TEMPE - Arizona State will leave the country for the first time in nearly a decade when they travel to the Bahamas for the Nexus Collegiate running February 13-15.
The Sun Devils will be a part of a unique event taking place at Albany Golf Club and hosted by Auburn. This is the first time ASU will compete in this event, which will be the first Women's Golf tournament hosted in the Bahamas. ASU will get the chance to face off with teams from the SEC & ACC in one of the marquee events of the Spring.
COACH'S CORNER
"What a great opportunity for our program to be able to travel to such a unique place," Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye remarked. "We want to thank our administration for supporting us in pursuing a spot in this field."
"The event will be extremely beneficial and allow us to gauge the progress that we've made in the Spring," Coach Farr-Kaye added. "The qualifying was extremely close and we have six golfers that are hungry to prove themselves against some different competition."
"Our team has been working hard in preparation for the Spring," junior Ashley Menne added. "We want to continue building momentum by putting together a strong effort over all three rounds."
LAST TIME OUT
Sun Devil Women's Golf completed their second event of the Spring campaign, putting together an impressive showing at the Match in the Desert. Arizona State (-11/277) overcame cold weather and a frost delay, maintaining their focus on their way to delivering a spectacular round in their home state. Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye's team has shown no signs of rust after a long semester break, starting the Spring extremely strong.
The story was the efforts of junior Ashley Menne, who was excellent right from the start. A birdie on her first hole set the tone for what would become an eight-birdie round, matching a career-low 65 (-7) in the process. She was named Co-Champion of the event after finishing tied with UCLA's Caroline Canales (#33 ranked golfer nationally). This is Menne's first individual championship as a Sun Devil and seventh career Top-10 finish. The 65 is tied for the fourth-lowest score in program history, as Menne matched her own historic 2021 NCAA Championship third round in the school record book.
THE COMPETITION
Arizona State is part of a loaded Nexus Collegiate field that includes several highly ranked teams. The No. 13 ranked Sun Devils are joined by No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 4 South Carolina, No. 9 LSU, No. 16 Auburn, No. 11 Ole Miss, No. 19 Duke, No. 20 Oklahoma State, TCU, and Minnesota. Eight of the 10 teams are in the latest Golfstat Top-25, making this another stiff test for the Sun Devils.
Not only is their plenty of representation in the team rankings at the Nexus Collegiate, it will also bring together some of the top ranked individuals in the country. Joining ASU Ashley Menne (No. 50) in the field this week are a total of 13 Top-50 golfers in the latest Golfstat rankings, highlighted by No. 2 Hannah Darling (South Carolina), No. 4 Ingrid Lindblad (LSU), No. 5 Rachel Kuehn (Wake Forest), No. 9 Andrea Lignell (Ole Miss), No. 15 Megan Schofill, No. 17 Carolina Lopez-Chacarra (Wake Forest), and No. 18 Lauren Walsh (Wake Forest).
THE FORMAT
An 11-team field will play three stroke-play rounds of 18 holes each day, with a team and individual champion decided on Wednesday. The first two days are staggered starts, with the final day turning into a shotgun start in the morning with groupings based on previous round scoring.
THE LINEUP
Arizona State boasts once of the deepest and most talented rosters in the country, making qualifying for the lineup extremely competitive. The team's top-ranked golfer will also slot in at the No. 1 spot, as Ashley Menne occupies the top spot. Freshman Paula Schulz-Hanssen is coming off a strong performance at the Match in the Desert and consequently earns the No. 2 spot. The most experience golfer on the roster, Amanda Linner, will be competing in her 24th career event, this time out of the No. 3 position. Beth Coulter makes it two freshman in a counting spot for Coach Farr-Kaye, who will rely on the impressive newcomer out of the No. 4 slot. Grace Summerhays earned the final spot in the lineup, rounding out the group as the No. 5. ASU has the benefit of being able to travel an individual to this event which allows Calynne Rosholt, who barely missed out on cracking the startign lineup, a chance to compete for a championship. Here is how the Sun Devils will begin their day on Monday.
TEE TIMES (MST)
5 of the 6 Sun Devils will tee off on Hole 1, with a new golfer teeing off every nine minutes. Calynne Rosholt will start on Hole 10.
