GUADALAJARA, Mexico – The No. 2 Sun Devil Women's Golf team earned their sixth consecutive top-five finish to start the season, as they wrapped up the IJGA Collegiate Invitational Tuesday morning.
Arizona State (+5/869) finished fourth in a field that included 12 of the Golfstat Top-50 and six Top-25 teams. After finding themselves in seventh place at the end of the first day, Coach Missy Farr-Kaye's team managed to work their way up the leaderboard with back-to-back solid rounds to finish the tournament. The Sun Devils had the third best total (+1/289) in the final round, which was spread across two days.
Linn Grant continued her brilliant start to her collegiate career, carding a 70 (-2) in the final round to earn another spot in a Top-10. Grant went seven-under over the last two rounds to finish tied for sixth (-5/211). The freshman has ended in the Top-10 in four of her first six tournaments, proving she is one of the top golfers in the country regardless of class.
COACH'S THOUGHTS
"We had some good progress this week," Coach Farr-Kaye reflected. "Linn played very solid every round. We need to work on a few areas before we compete again in two and a half weeks so this time at home will be good."
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Two Sun Devils ended in the Top-25 with four finishing in the top-half of a field that included 22 of the Top-100 ranked individuals according to Golfstat.
Leading the way was freshman Linn Grant, who finished tied for sixth after an excellent final two days of the tournament. Her best work came on par four holes, going three-under on such opportunities, tied for the third-lowest of any golfer. Grant was equally successful on par five holes, with a 4.58 scoring average that was tied for fifth-best. Her 15 birdies over the three days were tied with Elodie Chapelet of Baylor for the most by an individual.
Senior Olivia Mehaffey also managed to finish in the Top-25, pulling into a tie for 21st. She had the most success on par five holes, tying for the lowest total on the team at five-under. Mehaffey's 12 birdies were the second-most on the team in put her in the Top-10 in that category.
Alessandra Fanali put together the second-best third round by any Sun Devil, carding a 71 (-1) for the second time. She moved up 17 spots into a tie for 30th on the leaderboard thanks to a solid final round. By finishing two under on par three holes Fanali's performance was not only the best of any Sun Devil, but it tied her for the best mark of any individual. Alexandra Forsterling stayed consistent over the three days, recording 11 birdies. She was one of four Sun Devils to finish below par on par five opportunities.
Playing in just her third tournament as a Sun Devil, Amanda Linner had stretches of solid golf. She had a team-high 37 pars, tied for the seventh-highest total of the tournament. Raquel Olmos tripled her birdie total coming into the final round, recording four birdies in the third round.
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS
TEAM RESULTS
As a team, the Sun Devils earned a spot in the Top-Five for the sixth consecutive tournament to start the 2019-20 season. The No. 2 ranked team in the country has managed to carry the momentum that was built in the Fall over to the Spring.
Coach Farr-Kaye's team finished strong, recording the third-lowest final round. A big reason behind the team's ascent up the team leaderboard over the final two days was their ability to capitalize on par five opportunities. Arizona State finished an incredible ten-under on par five chances, tied with tournament champion Virginia for the fourth-lowest total. The Maroon & Gold also played well on par four holes, boasting the second-best scoring average of any team. ASU recorded a total of 52 birdies, tied for the second-highest mark.
TEAM STANDINGS
LOOKING AHEAD
The Sun Devils will enjoy a well-earned break, getting nearly a month off before heading to Hawaii for the second time. Arizona State will compete in the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational, hosted by the University of Hawaii at Kane'Ohe Klipper Golf Course on the island of Oahu running March 10-11. More information will be provided leading up to the tournament.
The main event of the Spring takes place in the Sun Devils' backyard, as ASU hosts the annual PING/ASU Invitational at their home course, Papago Golf Course in Phoenix. The final regular season tournament runs March 27-29 and will prepare the team for postseason play, as a challenging field features an abundance highly-ranked teams.
HOW TO FOLLOW
For the latest updates and information on the Sun Devil Women's Golf program, follow our Twitter/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilWGolf), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/sundevilwgolf/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com).
Arizona State (+5/869) finished fourth in a field that included 12 of the Golfstat Top-50 and six Top-25 teams. After finding themselves in seventh place at the end of the first day, Coach Missy Farr-Kaye's team managed to work their way up the leaderboard with back-to-back solid rounds to finish the tournament. The Sun Devils had the third best total (+1/289) in the final round, which was spread across two days.
Linn Grant continued her brilliant start to her collegiate career, carding a 70 (-2) in the final round to earn another spot in a Top-10. Grant went seven-under over the last two rounds to finish tied for sixth (-5/211). The freshman has ended in the Top-10 in four of her first six tournaments, proving she is one of the top golfers in the country regardless of class.
