(Albuquerque, NM) Sun Devil Women’s Golf completed the first two rounds of the McGuire Invitational on Monday at UNM Championship Course.
In the first action of the 2023-24 season, Arizona State got stronger as the day went on, delivering an excellent opening performance. Despite having to play 36 of 54 holes today and facing a weather delay, Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye‘s team was not fazed, saving their best golf for the second round.
The Sun Devils sit in second place after the first day of the 16-team McGuire Invitational, trailing only Pepperdine. Four of the Top-20 in the individual standings are from Arizona State, as the team is getting contributions from throughout the lineup. Strong outings by Grace Summerhays and Ashley Menne have paved the way, with both finding themselves in the Top-10 (T9th) with one round to play. ASU finishes up their season opening tournament tomorrow, with the entire field undergoing a shotgun start at 6:30 AM AZT. Live scoring for the McGuire Invitational can be found at the following link.
ROUND BREAKDOWN
Grace Summerhays (-3/141/T9th); BIRDIES (8)
Enjoyed a stretch of brilliant golf in the first round, recording a birdie on five of her holes on the back nine. After starting +2 on her first seven holes, she finished -3 to complete her first round with a 71 (-1). Caught fire at the end of her round yet again in the afternoon. She went -4 over her final nine holes, including an eagle on the first hole, which was her final of the day. It was the only eagle by a Sun Devil and one of only eight during the first day of the McGuire Invitational. Shot a 70 (-2) to move to -3 (141) and into a tie for ninth.
Ashley Menne (-3/141/T9th); BIRDIES (8)
Showed why she is a three-time All-American during a fantastic opening round. Overcame a bogey on her third hole, finishing the final 15 holes at -4. Recorded three-straight birdies from holes 14-16, part of a four-birdie stretch over six holes. Posted the best first round of any Sun Devil, a 69 (-3). Set the tone for a steady second round with a birdie on the first hole. Started -2 over her first four holes of her first round and -1 over her final seven. Shot a 72 (E) to stay at -3 (141) and earn a tie for ninth.
Patience Rhodes (-2/142/T13th); BIRDIES (8)
Made her debut in a Sun Devil uniform a memorable one, finishing with a solid score of 142 (-2). Bounced back from a few bogeys throughout her first round to record an important birdie on 18, giving her momentum heading into the afternoon. Carded the best round of any Sun Devil, shooting a 68 (-4) to skyrocket up the leaderboard. She birdied the first hole and did not look back, finding a rhythm in her first ever collegiate tournament. She birdied six of her final nine holes and is red hot heading into the final round of the McGuire Invitational.
Beth Coulter (E/144/T18th); BIRDIES (11)
Managed to offset a bogey on her initial hole with a birdie on the second hole, a theme of what was to come. Finished with a team-best 11 birdies in two rounds. Three of them came over her final seven holes of the first round, helping her shoot a 75 (+3). She continued her strong play into the afternoon, delivering a spectacular 69 (-3) to move back to even par. Thanks to seven birdies and some excellent play on par five holes, she is now in the Top-20 at the McGuire Invitational with a 144 (E).
Paula Schulz-Hanssen (+2/146/T28th); BIRDIES (6)
Turned around a slow start in the middle of her first round, going under par over her final 28 holes of the day. She showed fight in the first round by going even over her final 11 holes, including her first two birdies of the season. She shaved four strokes off her score from the first round on her way to shooting a 71 (-1) in the afternoon. It was an incredibly strong finish that proved the be the difference. Over her final ten holes, she recorded four birdies, making a move up the leaderboard and finishing with a 146 (+2).
Calynne Rosholt (+8/152/T57th); BIRDIES (4)
Put together a strong effort on par three holes all day, with three of her four birdies coming on those opportunities. Looks to duplicate the success she had during a -1 stretch over 10 holes to start the second round.
NOTABLES
- Arizona State has 37 total birdies, the most of any team through two rounds.
