(Norman, OK) Sun Devil Women’s Golf’s Ashley Menne was selected to compete in the 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup, taking place June 8-10 at Laurel Valley Golf Club in Ligonier, Pennsylvania.
For the sixth consecutive year, Sun Devil Golf will be represented at the premier international amateur event featuring only collegiate golfers. As was the case in 2022, both the men’s and women’s programs will send participants to compete in the first Palmer Cup ever held in Switzerland. Menne will represent Team USA along with Sun Devil Men’s Golf’s Preston Summerhays.
“We are thrilled to have two terrific Sun Devils make the Palmer Cup,” Sun Devil Women’s Golf Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye remarked. “It is such a great accomplishment. To have both Ashley and Preston representing Team USA and Arizona State on home soil is very special.”
The top six golfers from the final Palmer Cup Ranking from both the United States and International men and women automatically qualified for selection. The rest of the field was determined by the Palmer Cup committee, with a total of 24 golfers named to each team. They will compete in the Ryder Cup-style international collegiate event between the United States and International Team.
Ashley Menne was one of six United States female committee selections, after finishing just outside the automatic qualifying threshold. After not even being included in the initial rankings released in the Fall, Menne came in at No. 8 in the final United States female Palmer Cup rankings, making a dramatic climb throughout the Spring.
The Surprise, Arizona native joins current teammate Calynne Rosholt (2022) and Sun Devil Men’s Golf’s Jeff Quinney (2001) as the only Sun Devils to get selected to the United States’ team, with both programs known for their ability to attract and develop International golfers historically.
HISTORY OF THE PALMER CUP
The Arnold Palmer Cup was co-founded by Arnold Palmer and the Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and began at the Bay Hill Club & Lodge, Orlando, Fla., in 1997. The event is a Ryder Cup-style tournament featuring the top men’s and women’s university/college golfers matching the United States against a team of International players. The Palmer Cup has been played at some of the world’s greatest courses, including The Old Course at St. Andrews, The Royal County Down, Royal Portrush, Baltusrol, The Honors Course, and Cherry Hills. Beginning with the 2018 matches at Evian Resort Golf Club, the Palmer Cup is the only major tournament which features men and women playing side-by-side as partners.
Since its inception, over 125 former Arnold Palmer Cup alumni have gone on to earn cards on the PGA, DP World, or LPGA Tours; 34 have represented Europe or the USA in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, or Solheim Cup and more than 75 have claimed over 315 victories on the PGA, DP World, or LPGA Tours, including 2022 major champions Jennifer Kupcho (The Chevron Championship) and Justin Thomas (PGA Championship). The United States leads the Palmer Cup series 13-12-1.
ABOUT LAUREL VALLEY GOLF CLUB
The 7,427-yard, par 72 course spans 280 acres nestled between the Laurel Ridge Mountains and Chestnut Ridge Mountain. Originally designed by Dick Wilson, Laurel Valley was renovated by one of its founders, and western Pennsylvania native, Arnold Palmer. Laurel Valley previously hosted the 1965 PGA Championships and 1975 Ryder Cup, as well as the 1989 US Senior Open and 2005 Senior PGA Championship.
MORE ON ASHLEY MENNE
JUNIOR (2022-23)
- Emerging as a team leader as one of the few upperclassmen on the team.
- Currently ranked No. 24 in the country by Golfweek and No. 31 nationally by Golfstat.
- First Team Pac-12 All-Conference selection, earning All-Conference distinction for the second straight year.
- Named Pac-12 Golfer of the Week on March 28, earning the honor after her performance at the PING/ASU Invitational.
- Shot 12 rounds of par or better, including four rounds in the 60s.
- Recorded three Top-10 finishes.
- Tied for first at the Match in the Desert after shooting a 65 (-7) in the lone round of the event.
- Put together an impressive effort at the Pac-12 Preview, finishing tied for fourth after opening with a 66 (-7).
- Was the highest-finishing Pac-12 golfer at the PING/ASU Invitational (T-4th), leading to her earning Pac-12 Golfer of the Week honors.
