TEMPE - Sun Devil Women's Golf participates in their second event of the Spring season, competing at the Match in the Desert on Monday, January 23.
No. 15 Arizona State heads out to Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club in Gold Canyon to play the Prospector course. They will be joined by five other teams, three of which are ranked in the Top-25, in a one-day stroke play event. Follow the action with live stats at the following link.
"This is always a great event for us to get ready for the rest of the Spring season," Coach Farr-Kaye observed. "The golf course is challenging and the field will be competitive. Exactly what we need at this time of the year."
LAST TIME OUT
Sun Devil Women's Golf opened the Spring portion of the 2023 campaign with an impressive performance. Arizona State defeated No. 19 Vanderbilt and Denver in the first ever match play event taking place at Whirlwind Golf Club (Cattail Course) on January 15. Six Sun Devils got the chance to compete in the state of Arizona for the first time, representing the Maroon & Gold.
"We looked really sharp for our first outing of the Spring, which I am very excited about," Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye remarked. "It was very cloudy and cool out, but we handled that well."
The Sun Devils showed little signs of rust after the long break, taking care of business in their first chance back out on the course since November. They defeated Denver 17.5.-0.5, while simultaneously capturing the match with Vanderbilt by a final mark of 14-4.
HISTORY AT THE MATCH IN THE DESERT
This is the fifth consecutive edition of the Match in the Desert that the program has competed in, this time moving to the Prospector Golf Course at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club. Arizona State has won the last three team titles at this event, coming away with the victory in 2019, 2020, and 2022. The 2021 edition was reduced to an intra-squad round for the Sun Devils due to COVID-19. In the most recent Match in the Desert, Alexandra Forsterling finished in second place on her way to earning Pac-12 Golfer of the Month honors for January of 2022. Arizona State finished at the top of an outstanding field that included No. 2 Oklahoma State, capturing their third consecutive Match in the Desert team championship.
THE COMPETITION
The Sun Devils will make their second appearance in the state of Arizona when they travel to Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club for the Match in the Desert. Arizona State will enter the event as the four-time defending event champion, winning the 2022 event over No. 2 Oklahoma State by five strokes. Kansas will host for the second consecutive year, with the tournament moving to one day in 2023. It will be a defacto Pac-12/Big-12 Challenge, with Arizona, UCLA, TCU, and Baylor also making up the field.
The Match in the Desert field includes four Top-25 teams and some of the top individual talent in the nation. No. 15 Arizona State is joined in the latest Golfstat rankings by No. 13 Arizona, No. 22 UCLA, and No. 24 Baylor. No. 30 TCU and No. 58 Kansas round out an extremely strong field. 12 of the Top-100 golfers in the latest Golfstat rankings are in the field, including No. 71 Ashley Menne of Sun Devil Women's Golf.
THE FORMAT
After competing in a match play-style event to start the Spring, Arizona State gets back to stroke play for the Match in the Desert. A team and individual champion will be named after 18 holes on the Par-72 course, with each pairing of three golfers starting their rounds at 11:30 AM MST.
THE LINEUP
Arizona State boasts once of the deepest and most talented rosters in the country, making qualifying for the lineup extremely competitive. The top ranked golfer on the roster also led the way at qualifying, as Ashley Menne will golf out of the No. 1 spot. Freshman Beth Coulter impressed in the Fall and continues her strong play, earning the No. 2 role this week. Amanda Linner gets a shot in a counting role out of the No. 3 slot. Sophomores Grace Summerhays and Calynne Rosholt round out the lineup as the 4th and 5th golfers. Freshman Paula Schulz-Hanssen will get to compete as an individual, which means her score will not count towards the team total, but she is still eligible for the individual championship. Here is how the Sun Devils will begin their round.
TEE TIMES
All Sun Devils will tee-off at 11:30 AM MST as part of a shotgun start, spread among holes 4-7
Ashley Menne - Hole 4
Beth Coulter - Hole 5
Amanda Linner - Hole 6B
Grace Summerhays - Hole 6A
Calynne Rosholt - Hole 7B
Paula Schulz-Hanssen - Hole 7A
THE COURSE
For the first time, the Match in the Desert moves to the Prospector Course at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club. The par-72 course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and his son, Gary. It has played host to several LPGA and other professional events since it opened in 1998.
SUN DEVILS IN THE RANKING
Arizona State is a consensus Top-20 team heading into the Spring, remaining in the Top-25 rankings of all three major national polls the entire season. Golfstat has the Sun Devils rated the highest, tabbing them as the No. 15 team in the country. The Maroon & Gold come in at No. 17 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and No. 18 in the latest WGCA coaches poll. Not only is Sun Devil Women's Golf represented heavily in the rankings as a team, several individuals are considered among the best in the nation. Ashley Menne is the highest ranked Arizona State golfer according to both Golfstat and Golfweek/Sagarin. By being slotted at No. 66 in Golfweek, Menne is currently ranked the highest of any member of the team this season. She is also the No. 71 ranked golfer in the Golfstat rankings. Beth Coulter, Grace Summerhays, and Calynne Rosholt are each ranked in the Top-150 by both outlets.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live scoring for the Match in the Desert will be provided by Golfstat at the following link. 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).