- The Sun Devils are -12 on par five opportunities, the best mark of any team.
- ASU has the second-best scoring average (4.12) on par four holes.
- Grace Summerhays recorded on of only eight eagles on the day, completing the par-five first hole in only three strokes.
- Ashley Menne boasts the best scoring average on par three holes (2.63) of any golfer, with Calynne Rosholt (2.75) not far behind.
- Grace Summerhays (-6), Beth Coulter (-4), and Patience Rhodes (-3) have all been able to take advantage of par five opportunities, as all three are in the Top-10 in scoring average.
- Beth Coulter’s 11 birdies are tied for the fifth-most of any golfer.
- The 278 (-10) carded by the Sun Devils in the second round is the second-best score any team has posted (Pepperdine, 270).
TEAM STANDINGS
| Place | Team | 1 | 2 | To Par |
| 1 | Pepperdine | 292 | 270 | -14 |
| 2 | Arizona State | 295 | 283 | -3 |
| 3 | UNLV | 291 | 286 | +1 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 296 | 285 | +5 |
| 5 | California | 303 | 279 | +6 |
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS
| Place | Player | 1 | 2 | To Par |
| 1 | McKenzi Hall (UNLV) | 72 | 64 | -8 |
| T9 | Ashley Menne | 69 | 72 | -3 |
| T9 | Grace Summerhays | 71 | 70 | -3 |
| T13 | Patience Rhodes | 74 | 68 | -2 |
| T18 | Beth Coulter | 75 | 69 | E |
| T28 | Paula Schulz-Hanssen | 75 | 71 | +2 |
UP NEXT
Arizona State will begin the final round of the McGuire Invitational Tuesday morning at 6:30 AM MST via shotgun start, with the six Sun Devils spread out from holes 1-3 (with the exception of Ashley Menn on hole 18). They will be in the feature group paired with first-place Pepperdine and third-place UNLV with the event title on the line.
| PAIRING | Arizona State, UNLV, Pepperdine |
| TIME | 6:30 AM MST |
| HOLE | GOLFER |
| 1A | Patience Rhodes |
| 1B | Grace Summerhays |
| 2A | Paula Schulz-Hanssen |
| 2B | Beth Coulter |
| 3 | Calynne Rosholt |
| 18A | Ashley Menne |
QUOTABLES
“I am really proud of how well our team hung in today,” Coach Farr-Kaye remarked. “We started off very slow and it took us a while to get going, but we got better physically and mentally as the day went on. I am proud of their fight and the way they learned from mistakes in the morning. They made much better decisions in the afternoon. Even after a short rain delay, they just got better. On her final hole, Grace made an Eagle from 50-yards out. A lot of great things at the end of the day. Looking forward to another great day tomorrow.”
THE COURSE
Opened in 1967, The Championship Golf Course has been nationally recognized by Golf Digest Magazine as one of the top-25 public courses in the country. The course is no stranger to major tournaments. It was the site of the 1950, 1976 and 1992 NCAA Division I Men’s Golf Championships as well as both 1998 NCAA Championships. In 1987 the course was the sight of the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship. Since 1979, it has also been home to the prestigious Dick McGuire Invitational. The Par 72 course is set up to play 6,354 yards.
HISTORY AT MCGUIRE INVITATIONAL
ASU is making their seventh appearance in the event dating back to 1999 and their first since 2016 (also 1999, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2016).The last time ASU competed in this event was during the 2017 NCAA Championship season. A second-place finish at the McGuire Invitational to open the season set the tone for what would be a historic campaign. Eventual NCAA Individual Medalist Monica Vaughn shot a 66 on the final day to finish in second place. Playing in the first tournament of her Sun Devil career, then-freshman Anna Nordqvist tied for second place in helping lead the No. 2 Arizona State women’s golf team to a victory in the 2006 McGuire Invitational. The Sun Devils shot a three-round total of 7-under 869 (294-281-294) as a team to capture the top spot at the tournament.
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Connor Smith
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