PALOS VERDES, Calif. – Arizona State's Olivia Mehaffey, the 12th-ranked amateur women's golfer in the world, earned a place on top of the leaderboard on day one and played to stay there throughout the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge.
Mehaffey was joined in the top spot by co-medalists Kaitlyn Papp (Texas) and Lilia Vu (UCLA), who is the second-ranked amateur women's golfer internationally.
Mehaffey's 11 birdies across the tournament was tied for third-most individually and she was one of only 10 to record an eagle (hole-in-one on day one) in the 96-player field.
"We are thrilled for Olivia to have her first collegiate win at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge," said head coach Missy Farr Kaye. "This is an outstanding field and a great win for any elite collegiate player; a top-five finish for us as a team is a solid week as well."
On the team leaderboard, the No. 6 Sun Devils finished fifth overall (884/+32), only a stroke behind the fourth spot. ASU was one of 12 teams ranked in the top-25 out of the 18-team field.
Roberta Liti (T18th) and Madison Kerley (T23rd) also finished in the top-25 for ASU.
"Madison had a clutch finish with back-to-back birdies. We played well in a stacked field, but we still have some things to work on to get ready to compete in two weeks."
The Sun Devils have two weeks to prepare before returning to the road for the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate in Hilton Head, S.C. (Mar. 2-4).
Mehaffey was joined in the top spot by co-medalists Kaitlyn Papp (Texas) and Lilia Vu (UCLA), who is the second-ranked amateur women's golfer internationally.
Mehaffey's 11 birdies across the tournament was tied for third-most individually and she was one of only 10 to record an eagle (hole-in-one on day one) in the 96-player field.
"We are thrilled for Olivia to have her first collegiate win at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge," said head coach Missy Farr Kaye. "This is an outstanding field and a great win for any elite collegiate player; a top-five finish for us as a team is a solid week as well."
Congrats to our own @OliviaMehaffey for earning co-medalist honors at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge amongst a field of 18 teams (12 ranked in the top-25)! #SunDevilTradition pic.twitter.com/7qY8zENt5x
— Sun Devil W. Golf (@SunDevilWGolf) February 13, 2018
On the team leaderboard, the No. 6 Sun Devils finished fifth overall (884/+32), only a stroke behind the fourth spot. ASU was one of 12 teams ranked in the top-25 out of the 18-team field.
Roberta Liti (T18th) and Madison Kerley (T23rd) also finished in the top-25 for ASU.
"Madison had a clutch finish with back-to-back birdies. We played well in a stacked field, but we still have some things to work on to get ready to compete in two weeks."
The Sun Devils have two weeks to prepare before returning to the road for the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate in Hilton Head, S.C. (Mar. 2-4).