TEMPE, Ariz. - Sun Devil Women's Golf gets ready to begin the Spring portion of the season, facing another challenging schedule.
Arizona State will compete in six regular season events leading up to the Pac-12 Championships, highlighted by the PING/ASU Invitational hosted at Papago Golf Club. Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye's team is well-positioned for another postseason run, which would start in one of six NCAA Regionals running May 9-11.
"I am excited to see how all the hard work we put in over break pays off," Coach Farr-Kaye commented. "This group is so talented and fun to coach."
Coming off a Fall campaign with moments of brilliance, Sun Devil Women's Golf will look to continue to build on the momentum. Led by freshman Calynne Rosholt and Alexandra Forsterling, ASU is ranked in the Top-25 by each major national poll. Not satisfied with the early success, the team is still learning and hungry to improve their game.
"The fall season taught us a lot about ourselves," Coach Farr-Kaye remarked. "We are extremely focused and determined to accomplish our goals."
Coach Farr-Kaye has constructed arguably one of the toughest Spring schedules in the country that will see Arizona State take on a majority of the teams in the Top-25. The Sun Devils will have the opportunity to gain valuable experience under pressure, competing at the highest level at each of their six events.
"The Spring season will test our team," Coach Farr-Kaye added. "We will be prepared for any situation or scenario thanks to the competition level we will be facing."
Take a closer look at each event of the Spring campaign:
SPRING SEASON
Match in the Desert – January 23-24, 2022 (Gold Canyon, Arizona)
In what has become a recent tradition, Coach Farr-Kaye's squad will begin the Spring season with the Match in the Desert. The event hosted by the University of Denver in Gold Canyon, Arizona will once again take place at Superstition Mountain Golf Course. It is a two-day, 36 hole event running Jan 23-24, 2022 that represents the first opportunity for Sun Devil fans to check out their squad.
Lamkin Invitational – February 14-15, 2022 (Rancho Santa Fe, California)
Another two-day event awaits Arizona State when they head to the Lamkin Invitational, taking place Feb. 14-15, 2022. Two rounds of 18 holes will be completed on the first day, before the championship is decided in one round on the final day. San Diego State hosts the event at The Farms Golf Club in Rancho Santa Fe, California.
Darius Rucker Intercollegiate – February 28 - March 2, 2022 (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina)
The Maroon & Gold return to the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Golf Tournament after a three-year hiatus, traveling across the country for one of the premier events of the Spring. Long Cove Club, in partnership with Darius Rucker and the University of South Carolina, is hosting the 10th annual edition fo the event. The tournament will be held Feb. 28 - Mar. 2, 2022, at Long Cove Club's nationally acclaimed golf course on Hilton Head Island, South Carolina. 17 of the top teams from around the country will travel to the island to compete for the title.
Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge – March 13-15, 2022 (Palos Verdes, California)
Arizona State will be plenty comfortable at their next tournament, competing in another edition of the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge. The annual event takes place at Palos Verdes Country Club in Palos Verdes, California. This year, it runs Mar. 13-15, 2022 with Ohio State continuing to serve as the host institution.
PING/ASU Invitational – March 25-27, 2022 (Phoenix, Arizona)
Sun Devil fans will have an amazing opportunity to check out the Sun Devils as they take on some of the top team's in the nation as host of the PING/ASU Invitational. It will be the 49th edition of the tournament played now at Papago Golf Club, home of the Sun Devil Golf programs. Arizona State has won the most titles in the event's history, claiming the team championship at PING/ASU an incredible 21 times. ASU split the Team Championship with Oregon last year, with Linn Grant finishing in a tie for second. This year, the event runs March 25-27, 2022.
Silverado Showdown – April 4-6, 2022 (Napa, California)
The squad finishes off the regular season with a trip back to California for the Silverado Showdown. Arizona State is annual participants in the event hosted by fellow Pac-12 schools Colorado and Oregon. The final tune-up before Pac-12 play takes place from Apr. 4-6 in Napa, California at Silverado Resort & Spa. Alessandra Fanali and Alexandra Forsterling finished in the Top-10 at last year's event.
POSTSEASON
Pac-12 Championship – April 18-20, 2022 (Eugene, Oregon)
Three postseason events will determine the Sun Devil Women's Golf season, starting with the Pac-12 Championship. Oregon plays host at Eugene Country Club for the event running Apr. 4-6. As usual, the Territorial Cup Series® point will be awarded to the higher finisher between Arizona State and Arizona. The Sun Devils' eight Pac-10/12 Championships are tied for the most in the conference. ASU's last team title was in 2009 when Carlota Ciganda earned individual medalist honors in a playoff with teammate Jennifer Osborn.
