitigated their home course advantage, with the conditions equalizing the playing field. Positives from the front nine included a Beth Coulterbirdie to start the day on hole one, followed by a birdie on six by Schulz-Hanssen. Meanwhile, Linner started out separately on the back nine and took full advantage of the more friendly half of the course. She birdied five of her first nine holes, jumping out to an early lead.
Play turned around for Arizona State on the back nine, as the team enjoyed a massive 24-stroke improvement. Beth Coulter led the way with a two-under effort over her final nine holes, while Schulz-Hanssen avoided any mistakes in going one-under. Ashley Mennebounced back by going even on the back nine as she looks to continue building momentum. 11 of the 13 birdies from the Maroon & Gold came during the second half of the round.
QUOTABLES
“Tough weather conditions today for Phoenix and a lot of gusty winds and it was cold,” Coach Farr-Kaye remarked. “We started off a little slow and really unusual for our team to play how we did on the front side. We did a lot better on the back and really happy with how we did down the stretch.”
“We still definitely have to clean up a couple of errors that were unnecessary,” Coach Farr-Kaye added. “Good rounds from Beth Coulter and Paula Schulz-Hanssen to lead the way. We’ll have a better day tomorrow.”
“Amanda Linner ended up playing as an individual and started off beautifully and putting together a great round,” Coach Farr-Kaye reflected. “I’m really happy to see her perform and play so well.”
TEAM STANDINGS
| Place | Team | 1 | To Par |
| 1 | #23 Northwestern | 282 | -6 |
| T2 | #14 Baylor | 290 | +2 |
| T2 | #5 Oregon | 290 | +2 |
| T2 | #6 Mississippi State | 290 | +2 |
| 5 | #8 Texas | 294 | +6 |
| 6 | #11 Arizona State | 295 | +7 |
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS
| Place | Player | 1 | To Par |
| T4 | Amanda Linner | 69 | -3 |
| T8 | Paula Schulz-Hanssen | 71 | +1 |
| T22 | Beth Coulter | 73 | +1 |
| T39 | Ashley Menne | 75 | +3 |
| T50 | Grace Summerhays | 76 | +4 |
| T55 | Calynne Rosholt | 77 | +5 |
UP NEXT
Arizona State will begin the second round of the PING/ASU Invitational tomorrow morning at 8:45 AM MST.
| PAIRING | Arizona State, Mississippi State, Texas |
| HOLE | 1 |
| TIME (MST) | GOLFER |
| 8:45 AM | Beth Coulter |
| 8:54 AM | Grace Summerhays |
| 9:03 AM | Paula Schulz-Hanssen |
| 9:12 AM | Ashley Menne |
| 9:21 AM | Amanda Linner |
| HOLE | 10 |
| 8:45 AM | Breyana Matthews |
| 9:21 AM | Amanda Linner |
HISTORY AT PING/ASU INVITATIONAL
This is the 50th edition of the PING/ASU Invitational, which has developed a reputation as one of the toughest fields in the Spring women’s golf season. The first 45 were at Karsten Golf Course, with the past four taking place at Papago Golf Club. It represents a prime opportunity for the top teams in the nation to get a taste of the intensity of postseason golf leading up to the conference champions.
Arizona State has won the most event titles, claiming the team championship at PING/ASU an incredible 22 times. This included the 2021 & 2022 versions, as they look to win a third consecutive PING/ASU title for fifth time in program history. They last did so when Linda Vollstedt’s team won five straight titles from 1991-1996. ASU also won the title in 2017 on their way to a National Championship.
The Maroon & Gold also boast the most individual medalists in tournament history, with Sun Devils earning the crown 17 times. This includes Alexandra Forsterling last year. 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 became the first Sun Devil to win at PING/ASU since Roberta Liti back in 2017. Some of the top scores in program history have come at PING/ASU, with Monica Vaughn leading the way with a historic 64 (-8) in the first round of the 2017 version.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live scoring for the PING/ASU Invitational will be provided by Golfstat at the following link. For the latest updates and information on the Sun Devil Women’s Golf program, follow our Twitter/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilWGolf), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/sundevilwgolf/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com).
2023 NCAA WOMEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Arizona State 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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