Arizona State (-4/284) sits in third place after day one of the Raleigh Regional, needing to secure a Top-5 finish after three days to advance to the NCAA Championship. A reason for the solid positioning early on is the play of three Sun Devils who each find themselves in the Top-10.
Freshman Paula Schulz-Hanssen leads the way in a tie for 5th, while junior Ashley Menneand sophomore Grace Summerhays are eached tied for 9th. All three find themselves within four strokes over the overall regional leader with 36 holes left to play. Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye‘s team shot their third-best opening round of the season and are pacing the field in par four and five scoring average. The Maroon & Gold are back in action starting tomorrow morning, teeing-off on hole one with the featured group at 6:06 AM MST.
ROUND BREAKDOWN
Paula Schulz-Hanssen (-2/70/T-5TH)
Made her NCAA Postseason debut in impressive fashion, making birdie on her first hole of the Raleigh Regional. After staying steady with several pars, she managed to birdie another par five opportunity on the seventh hole. A bogey on the ninth hole matched her with Ashley Menne for the lowest front nine score at one-under.
The lone Sun Devil to sink a birdie on the par four 12th hole, Schulz-Hanssen carried over her strong start on the front nine. She bounced back from a bogey on 14 with another birdie on a par four opportunity at 16, moving to one-under on the back nine. She finished completed both nines at one-under, finding herself tied for 5th after shooting a 70 (-2).
BIRDIES (4): 1st Hole (Par 5; 507 Yards), 7th Hole (Par 5; 554 Yards), 12th Hole (Par 4; 392 Yards), 16th Hole (Par 4; 341 Yards)
Ashley Menne (-1/71/T-9TH)
The junior wasted no time getting acclimated with the golf course, recording a birdie on the par five opening hole. She bounced back from a bogey on the second hole with her second birdie of the day on the third hole, giving her two birdies in her first three chances. She finished out the remainder of the front nine at par, making the turn at one-under.
She started her back nine with a birdie on the par four tenth hole, continuing her strong play into the afternoon. After ending her day with five-straight pars, Menne finished the back nine even to cap a 71 (-1) day which puts her in the Top-10 (T-9th).
BIRDIES (3): 1st Hole (Par 5; 507 Yards), 3rd Hole (Par 5; 526 Yards), 10th Hole (Par 4; 369 Yards)
Grace Summerhays (-1/71/T-9TH)
The sophomore delivered a solid front nine that consisted of eight pars and one bogey, as she made the turn at one-over. She then caught fire on the back nine, playing nearly mistake-free down the stretch. Late in the round when individuals started to digress due to fatigue, Summerhays got stronger. Delivering back-to-back birdies on 15 & 16 allowed her to skyrocket up the leaderboard. Initially it was a birdie on a par five 15th hole, followed by another one on a par four 16th hole. The effort allowed her to finish the back nine at two-under, the best of any Sun Devil. Overall she sits at one-under, tied with Menne in the Top-10.
BIRDIES (2): 15th Hole (Par 5; 504 Yards), 16th Hole (Par 4; 341 Yards)
Beth Coulter (E/72/T-19TH)
Gained confidence as the day went on in her NCAA Postseason debut, finding a rhythm after two bogeys in her first three holes. A birdie finally dropped on the par four ninth hole, giving her momentum as she made the turn at one-over.
The freshman was fantastic on the back nine, settling in nicely on her way to shooting one-under during the stretch. She managed to make par on every hole with the lone exception being a birdie on par five 15th hole. This allowed her to move back to even on the day, where she currently sits in a tie for 19th.
BIRDIES (2): 9th Hole (Par 4, 395 Yards), 15th Hole (Par 5; 504 Yards)
Amanda Linner (+3/75/T-42ND)
Bounced back from a rough start in her first Regional appearance since 2019, answering a double bogey on the second hole with solid golf. She was the only Sun Devil to birdie the par four fifth hole, part of an improved stretch to end the front nine. From Holes 3-13, Linner finished one-under, as she looks to replicate that success in tomorrow’s round.
BIRDIES (1): 5th Hole (Par 4, 385 Yards)
TEAM STANDINGS
| Place | Team | 1 | To Par |
| 1 | #46 NC State | 282 | -6 |
| 2 | #14 Florida State | 283 | -5 |
| 3 | #11 Arizona State | 284 | -4 |
| 4 | #26 Arizona | 286 | -2 |
| 5 | #50 Purdue | 287 | -1 |
| 6 | #21 Florida | 290 | +2 |
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS
| Place | Player | 1 | To Par |
| T5 | Paula Schulz-Hanssen | 70 | -2 |
| T9 | Ashley Menne | 71 | -1 |
| T9 | Grace Summerhays | 71 | -1 |
| T19 | Beth Coulter | 72 | E |
| T42 | Amanda Linner | 75 | +3 |
UP NEXT
Arizona State will begin the second round of the Raleigh Regional Tuesday morning at 6:06 AM MST on the first hole, with a new golfer starting their round every 11 minutes. They will be paired with first-place No. 46 NC State and third-place No. 14 Florida State.
| PAIRING | Arizona State, NC State, Florida State |
| HOLE | 1 |
| TIME (MST) | GOLFER |
| 6:06 AM | Amanda Linner |
| 6:17 AM | Beth Coulter |
| 6:28 AM | Grace Summerhays |
| 6:39 AM | Ashley Menne |
| 6:50 AM | Paula Schulz-Hanssen |
QUOTABLES
“We had a good start today,” Coach Farr-Kaye remarked. “It’s very important to keep our focus on one shot at a time. Our team is doing a great job of staying in the present and keeping that focus.”
“It was great to see Paula have such a good day,” Coach Farr-Kaye added. “She made some really solid putts. And the rest of the team was right behind her! We are looking forward to another solid day tomorrow.”
THE COURSE
Tabbed as the only collegiate golf course in the world designed by the legendary Arnold Palmer, Lonnie Poole Golf Course is home to the NC State Men’s and Womens’ Golf teams. The Par 72 setup will play at 6,324 yards. The location is no stranger to hosting important events, having previously been the site for U.S. Open Qualifiers, Conference Championships, and many important amateur events. Golf Advisors listed it as the No. 9 Best Golf Collegiate Golf Courses in the Nation in 2022.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Go to the Raleigh Regional homepage for a closer look at various aspects of the event. Live scoring will be provided by Golfstat at the following link.
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.
GOLF CHANNEL COVERAGE
GOLF Channel will present the 2023 NCAA Women’s (May 22-24) and Men’s (May 29-31) Golf Championships, totaling nearly 75 hours of comprehensive coverage. The women’s championship will be held May 19-24, with GOLF Channel providing live coverage of the final day of individual championship play on May 22 as well as the team match play on May 23-24. See GOLF Channel full programming schedule.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Connor Smith
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