LAKE ELMO, Minn. – The No. 10 Sun Devil Women's Golf team improved their performance by two strokes on the second day of the ANNIKA Intercollegiate at Royal Golf Club.
Arizona State posted a 286 in the second round to finish two-under on the day. They remain in a tie for fifth place at two-under (574) for the tournament, ahead of preseason Top-10 teams Duke, UCLA, and South Carolina.
"I am very happy with how our team competed today," Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye remarked. "Alexandra's 69 was a great round today!"
The wind did not affect Alexandra Forsterling today, as she carded her fifth-career round in the 60's. The sophomore shot a 69 (-3), moving her up 14 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 11th. Fellow sophomore Alessandra Fanali was consistent all day and is currently tied for fourth in the individual race after finishing the second round at even. She is now four-under (140) through two rounds, firmly in contention for the individual title.
"Everyone on this team is contributing and working hard," Coach Farr-Kaye said. "I am looking forward to having one more day on this golf course and finishing strong."
FRONT NINE
Starting on the first hole this morning, the Sun Devils recorded six birdies on the front nine. Alexandra Forsterling showed signs of the great round that was to come, making birdies on two of her first three holes. Raquel Olmos and Alessandra Fanali got off to a quick starts, registering one birdie each in their first three holes. Both Olivia Mehaffey and Forsterling ended their front nine on a high note by birdieing the ninth hole. Compared to yesterday, Arizona State improved their score on holes 1-9 by eight strokes.
BACK NINE
As was the case yesterday, the Sun Devils found their rhythm and enjoyed success on holes 10-18. Alexandra Forsterling continued the momentum built from a strong front nine, earning her second consecutive birdie on the 10th hole. Raquel Olmos matched Forsterling's birdie on the 10th hole, moving back to even on the day. Forsterling enjoyed a bogey-free back nine, registering two birdies on the way to a two-under finish on the day. Linn Grant joined Forsterling in completing the back nine under par, making par on each of the first eight holes before her birdie on 18. Olivia Mehaffey ended her round on a high note, birdieing three of the final six holes. She was one of four Sun Devils to record a birdie on 18, as the Maroon & Gold finished the round strong.
UP NEXT
The team looks to build on the confidence gained from the excellent performance to end the round. The third and final round of the ANNIKA Intercollegiate takes place tomorrow with an individual and team champion crowned at the end of the day. Currently tied for fifth as a team at two-under, the Sun Devils will be paired with Texas and Arizona for tomorrow's round. The first group will begin their round at 6:30 a.m. MST, with a golfer teeing-off every 10 minutes after that.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Track the scores of your favorite Sun Devils on Golfstat at the following link. Stay tuned to our social media platforms (@SunDevilWGolf) and our website (thesundevils.com) for the latest information and updates after each day of the tournament. For more behind-the-scenes coverage, follow the ANNIKA Foundation twitter page (@ANNIKA_Fdn).
Arizona State posted a 286 in the second round to finish two-under on the day. They remain in a tie for fifth place at two-under (574) for the tournament, ahead of preseason Top-10 teams Duke, UCLA, and South Carolina.
"I am very happy with how our team competed today," Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye remarked. "Alexandra's 69 was a great round today!"
The effort is even more impressive considering the conditions that the entire field has had to endure so far this week. "The swirly wind really picked up," Coach Farr-Kaye observed. Strong, swirling winds that have constantly been changing direction have made taking the right approach a challenge.Terrific effort today by sophomore Alexandra Forsterling, who moved up 1?4? spots on the leaderboard after firing a 6?9? in the second round! #ForksUp #ANNIKAInter pic.twitter.com/ypi5BL1eZe
— Sun Devil W. Golf (@SunDevilWGolf) September 17, 2019
The wind did not affect Alexandra Forsterling today, as she carded her fifth-career round in the 60's. The sophomore shot a 69 (-3), moving her up 14 spots on the leaderboard into a tie for 11th. Fellow sophomore Alessandra Fanali was consistent all day and is currently tied for fourth in the individual race after finishing the second round at even. She is now four-under (140) through two rounds, firmly in contention for the individual title.
It was a balanced effort today, with all five golfers turning-in solid rounds helping Arizona State record the fourth-best round of the day. Freshman Linn Grant continues to impress in her first collegiate tournament, joining Fanali and Forsterling as one of three Sun Devils that are currently in the Top-20. Grant went even on the day and remains even for the tournament, putting her in a tie for 19th..@AleFanali made it look easy!