NCAA Regionals – May 9-11, 2022 (Albuquerque/Ann Arbor/Stillwater/Tallahassee)
NCAA Regional selections take place April 27th. The Sun Devils look to continue their incredible streak, making a regional every year since the format was instituted. For the 28th time, Arizona State made a regional in 2021, finishing second at the Columbus Regional. This allowed them to advance to their 35th NCAA Championship. A change to the format sees six regionals featuring 12 teams, with four teams per regional (24 total) advancing to the NCAA Championship.
"When we get to the end of the season we get to come back to Grayhawk Golf Club for the NCAA Championship," Coach Farr-Kaye exclaimed. "We look forward to a great year!"
NCAA Championship – May 20-25, 2022 (Scottsdale, Arizona)
In the second of a three-year run as host, Grayhawk Golf Club will welcome the top men's and women's collegiate teams to decide a national champion. The event will be contested on Grayhawk Golf Club's Raptor course, a par-72, 6,337-yard and broadcasted live on Golf Channel. Sun Devil fans showed their support last year and will have another chance to do so this year should Coach Farr-Kaye's squad qualify for the NCAA Championship. Key pieces return from a team that gained valuable experience during a run to the Match Play quarterfinals, with the Sun Devils finishing in a tie for fifth. By virture of their strong result, they earned 72.75 points, the fourth-most of any Sun Devil program. Arizona State's eight NCAA Championships are the most of any program, with the last title coming in 2017.
2022 Arizona State Women's Golf Spring Schedule
Match in the Desert – January 23-24, 2022 (Gold Canyon, Arizona)
Lamkin Invitational – February 14-15, 2022 (Rancho Santa Fe, California)
Darius Rucker Intercollegiate – February 28 - March 2, 2022 (Hilton Head Island, South Carolina)
Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge – March 13-15, 2022 (Palos Verdes, California)
PING/ASU Invitational – March 25-27, 2022 (Phoenix, Arizona)
Silverado Showdown – April 4-6, 2022 (Napa, California)
Pac-12 Championship – April 18-20, 2022 (Eugene, Oregon)
NCAA Regionals – May 9-11, 2022 (Albuquerque/Ann Arbor/Stillwater/Tallahassee)
NCAA Championship – May 20-25, 2022 (Scottsdale, Arizona)
SUMMERHAYS IS A SUN DEVIL
Arizona State's 2022 signing class was ranked No. 1 in the nation by Golf Channel. Each of the four members of the class bring elite resumes with them to Tempe, having already enjoyed plenty of junior and international success. One of those signees is Grace Summerhays, the No. 19 overall recruit in the country, who immediately joins Sun Devil Women's Golf for the Spring season. She began competitive golf at the age of 11 and at age 14, she shot a 74-72 on a 7,200-yard course to make match play in the Utah State Amateur in the men's competition. At age 15, Summerhays qualified for the 2019 U.S. Girl's Junior Open, and the following year she won the Utah PGA Junior Series Major Championship where she shot a 6-under-par 66.
The 2020 Utah Amateur State Champion became the youngest (16) to accomplish the feat in the 114-year history of the event. She competed at Chaparral High School as a freshman, where she finished second in the state tournament to current Sun Devil Ashley Menne. ASU will now have three of the top-4 finishers from the 2018 AIA 6A State Championship. That year, she was also named a finalist for Arizona Republic Girls' Golfer of the Year.
Summerhays has already competed in several Korn Ferry Tour qualifier events, attempting to earn a spot in professional events. In early 2021, she competed in a pre-qualifier for the Waste Management Phoenix Open where she shot a 76. She is the younger sister of Sun Devil Men's Golf's Preston Summerhays.
"Grace will be a huge addition to our team," Coach Farr-Kaye mentioned. "She is already making an impact by pushing her teammates to be their best."
ROAD TO GRAYHAWK
"We're really excited we got that extra year back so we get to do the three-year run. I think that the Grayhawk Golf Club and our event management staff in Sun Devil Athletics does a fantastic job. I've heard a lot of really good feedback from a lot of coaches and that it felt like a championship and that was the goal all along."
"We're really excited to have it two more years and Grayhawk is our second home and they're really good to us, almost as good to us as they are at Papago so we're very fortunate to have what we have here. The support of the entire golf community is phenomenal and we're real excited."
"You're going to be watching future pro's most certainly and both the women's championship and the men's championship so we hope to grow those numbers a little bit and that will probably be the only thing we need to focus on."
FALL RECAP
Sun Devil Women's Golf wrapped up another successful Fall campaign which has them set up for a postseason run in the Spring. Led by ANNIKA Award Candidate Calynne Rosholt and All-American candidate Alexandra Forsterling, Arizona State boasts an experienced, deep, and talented group primed for the big stage. Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye and Associate Head Coach Michelle Estill know what it takes to get it done at the highest level, giving Sun Devil fans plenty to be excited about heading into the Spring. Read more about Arizona State's 2021 Fall season.