Olivia Mehaffey joined Grant in finishing near the top of the field, earning her second consecutive appearance in the Top-25. Alessandra Fanali put together her second round under par (-1/71), making up 17 spots on the leaderboard in the final round. Alexandra Forsterling played consistent golf over the three days, carding a 74 (+2) in all three rounds to finish in the top-half of the field. Raquel Olmos lowered her score each day of the tournament, eventually matching Forsterling's 74 (+2) in the third round.Another tournament, another Top-?? for the talented Linn Grant ????
— Sun Devil W. Golf (@SunDevilWGolf) February 18, 2020
The @SunDevilWGolf freshman goes ?7? over the final two days to earn a tie for 6?th ??
She already has 4? Top-?? finishes in her first 6? events as a collegiate ?? pic.twitter.com/vCD138gXae
COACH'S THOUGHTS
"We had some good progress this week," Coach Farr-Kaye reflected. "Linn played very solid every round. We need to work on a few areas before we compete again in two and a half weeks so this time at home will be good."
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Two Sun Devils ended in the Top-25 with four finishing in the top-half of a field that included 22 of the Top-100 ranked individuals according to Golfstat.
Leading the way was freshman Linn Grant, who finished tied for sixth after an excellent final two days of the tournament. Her best work came on par four holes, going three-under on such opportunities, tied for the third-lowest of any golfer. Grant was equally successful on par five holes, with a 4.58 scoring average that was tied for fifth-best. Her 15 birdies over the three days were tied with Elodie Chapelet of Baylor for the most by an individual.
Senior Olivia Mehaffey also managed to finish in the Top-25, pulling into a tie for 21st. She had the most success on par five holes, tying for the lowest total on the team at five-under. Mehaffey's 12 birdies were the second-most on the team in put her in the Top-10 in that category.
Alessandra Fanali put together the second-best third round by any Sun Devil, carding a 71 (-1) for the second time. She moved up 17 spots into a tie for 30th on the leaderboard thanks to a solid final round. By finishing two under on par three holes Fanali's performance was not only the best of any Sun Devil, but it tied her for the best mark of any individual. Alexandra Forsterling stayed consistent over the three days, recording 11 birdies. She was one of four Sun Devils to finish below par on par five opportunities.
Playing in just her third tournament as a Sun Devil, Amanda Linner had stretches of solid golf. She had a team-high 37 pars, tied for the seventh-highest total of the tournament. Raquel Olmos tripled her birdie total coming into the final round, recording four birdies in the third round.
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS
| Position | Player | Team | Score vs. Par | Total |
| 1 | Amanda Doherty | Florida State | -10 | 206 |
| 2 | Ingrid Lindblad | LSU | -9 | 207 |
| 3 | Pauline Roussin-Bouchard | South Carolina | -7 | 209 |
| T4 | Beatrice Wallin | Florida State | -6 | 210 |
| T4 | Elodie Chapelet | Baylor | -6 | 210 |
| T6 | Linn Grant | Arizona State | -5 | 211 |
| T6 | Beth Lillie | Virginia | -5 | 211 |
TEAM RESULTS
As a team, the Sun Devils earned a spot in the Top-Five for the sixth consecutive tournament to start the 2019-20 season. The No. 2 ranked team in the country has managed to carry the momentum that was built in the Fall over to the Spring.
Coach Farr-Kaye's team finished strong, recording the third-lowest final round. A big reason behind the team's ascent up the team leaderboard over the final two days was their ability to capitalize on par five opportunities. Arizona State finished an incredible ten-under on par five chances, tied with tournament champion Virginia for the fourth-lowest total. The Maroon & Gold also played well on par four holes, boasting the second-best scoring average of any team. ASU recorded a total of 52 birdies, tied for the second-highest mark.
TEAM STANDINGS
| Position | Team | Score vs. Par | Total |
| 1 | Virginia | -8 | 856 |
| 2 | #18 LSU | -6 | 858 |
| 3 | #5 South Carolina | -1 | 863 |
| 4 | #2 Arizona State | +5 | 869 |
| T5 | #8 Stanford | +7 | 871 |
| T5 | #30 Florida State | +7 | 871 |
LOOKING AHEAD
The Sun Devils will enjoy a well-earned break, getting nearly a month off before heading to Hawaii for the second time. Arizona State will compete in the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational, hosted by the University of Hawaii at Kane'Ohe Klipper Golf Course on the island of Oahu running March 10-11. More information will be provided leading up to the tournament.
The main event of the Spring takes place in the Sun Devils' backyard, as ASU hosts the annual PING/ASU Invitational at their home course, Papago Golf Course in Phoenix. The final regular season tournament runs March 27-29 and will prepare the team for postseason play, as a challenging field features an abundance highly-ranked teams.
HOW TO FOLLOW
For the latest updates and information on the Sun Devil Women's Golf program, follow our Twitter/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilWGolf), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/sundevilwgolf/), and visit our website (thesundevils.com).