- Opened the Pac-12 Championship with back-to-back rounds under par, securing a Top-20 result.
- Participated in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur for the second consecutive season.
Sophomore (2021-22):
- Built off a spectacular freshman season by delivering an incredible sophomore season.
- Named a 2022 Golfweek Honorable Mention All-American, giving her two All-American honors in two seasons.
- Received Pac-12 All-Conference honorable mention honors.
- Shot 12 rounds at par or better, including three rounds in the 60’s.
- Recorded four Top-10 finishes.
- Recaptured the magic she had in the 2021 NCAA Championship, shooting a 68 (-4) in the second round of the 2022 NCAA Championship to help Arizona State make the Top-15 cut.
- Led ASU to a berth in the NCAA Championship after a Top-10 finish (T-7th) at the Stillwater Regional.
- Finished in solo second place at the Lamkin Invitational after shooting 214 (-2).
- Earned a tie for second at the PING/ASU Invitational thanks to a 209 (-7), which included back-to-back rounds in the 60’s.
- Her showing at the Nicklaus Cup consisted of a win in a match against an All American
- Climbed 13 spots on the leaderboard on the final day at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate after carding a 70 (-2).
- Shot a total of 227 in the Pac 12 Preview tournament and tied with 26.
- Competed at the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur, where she made the cut after two rounds leading to the opportunity to play a competitive round at Augusta National.
Freshman (2020-21):
- Put together one of the best freshman seasons in program history, capping it with a fourth-place finish (-3/285) at the NCAA Championships.
- It was the highest finish by a Sun Devil at NCAA’s since Monica Vaughn won the Individual Title back in 2017.
- Became the 23rd individual in the program since 1982 to finish in the Top-5, a list that includes current Associate Head Coach Michelle Estill.
- Carded a historic third round of the NCAA Championship, carding a 65 (-7) to help ASU get into position to qualify for Match Play.
- The 65 matched Grace Park’s record for a Sun Devil at a NCAA Championship and was tied for the third-lowest round in the history of the Arizona State program.
- Won her matchup 2&1 with Duke’s Jaravee Boonchant, the only Sun Devil to do so.
- 2021 WGCA All-American Honorable Mention selection, the first freshman since Olivia Mehaffey in 2017 to accomplish the feat.
- Pac-12 All-Conference Honorable Mention selection, one of only three freshman to earn a spot on the team.
- Appeared in each of the final seven events of the regular season.
- Made her collegiate debut a memorable one, shooting a 66 (-6) in her second round at the Sun Devil Winter Classic.
- Finished in the Top-20 at six of seven events.
- 2020 & 2021 Women’s State Amateur Stroke Play Champion, winning the titles at Grayhawk Golf Club, the home of the 2021-23 NCAA Championships.
What to Watch For
The eight-time national champion Sun Devil Women’s Golf team will head to Lonnie Poole Golf Course in Raleigh, North Carolina after being selected to the Raleigh NCAA Regional, hosted by NC State running May 8-10. This is the 30th consecutive year that Sun Devil Women’s Golf has qualified for a regional, doing so every time since the format was instituted. ASU has not missed a NCAA postseason since 1991. The program earned their 31st straight NCAA postseason berth and will be making its 40th overall appearance.
Arizona State will be the No. 2 seed in a regional that features No. 1 seed Wake Forest. The regional also includes No. 3 seed Florida State, No. 4 Florida, No. 5 Arizona, No. 6 North Texas (C-USA Champion), No. 7 TCU, host school No. 8 NC State, No. 9 Purdue, No. 10 Nebraska, No. 11 Campbell (Big South Champion), and No. 12 Richmond (Patriot League Champion).
HOW TO FOLLOW
The Arnold Palmer Cup social media channels will have coverage of the event on Twitter & Instagram (@ArnoldPalmerCup) as well as their Facebook (facebook.com/ArnoldPalmerCup).
Press Release courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics – Connor Smith
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