— Golfweek (@golfweek) September 17, 2019
Watch the @SunDevilWGolf sophomore's hole-in-one in the first round of the @ANNIKA_Fdn Intercollegiate. (Video: @SwingKing_Golf) pic.twitter.com/09HT3bT9VI
"Everyone on this team is contributing and working hard," Coach Farr-Kaye said. "I am looking forward to having one more day on this golf course and finishing strong."
| ANNIKA Intercollegiate Team Leaderboard | |||
| Pos | Team | To Par | Total |
| 1 | Wake Forest | -12 | 564 |
| 2 | USC | -6 | 570 |
| 3 | Arkansas | -4 | 572 |
| 4 | Texas | -3 | 573 |
| T5 | Arizona State | -2 | 574 |
| T5 | Arizona | -2 | 574 |
| 7 | South Carolina | +3 | 579 |
| 8 | Duke | +5 | 581 |
| 9 | UCLA | +12 | 588 |
| 10 | Alabama | +13 | 589 |
| 11 | Virginia | +26 | 602 |
| 12 | Minnesota | +43 | 619 |
| ANNIKA Intercollegiate Individual Leaderboard | ||||
| POS | NAME | TEAM | TO PAR | TOTAL |
| 1 | Rachel Kuehn | Wake Forest | -10 | 134 |
| T2 | Kaitlyn Papp | Texas | -6 | 138 |
| T2 | Kajal Mistry | Arkansas | -6 | 138 |
| T4 | Aiko Leong | USC | -4 | 140 |
| T4 | Alyaa Abdulghany | USC | -4 | 140 |
| T4 | Alessandra Fanali | Arizona State | -4 | 140 |
| T4 | Vivian Hou | Arizona | -4 | 140 |
| T8 | Siyun Liu | Wake Forest | -3 | 141 |
| T8 | Ana Pelaez | South Carolina | -3 | 141 |
| T8 | Sophie Guo | Texas | -3 | 141 |
| T11 | Alexandra Forsterling | Arizona State | -2 | 142 |
FRONT NINE
Starting on the first hole this morning, the Sun Devils recorded six birdies on the front nine. Alexandra Forsterling showed signs of the great round that was to come, making birdies on two of her first three holes. Raquel Olmos and Alessandra Fanali got off to a quick starts, registering one birdie each in their first three holes. Both Olivia Mehaffey and Forsterling ended their front nine on a high note by birdieing the ninth hole. Compared to yesterday, Arizona State improved their score on holes 1-9 by eight strokes.
BACK NINE
As was the case yesterday, the Sun Devils found their rhythm and enjoyed success on holes 10-18. Alexandra Forsterling continued the momentum built from a strong front nine, earning her second consecutive birdie on the 10th hole. Raquel Olmos matched Forsterling's birdie on the 10th hole, moving back to even on the day. Forsterling enjoyed a bogey-free back nine, registering two birdies on the way to a two-under finish on the day. Linn Grant joined Forsterling in completing the back nine under par, making par on each of the first eight holes before her birdie on 18. Olivia Mehaffey ended her round on a high note, birdieing three of the final six holes. She was one of four Sun Devils to record a birdie on 18, as the Maroon & Gold finished the round strong.
UP NEXT
The team looks to build on the confidence gained from the excellent performance to end the round. The third and final round of the ANNIKA Intercollegiate takes place tomorrow with an individual and team champion crowned at the end of the day. Currently tied for fifth as a team at two-under, the Sun Devils will be paired with Texas and Arizona for tomorrow's round. The first group will begin their round at 6:30 a.m. MST, with a golfer teeing-off every 10 minutes after that.
| PAIRING | Arizona State, Arizona, Texas |
| ROUND | 3 |
| HOLE | 1 |
| TIME (MST) | GOLFER |
| 6:30 A.M. | Raquel Olmos |
| 6:40 A.M. | Olivia Mehaffey |
| 6:50 A.M. | Linn Grant |
| 7:00 A.M. | Alexandra Forsterling |
| 7:10 A.M. | Alessandra Fanali |
HOW TO FOLLOW
Track the scores of your favorite Sun Devils on Golfstat at the following link. Stay tuned to our social media platforms (@SunDevilWGolf) and our website (thesundevils.com) for the latest information and updates after each day of the tournament. For more behind-the-scenes coverage, follow the ANNIKA Foundation twitter page (@ANNIKA_Fdn).