Ashley Menne - 7:15 AM
Paula Schulz-Hanssen - 7:06 AM
Amanda Linner - 6:57 AM
Beth Coulter - 6:48 AM
Grace Summerhays - 6:39 AM
Calynne Rosholt - 6:39 AM (Hole 10)
THE COURSE
Albany Golf Course is the site of the 2023 Nexus Collegiate, as it will play a Par 72, 6544-yard set up. The 18-hole championship course plays host to the Hero World Challenge every year, inviting the world's best professional golfers to compete at Albany. It hosted the Nexus Collegiate last year, a men's collegiate tournament hosted by Auburn. Designed by Ernie Els, Albany combines the best of links and desert features.
SUN DEVILS IN THE RANKINGS
The Sun Devils have faced one of the nation's toughest schedules so far and still have managed to stay in the Top-25 all season. Golfweek and Golfstat both tab them as the No. 13 team in the nation in their latest poll. ASU has already climbed several spots since the start of the Spring, making one of the biggest ascents of any team. Coach Farr-Kaye's team has a huge opportunity to move up in those rankings with another strong performance at the Nexus Collegiate.
TEAM RANKINGS (AS OF 2/10)
Golfweek/Sagarin: 13th
WGCA: 18th
Golfstat: 13th
Not only is the Maroon & Gold represent in the national team rankings, several Sun Devil individuals have made strong impressions so far. Ashley Menne is the No. 21 ranked golfer in the nation according to Golfweek, coming in as the highest ranked golfer on the team. Paula Schulz-Hanssen, Beth Coulter, and Grace Summerhays are also ranked in the Top-150 according in at least one major national poll. INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (AS OF 2/10)
Ashley Menne: 21 (Golfweek), 50 (Golfstat)
Paula Schulz-Hanssen: 66 (Golfweek)
Beth Coulter: 120 (Golfweek), 123 (Golfstat)
Grace Summerhays: 144 (Golfstat), 147 (Golfweek)
2023 NCAA WOMEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Arizona State and the Thunderbirds will host the NCAA Men's and Women's Golf Championships for the third consecutive year, taking place at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale May 19-31. This is the final of successful three-year run as the host school of the most prestigious event in all of college golf. Don't miss your last chance to check out the top individuals and teams in the nation square off for the ultimate prize in your own backyard.
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).
The Sun Devils will be a part of a unique event taking place at Albany Golf Club and hosted by Auburn. This is the first time ASU will compete in this event, which will be the first Women's Golf tournament hosted in the Bahamas. ASU will get the chance to face off with teams from the SEC & ACC in one of the marquee events of the Spring.
COACH'S CORNER
"What a great opportunity for our program to be able to travel to such a unique place," Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye remarked. "We want to thank our administration for supporting us in pursuing a spot in this field."
"The event will be extremely beneficial and allow us to gauge the progress that we've made in the Spring," Coach Farr-Kaye added. "The qualifying was extremely close and we have six golfers that are hungry to prove themselves against some different competition."
"Our team has been working hard in preparation for the Spring," junior Ashley Menne added. "We want to continue building momentum by putting together a strong effort over all three rounds."
LAST TIME OUT
Sun Devil Women's Golf completed their second event of the Spring campaign, putting together an impressive showing at the Match in the Desert. Arizona State (-11/277) overcame cold weather and a frost delay, maintaining their focus on their way to delivering a spectacular round in their home state. Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye's team has shown no signs of rust after a long semester break, starting the Spring extremely strong.
The story was the efforts of junior Ashley Menne, who was excellent right from the start. A birdie on her first hole set the tone for what would become an eight-birdie round, matching a career-low 65 (-7) in the process. She was named Co-Champion of the event after finishing tied with UCLA's Caroline Canales (#33 ranked golfer nationally). This is Menne's first individual championship as a Sun Devil and seventh career Top-10 finish. The 65 is tied for the fourth-lowest score in program history, as Menne matched her own historic 2021 NCAA Championship third round in the school record book.
THE COMPETITION
Arizona State is part of a loaded Nexus Collegiate field that includes several highly ranked teams. The No. 13 ranked Sun Devils are joined by No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 4 South Carolina, No. 9 LSU, No. 16 Auburn, No. 11 Ole Miss, No. 19 Duke, No. 20 Oklahoma State, TCU, and Minnesota. Eight of the 10 teams are in the latest Golfstat Top-25, making this another stiff test for the Sun Devils.
