TEMPE, Ariz. – The No. 3/4 Sun Devil Women's Golf team heads back to Hawaii for the second time in 2019-2020, competing in the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational running Tuesday, March 10 to Wednesday, March 11.
The two-day tournament is hosted by the University of Hawaii at Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course. Golfers will undergo an 11:05 am MST (8:05 am local time) shotgun start each day, with the field completing 36 holes on Tuesday. The final round of 18 holes will be played on Wednesday, with champions to be determined at the conclusion of the round. It is the 35th edition of the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational, with the Sun Devils last competing at the event during the 2010-11 season. Arizona State not only took home the 2011 Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational team title, former All-American and current LPGA standout Carlota Ciganda captured individual medalist honors.
"We are excited to be traveling back to Honolulu to play again," Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye remarked. "We have had some very productive practices these past few weeks and can't wait to get back competing again."
Coming off a much-deserved break after playing consecutive weekends in California and Mexico, the Sun Devils are refreshed heading into their second to last regular season tournament. Despite the time off, the program still managed to receive good news. For the second time in her career, senior Olivia Mehaffey was selected to compete in the Palmer Cup as part of Team International. This came out shortly after the news that she was awarded the opportunity to play in the LPGA Tour's ANA Inspiration event, running April 2-5 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
THE FIELD
The 2020 Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational field features 16 teams, with No. 3/4 Arizona State representing the highest-ranked team of the group. Fellow Power Five contenders Ohio State and TCU are in the mix, along with Top-50 San Diego State. Osaka Gakuin, a liberal arts university located in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, will join 15 NCAA Division I teams in Hawaii. Tournament host Hawaii is part of this field for the 35th consecutive year. Here is a look at all 16 teams that will be competing at Dr. Donnis Thompson: Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational Field (16):
Arizona State
Hawai'i
James Madison
Kennesaw State
Montana State
Nevada
Ohio State
Osaka Gakuin
San Diego State
Seattle U
Stetson
TCU
Texas El Paso
UNC Asheville
Xavier
THE LINEUP
Arizona State boasts one of the deepest rosters in the country, giving Missy Farr-Kaye plenty of talented options for her lineup. Competition a spot in the lineup has not only made this team closer, it has benefited their game. The field will undergo a shotgun start at 11:05 am MST (8:05 am Hawaii time) each day. The two-day event has golfers completing 36 holes on Tuesday, completing the final 18-holes on Wednesday. Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational Lineup (11:05 am MST Shotgun Start):
Olivia Mehaffey
Linn Grant
Alessandra Fanali
Raquel Olmos
Amanda Linner
THE COURSE
The 35th Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational will take place at Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course in Kane'ohe, O'ahu. The Par72, 6,099-yard course is a military golf course that opened in 1952. This course has been the home to the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational every year except for a brief stint at Olomana Golf Links from 2000-01. The course is famous for being one of former President Barack Obama's favorite courses during his return trips to his home state.
SUN DEVILS IN THE RANKINGS
Arizona State is a consensus Top-4 team in the country, receiving high praise in all three national polls. The Sun Devils are ranked third nationally in both the Golfstat and WGCA Coaches Poll. According to the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, ASU is the No. 4 team in the country, having faced the third-toughest schedule in the country to this point of the seasons. Coach Farr-Kaye's team has finished ahead of 32 Golfweek Top-25 teams in the events they have competed at this year.
Several Sun Devils are rated highly in the individual rankings, highlighted by Linn Grant. The freshman standout is eighth in the Golfstat rankings, boasting an incredible 51-0 head-to-head record against the individuals ranked 26-100 according to Golfstat. Three different Sun Devils are in the Golfstat Top-50, as Olivia Mehaffey (36) and Alessandra Fanali (45) continue to climb the rankings.
Grant is ranked No. 14 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin individual ratings, leading the country with 61 head-to-head wins over Top-50 competition. Fanali joins Grant in the Golfweek/Sagarin Top-25, sitting at No. 24. Mehaffey makes it three Sun Devils in the top 40, coming in at No. 36.
LAST TIME OUT
Sun Devil Women's Golf earned their sixth consecutive top-five finish to start the season at IJGA Collegiate Invitational in February. 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.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Scoring updates will be available 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.
The two-day tournament is hosted by the University of Hawaii at Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course. Golfers will undergo an 11:05 am MST (8:05 am local time) shotgun start each day, with the field completing 36 holes on Tuesday. The final round of 18 holes will be played on Wednesday, with champions to be determined at the conclusion of the round. It is the 35th edition of the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational, with the Sun Devils last competing at the event during the 2010-11 season. Arizona State not only took home the 2011 Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational team title, former All-American and current LPGA standout Carlota Ciganda captured individual medalist honors.
"We are excited to be traveling back to Honolulu to play again," Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye remarked. "We have had some very productive practices these past few weeks and can't wait to get back competing again."
