PALOS VERDES, Calif. – The Sun Devil Women's Golf team battled rainy and windy conditions during the first round at the 25th edition of the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge on Sunday afternoon at Palos Verdes Golf Club.
Play in the first round was suspended due to darkness with four teams still on the course, as a weather delay midway through the round impacted the schedule. In a field featuring eight of the Top-10 teams in the country, Arizona State (+9/293) ended the day tied for seventh.
Senior Olivia Mehaffey led the way for the Sun Devils, feeling right at home in a familiar place. The 2019 Pac-12 Individual Champion returned to the sight of her victory and picked up right where she left off. Mehaffey (-1/70) matched her season-low round, finishing her day in the Top-Five among a field that included six of the Top-10 female collegiate golfers in the country. Freshman Linn Grant also found herself in the Top-10 after the partially completed first round, earning a tie for ninth.
The four teams will finish their first round on Monday morning prior to second-round play, which begins with tee times starting at 9:30 a.m. PT. Coverage of tomorrow's round will be provided on our social media platforms (@SunDevilWGolf) and on Golfstat.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Olivia Mehaffey showed early indications of what was to come, as she got off to a strong start. On two different occasions on the front nine, Mehaffey birdied two out of three holes to finish one-under on the first nine holes.
Raquel Olmos joined Mehaffey in birdieing the sixth hole, right before the weather delay ruined any chance of establishing a rhythm. Coach Missy Farr-Kaye and Coach Michelle Estill did an excellent job of keeping the group focused, as they were able to put together a much-improved back nine.
Part of that resurgence down the stretch was the freshman combination of Linn Grant and Amanda Linner. Grant went two-under over the final nine holes, playing bogey-free golf to help her shoot up the leader board and into a tie for ninth. Linner got better as the day went on, recording birdies on two of her last three holes to finish the back nine at one-under.
Arizona State's approach on the 16th hole was spot-on, as three different Sun Devils recorded birdies including Alessandra Fanali, who was under-par over her last seven holes. Mehaffey's play remained steady throughout the day, as she finished three-under on Par 4 holes, tied for second-best mark of the tournament so far.
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS
*Four Holes Remaining in Suspended First Round
TEAM RESULTS
The level of play from the Coach Farr-Kaye's continued to progress as the day went on, as they improved their score by nine strokes from the front nine to the back nine. This helped Arizona State climb from outside the Top-10 into seventh place with a majority of the first round in the books. A big reason for the ascent was the Maroon & Gold's play on par-four holes. The Sun Devils carded the third-best average on such opportunities. ASU also recorded 13 birdies, tied for the third-most in the field. The team looks to carry over the momentum built in the first round, competing against arguably the toughest field of any collegiate tournament so far this season.
TEAM STANDINGS
*First Round Suspended Due to Inclement Weather
LOOKING AHEAD
Four teams have to complete their first round tomorrow morning, with the first tee-times of the second round set to begin at 10:30 am MST. While the times have not been set yet for tomorrow's round, the Sun Devils will begin the second day of the Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge in this order. More information will be provided once it is released. Round Two Lineup (Hole 10):
Amanda Linner ?????? - 11:42 AM
Linn Grant - 11:54 AM
Raquel Olmos - 12:06 PM
Alessandra Fanali - 12:18 PM
Olivia Mehaffey - 12:30 PM 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).
Play in the first round was suspended due to darkness with four teams still on the course, as a weather delay midway through the round impacted the schedule. In a field featuring eight of the Top-10 teams in the country, Arizona State (+9/293) ended the day tied for seventh.
Senior Olivia Mehaffey led the way for the Sun Devils, feeling right at home in a familiar place. The 2019 Pac-12 Individual Champion returned to the sight of her victory and picked up right where she left off. Mehaffey (-1/70) matched her season-low round, finishing her day in the Top-Five among a field that included six of the Top-10 female collegiate golfers in the country. Freshman Linn Grant also found herself in the Top-10 after the partially completed first round, earning a tie for ninth.
The four teams will finish their first round on Monday morning prior to second-round play, which begins with tee times starting at 9:30 a.m. PT. Coverage of tomorrow's round will be provided on our social media platforms (@SunDevilWGolf) and on Golfstat.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Olivia Mehaffey showed early indications of what was to come, as she got off to a strong start. On two different occasions on the front nine, Mehaffey birdied two out of three holes to finish one-under on the first nine holes.
Raquel Olmos joined Mehaffey in birdieing the sixth hole, right before the weather delay ruined any chance of establishing a rhythm. Coach Missy Farr-Kaye and Coach Michelle Estill did an excellent job of keeping the group focused, as they were able to put together a much-improved back nine.
Part of that resurgence down the stretch was the freshman combination of Linn Grant and Amanda Linner. Grant went two-under over the final nine holes, playing bogey-free golf to help her shoot up the leader board and into a tie for ninth. Linner got better as the day went on, recording birdies on two of her last three holes to finish the back nine at one-under.
Arizona State's approach on the 16th hole was spot-on, as three different Sun Devils recorded birdies including Alessandra Fanali, who was under-par over her last seven holes. Mehaffey's play remained steady throughout the day, as she finished three-under on Par 4 holes, tied for second-best mark of the tournament so far.
INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS
Position | Player | Team | Score vs. Par | Total |
1 | Kaleigh Telfer | Auburn | -5 | 66 |
2 | Emilia Migliaccio | Wake Forest | -4 | 51* |
T3 | Amelia Garvey | USC | -2 | 69 |
T3 | Tze-Han Lin | Oregon | -2 | 69 |
T5 | Olivia Mehaffey | Arizona State | -1 | 70 |
TEAM RESULTS
The level of play from the Coach Farr-Kaye's continued to progress as the day went on, as they improved their score by nine strokes from the front nine to the back nine. This helped Arizona State climb from outside the Top-10 into seventh place with a majority of the first round in the books. A big reason for the ascent was the Maroon & Gold's play on par-four holes. The Sun Devils carded the third-best average on such opportunities. ASU also recorded 13 birdies, tied for the third-most in the field. The team looks to carry over the momentum built in the first round, competing against arguably the toughest field of any collegiate tournament so far this season.
TEAM STANDINGS
Position | Team | Score vs. Par | Total |
6 | #3 Wake Forest | +7 | 264* |
T7 | #4 Arizona State | +9 | 293 |
T7 | #19 UCLA | +9 | 293 |
9 | #6 Stanford | +10 | 264* |
10 | #5 USC | +12 | 296 |
11 | #7 Arizona | +18 | 302 |
LOOKING AHEAD
Four teams have to complete their first round tomorrow morning, with the first tee-times of the second round set to begin at 10:30 am MST. While the times have not been set yet for tomorrow's round, the Sun Devils will begin the second day of the Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge in this order. More information will be provided once it is released. Round Two Lineup (Hole 10):
Amanda Linner ?????? - 11:42 AM
Linn Grant - 11:54 AM
Raquel Olmos - 12:06 PM
Alessandra Fanali - 12:18 PM
Olivia Mehaffey - 12:30 PM 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).