Not only is their plenty of representation in the team rankings at the Nexus Collegiate, it will also bring together some of the top ranked individuals in the country. Joining ASU Ashley Menne (No. 50) in the field this week are a total of 13 Top-50 golfers in the latest Golfstat rankings, highlighted by No. 2 Hannah Darling (South Carolina), No. 4 Ingrid Lindblad (LSU), No. 5 Rachel Kuehn (Wake Forest), No. 9 Andrea Lignell (Ole Miss), No. 15 Megan Schofill, No. 17 Carolina Lopez-Chacarra (Wake Forest), and No. 18 Lauren Walsh (Wake Forest).
THE FORMAT
An 11-team field will play three stroke-play rounds of 18 holes each day, with a team and individual champion decided on Wednesday. The first two days are staggered starts, with the final day turning into a shotgun start in the morning with groupings based on previous round scoring.
THE LINEUP
Arizona State boasts once of the deepest and most talented rosters in the country, making qualifying for the lineup extremely competitive. The team's top-ranked golfer will also slot in at the No. 1 spot, as Ashley Menne occupies the top spot. Freshman Paula Schulz-Hanssen is coming off a strong performance at the Match in the Desert and consequently earns the No. 2 spot. The most experience golfer on the roster, Amanda Linner, will be competing in her 24th career event, this time out of the No. 3 position. Beth Coulter makes it two freshman in a counting spot for Coach Farr-Kaye, who will rely on the impressive newcomer out of the No. 4 slot. Grace Summerhays earned the final spot in the lineup, rounding out the group as the No. 5. ASU has the benefit of being able to travel an individual to this event which allows Calynne Rosholt, who barely missed out on cracking the startign lineup, a chance to compete for a championship. Here is how the Sun Devils will begin their day on Monday.
TEE TIMES (MST)
5 of the 6 Sun Devils will tee off on Hole 1, with a new golfer teeing off every nine minutes. Calynne Rosholt will start on Hole 10.
Ashley Menne - 7:15 AM
Paula Schulz-Hanssen - 7:06 AM
Amanda Linner - 6:57 AM
Beth Coulter - 6:48 AM
Grace Summerhays - 6:39 AM
Calynne Rosholt - 6:39 AM (Hole 10)
THE COURSE
Albany Golf Course is the site of the 2023 Nexus Collegiate, as it will play a Par 72, 6544-yard set up. The 18-hole championship course plays host to the Hero World Challenge every year, inviting the world's best professional golfers to compete at Albany. It hosted the Nexus Collegiate last year, a men's collegiate tournament hosted by Auburn. Designed by Ernie Els, Albany combines the best of links and desert features.
SUN DEVILS IN THE RANKINGS
The Sun Devils have faced one of the nation's toughest schedules so far and still have managed to stay in the Top-25 all season. Golfweek and Golfstat both tab them as the No. 13 team in the nation in their latest poll. ASU has already climbed several spots since the start of the Spring, making one of the biggest ascents of any team. Coach Farr-Kaye's team has a huge opportunity to move up in those rankings with another strong performance at the Nexus Collegiate.
TEAM RANKINGS (AS OF 2/10)
Golfweek/Sagarin: 13th
WGCA: 18th
Golfstat: 13th
Not only is the Maroon & Gold represent in the national team rankings, several Sun Devil individuals have made strong impressions so far. Ashley Menne is the No. 21 ranked golfer in the nation according to Golfweek, coming in as the highest ranked golfer on the team. Paula Schulz-Hanssen, Beth Coulter, and Grace Summerhays are also ranked in the Top-150 according in at least one major national poll. INDIVIDUAL RANKINGS (AS OF 2/10)
Ashley Menne: 21 (Golfweek), 50 (Golfstat)
Paula Schulz-Hanssen: 66 (Golfweek)
Beth Coulter: 120 (Golfweek), 123 (Golfstat)
Grace Summerhays: 144 (Golfstat), 147 (Golfweek)
2023 NCAA WOMEN'S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP
Arizona State and the Thunderbirds will host the NCAA Men's and Women's Golf Championships for the third consecutive year, taking place at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale May 19-31. This is the final of successful three-year run as the host school of the most prestigious event in all of college golf. Don't miss your last chance to check out the top individuals and teams in the nation square off for the ultimate prize in your own backyard.
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).