Coming off a much-deserved break after playing consecutive weekends in California and Mexico, the Sun Devils are refreshed heading into their second to last regular season tournament. Despite the time off, the program still managed to receive good news. For the second time in her career, senior Olivia Mehaffey was selected to compete in the Palmer Cup as part of Team International. This came out shortly after the news that she was awarded the opportunity to play in the LPGA Tour's ANA Inspiration event, running April 2-5 at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, Calif.
Mehaffey was not the only Sun Devil to receive accolades. Freshman Linn Grant was recently named to the first Spring Watch List for the ANNIKA Award, given out to the nation's top collegiate female golfer. For the second straight year, Grant earned an invitation to the Augusta National Women's Amateur, a prestigious-amateur tournament. She will compete for the chance to play at iconic Augusta National Golf Course. Mehaffey and Grant are confident leading the Sun Devils with postseason play right around the corner.Congratulations to Olivia Mehaffey, who was one of six female Committee Selections invited to the 2020 @ArnoldPalmerCup! ?? #ForksUp
— Sun Devil W. Golf (@SunDevilWGolf) March 5, 2020
She will represent her country as part of Team International for the 2?nd time in her career, also competing back in 2018 ?? pic.twitter.com/8lgAtcfpys
No surprise that @SunDevilWGolf freshman phenom Linn Grant is 1? of 1?5? golfers in the country to be named to the first Spring Watch List for the ANNIKA Award ??
— Sun Devil W. Golf (@SunDevilWGolf) March 7, 2020
Golfstat's #?8?-ranked individual has finished in the Top-?? in 4? of her first 6? events as a collegiate ?? pic.twitter.com/VMA81drEVp
THE FIELD
The 2020 Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational field features 16 teams, with No. 3/4 Arizona State representing the highest-ranked team of the group. Fellow Power Five contenders Ohio State and TCU are in the mix, along with Top-50 San Diego State. Osaka Gakuin, a liberal arts university located in Suita, Osaka Prefecture, Japan, will join 15 NCAA Division I teams in Hawaii. Tournament host Hawaii is part of this field for the 35th consecutive year. Here is a look at all 16 teams that will be competing at Dr. Donnis Thompson: Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational Field (16):
Arizona State
Hawai'i
James Madison
Kennesaw State
Montana State
Nevada
Ohio State
Osaka Gakuin
San Diego State
Seattle U
Stetson
TCU
Texas El Paso
UNC Asheville
Xavier
THE LINEUP
Arizona State boasts one of the deepest rosters in the country, giving Missy Farr-Kaye plenty of talented options for her lineup. Competition a spot in the lineup has not only made this team closer, it has benefited their game. The field will undergo a shotgun start at 11:05 am MST (8:05 am Hawaii time) each day. The two-day event has golfers completing 36 holes on Tuesday, completing the final 18-holes on Wednesday. Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational Lineup (11:05 am MST Shotgun Start):
Olivia Mehaffey
Linn Grant
Alessandra Fanali
Raquel Olmos
Amanda Linner
THE COURSE
The 35th Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational will take place at Kane'ohe Klipper Golf Course in Kane'ohe, O'ahu. The Par72, 6,099-yard course is a military golf course that opened in 1952. This course has been the home to the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational every year except for a brief stint at Olomana Golf Links from 2000-01. The course is famous for being one of former President Barack Obama's favorite courses during his return trips to his home state.
SUN DEVILS IN THE RANKINGS
Arizona State is a consensus Top-4 team in the country, receiving high praise in all three national polls. The Sun Devils are ranked third nationally in both the Golfstat and WGCA Coaches Poll. According to the Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings, ASU is the No. 4 team in the country, having faced the third-toughest schedule in the country to this point of the seasons. Coach Farr-Kaye's team has finished ahead of 32 Golfweek Top-25 teams in the events they have competed at this year.
Several Sun Devils are rated highly in the individual rankings, highlighted by Linn Grant. The freshman standout is eighth in the Golfstat rankings, boasting an incredible 51-0 head-to-head record against the individuals ranked 26-100 according to Golfstat. Three different Sun Devils are in the Golfstat Top-50, as Olivia Mehaffey (36) and Alessandra Fanali (45) continue to climb the rankings.
Grant is ranked No. 14 in the latest Golfweek/Sagarin individual ratings, leading the country with 61 head-to-head wins over Top-50 competition. Fanali joins Grant in the Golfweek/Sagarin Top-25, sitting at No. 24. Mehaffey makes it three Sun Devils in the top 40, coming in at No. 36.
LAST TIME OUT
Sun Devil Women's Golf earned their sixth consecutive top-five finish to start the season at IJGA Collegiate Invitational in February. 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.????
— Sun Devil W. Golf (@SunDevilWGolf) February 18, 2020
Sun Devils make a jump! #ForksUp
Arizona State goes ?5? during a grueling 2?7?-hole day, moving up to 4?th place after day two of the IJGA Collegiate Invitational ??
Linn Grant has a shot at another Top-?? finish, sitting in 6?th place ??
??: https://t.co/9vLJWnRbUf pic.twitter.com/2zWOmUzV6B
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
HOW TO FOLLOW
Scoring updates will be available 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.