No. 15 Arizona State heads out to Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club in Gold Canyon to play the Prospector course. They will be joined by five other teams, three of which are ranked in the Top-25, in a one-day stroke play event. Follow the action with live stats at the following link.
"This is always a great event for us to get ready for the rest of the Spring season," Coach Farr-Kaye observed. "The golf course is challenging and the field will be competitive. Exactly what we need at this time of the year."
LAST TIME OUT
Sun Devil Women's Golf opened the Spring portion of the 2023 campaign with an impressive performance. Arizona State defeated No. 19 Vanderbilt and Denver in the first ever match play event taking place at Whirlwind Golf Club (Cattail Course) on January 15. Six Sun Devils got the chance to compete in the state of Arizona for the first time, representing the Maroon & Gold.
"We looked really sharp for our first outing of the Spring, which I am very excited about," Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye remarked. "It was very cloudy and cool out, but we handled that well."
The Sun Devils showed little signs of rust after the long break, taking care of business in their first chance back out on the course since November. They defeated Denver 17.5.-0.5, while simultaneously capturing the match with Vanderbilt by a final mark of 14-4.
HISTORY AT THE MATCH IN THE DESERT
This is the fifth consecutive edition of the Match in the Desert that the program has competed in, this time moving to the Prospector Golf Course at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club. Arizona State has won the last three team titles at this event, coming away with the victory in 2019, 2020, and 2022. The 2021 edition was reduced to an intra-squad round for the Sun Devils due to COVID-19. In the most recent Match in the Desert, Alexandra Forsterling finished in second place on her way to earning Pac-12 Golfer of the Month honors for January of 2022. Arizona State finished at the top of an outstanding field that included No. 2 Oklahoma State, capturing their third consecutive Match in the Desert team championship.
THE COMPETITION
The Sun Devils will make their second appearance in the state of Arizona when they travel to Superstition Mountain Golf & Country Club for the Match in the Desert. Arizona State will enter the event as the four-time defending event champion, winning the 2022 event over No. 2 Oklahoma State by five strokes. Kansas will host for the second consecutive year, with the tournament moving to one day in 2023. It will be a defacto Pac-12/Big-12 Challenge, with Arizona, UCLA, TCU, and Baylor also making up the field.
The Match in the Desert field includes four Top-25 teams and some of the top individual talent in the nation. No. 15 Arizona State is joined in the latest Golfstat rankings by No. 13 Arizona, No. 22 UCLA, and No. 24 Baylor. No. 30 TCU and No. 58 Kansas round out an extremely strong field. 12 of the Top-100 golfers in the latest Golfstat rankings are in the field, including No. 71 Ashley Menne of Sun Devil Women's Golf.
THE FORMAT
After competing in a match play-style event to start the Spring, Arizona State gets back to stroke play for the Match in the Desert. A team and individual champion will be named after 18 holes on the Par-72 course, with each pairing of three golfers starting their rounds at 11:30 AM MST.
THE LINEUP
Arizona State boasts once of the deepest and most talented rosters in the country, making qualifying for the lineup extremely competitive. The top ranked golfer on the roster also led the way at qualifying, as Ashley Menne will golf out of the No. 1 spot. Freshman Beth Coulter impressed in the Fall and continues her strong play, earning the No. 2 role this week. Amanda Linner gets a shot in a counting role out of the No. 3 slot. Sophomores Grace Summerhays and Calynne Rosholt round out the lineup as the 4th and 5th golfers. Freshman Paula Schulz-Hanssen will get to compete as an individual, which means her score will not count towards the team total, but she is still eligible for the individual championship. Here is how the Sun Devils will begin their round.
TEE TIMES
All Sun Devils will tee-off at 11:30 AM MST as part of a shotgun start, spread among holes 4-7
Ashley Menne - Hole 4
Beth Coulter - Hole 5
Amanda Linner - Hole 6B
Grace Summerhays - Hole 6A
Calynne Rosholt - Hole 7B
Paula Schulz-Hanssen - Hole 7A
THE COURSE
For the first time, the Match in the Desert moves to the Prospector Course at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club. The par-72 course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and his son, Gary. It has played host to several LPGA and other professional events since it opened in 1998.
SUN DEVILS IN THE RANKING
Arizona State is a consensus Top-20 team heading into the Spring, remaining in the Top-25 rankings of all three major national polls the entire season. Golfstat has the Sun Devils rated the highest, tabbing them as the No. 15 team in the country. The Maroon & Gold come in at No. 17 in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and No. 18 in the latest WGCA coaches poll. Not only is Sun Devil Women's Golf represented heavily in the rankings as a team, several individuals are considered among the best in the nation. Ashley Menne is the highest ranked Arizona State golfer according to both Golfstat and Golfweek/Sagarin. By being slotted at No. 66 in Golfweek, Menne is currently ranked the highest of any member of the team this season. She is also the No. 71 ranked golfer in the Golfstat rankings. Beth Coulter, Grace Summerhays, and Calynne Rosholt are each ranked in the Top-150 by both outlets.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live scoring for the Match in the Desert will be provided by Golfstat at the following link. 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).