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Women's Golf Takes Fourth at Windy City Collegiate

Alessandra Fanali is an Ace Contributor to the ASU Women's Golf Team Opens in a new window Windy City Final Team Leaderboard (PDF) Opens in a new window Windy City Teams with Players Final Leaderboard (PDF) Opens in a new window
Women's Golf Takes Fourth at Windy City CollegiateWomen's Golf Takes Fourth at Windy City Collegiate
GOLF, Ill. – The No. 8 Sun Devil Women's Golf team put together another impressive performance at a high-level event, finishing in fourth place at the Windy City Collegiate hosted by Northwestern University.

Arizona State (-5/859) enjoyed their best round of the tournament and the second-best round of the day by any team, firing a 284 (-4) to move into fourth place. Coach Farr-Kaye's squad yet again proved they could compete with nation's top teams, finishing in the top third of another strong field. They ended up ahead of several Top-25 programs in the team standings, including No. 3 Vanderbilt, No. 9 Duke, No. 11 Arizona, and host No. 21 Northwestern.

Saved our best round for last as the Sun Devils ?? earn 4?th place at the Windy City Collegiate! #ForksUp pic.twitter.com/3NO4YnaRaI

— Sun Devil W. Golf (@SunDevilWGolf) October 1, 2019
Linn Grant earned back-to-back Top-10 finishes at her first two collegiate tournaments, as the freshman had the lowest score of the tournament for the Sun Devils. She carded a 213 (-3), including a 70 (-2) on the final day to help her end in a tie for sixth.

"We almost had the low round of the day at four-under," Coach Missy Farr-Kaye remarked. "We were nine-under at one point. Another Top-10 by Linn Grant and solid finish for all five players."

Grant wasn't the only member of Arizona State in the individual Top-10, as Alessandra Fanali was the 10th place finisher. Fanali had the best round of any Sun Devil at the tournament, carding a 69 (-3) to move up 13 spots in the standings on the final day. Alexandra Forsterling made it back-to-back Top-20 finishes, as she tied for 19th, while Olivia Mehaffey (T-25th) and Raquel Olmos (T-29th) found themselves in the Top-30 among a field of 81 individuals.

?? Best round of the day by a Sun Devil
?? Bogey-free over her final 17 holes
?? Second consecutive Top-15 finish

Good start to the season for Alessandra Fanali! ??
Learn more about Fanali by reading this story from the @statepress ??

?? https://t.co/mDEfg0kfbG pic.twitter.com/CLu8B6lUsI

— Sun Devil W. Golf (@SunDevilWGolf) October 1, 2019
The Sun Devils took an excellent approach on both par-three and par-five opportunities throughout the two-day event, a big factor in their successful week. ASU finished tied a top the field with Tournament Champion South Carolina, going two-under par with a 2.97 stroke average on Par 3 holes. The Maroon & Gold managed to post a stroke average of only 4.80, ending the tournament at 12-under on par-five attempts.

South Carolina (-14/850) swept both the individual and team titles, as the Gamecocks' Pauline Roussin-Bouchard (-11/205) won medalist honors.

Coach Farr-Kaye believes this team is just scratching the surface of what they are capable of. "We are improving and learning every week and I believe this team has greatness inside them," Coach Farr-Kaye commented
  FRONT NINE It was a brilliant, collective effort to make a push on the front nine, as the Sun Devils played some of their best golf of the young season. Over an eight-hole stretch (2-9), ASU went nine-under thanks to 11 birdies. Raquel Olmos and Linn Grant led the way, each recording three birdies. Continuing with their formula that had worked for them on previous par-five chances, three different Sun Devils birdied the par-five eighth hole, while Alessandra Fanali and Olivia Mehaffey each birdied the par-five sixth hole.

Every Sun Devil finished the front nine at or below par, helping them pass No. 9 Duke to move into fourth place. ASU would reach as high as second in the team standings on the front nine. All tournament long, the Sun Devils hit their stride on holes 1-9. They compiled 31 total birdies, helping them finish that stretch five-under par across the three rounds. BACK NINE Arizona State remained extremely consistent on the back nine, with the experience from the two rounds yesterday paying off. Linn Grant played almost mistake-free golf on her way to recording her second consecutive round of 70 in the tournament, once again tying a career-low. Alessandra Fanali birdied back-to-back holes on 14 and 15, combining that with seven pars to end her day at three-under. She already has two rounds in the 60s this season, matching her total from all of last year. Both Raquel Olmos and Olivia Mehaffey birdied the 13th hole, helping them maintain a spot in the Top-30. The par-five opportunity was one the Sun Devils took advantage of, as they finished six-under for the tournament on the 13th hole. Alexandra Forsterling ended her day on a high-note, birdieing 18 to secure a place in the Top-20 for the second consecutive tournament.
  LOOKING AHEAD Arizona State will spend the weekend preparing for the Stanford Intercollegiate, hosted by Stanford University taking place Oct. 11-13 at the Stanford Golf Course. This will be the second consecutive year the Sun Devils have competed at this event, finishing tied for fifth a year ago. "We are going to work on a few things this next week so we are ready to compete at Stanford," Coach Farr-Kaye mentioned. "We have two more really good tournaments left this fall." ASU will then wrap up the fall portion of their season at the Pac-12 Preview Nov. 4-6 at Nanea Golf Club in Kailua Kona, Hawaii.
  HOW TO FOLLOW For the latest updates, information, and results for Sun Devil Women's Golf throughout the season, be sure to follow our social media accounts (@SunDevilWLax) or visit our website TheSunDevils.com.

A reminder that Arizona State University and Grayhawk Golf Club will host the 2020-2022 NCAA Division I Men's & Women's Golf Championships on Golf Channel in Scottsdale, Ariz. It becomes the first time a university and golf course will host the championships for three consecutive seasons. The 2020 women's championship will be contested on Grayhawk Golf Club's Raptor course from May 22-27 with the final two days broadcasted live on Golf Channel.