(Photo Courtesy – Stryder Bigler)
The Arizona State women’s golf team shattered the previously held record last weekend scoring 42 under which is a whole 17 strokes better than the record of 25 under set at the Ping/ASU Invitational.
The Sun Devils have now won back to back tournaments a feat which they have only accomplished three times since 2009. Once in 2021 they won three consecutive events and the Championship 2009 squad that won the PAC-10 and NCAA Championship consecutively.
Senior Ashley Menne who has been putting on a show all season won this event by one stroke over Washington’s Camille Boyd giving ASU their first individual championship of the season. Menne broke Brandie Burton’s 35-year-old record of best score vs. par (-14) now holding the new program record.
Menne finds herself as one of 56 golfers in NCAA history to finish a 54 hole tournament with a score of 14-under or better.
Menne isn’t the only player to finish high in the standings however, freshman Patience Rhodes and Sophomore Beth Coulter also finished top five with scores of 205 and 207 respectively. ASU filled three of the top five spots in this tournament.
Rhodes’ finish is good enough to be the third best score vs par in Arizona State History.
Sophomore Paula Schulz-Hanssen also performed well finishing eight under to round off four Sun Devil’s with top ten finishes.
Junior Grace Summerhays struggled comparatively to the rest of the team finishing tied for 30 with a score of three over.
ASU finished with a score of 42 under which is 25 strokes better than the next closest team North Carolina, which finished 17 under.
The score by the team is the eighth best score in a 54-hole round in NCAA History.
Round two was the fifth best 18-hole round vs par in NCAA history.
Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye has now won 18 team championships as coach and 16 individual championships.
The importance of this win wasn’t lost on Coach Farr-Kaye, “This is a great win for us. It is two in a row, something we haven’t done in a while,” Coach Farr-Kaye said, “I am so proud of this team and their resilience, grit, and belief in themselves. They have been working really hard for these moments.”
The Sun Devil’s will take on the ASU/Ping Invitational March 28-30 this will be their last contest before the PAC-12 Championship.
“In a week we get ready to host the PING/ASU Invitational with a really great field,” Coach Farr-Kaye said. “It is a busy time for the Sun Devils and we are really enjoying it.”
