Mehaffey, Grant Lead ASU at Columbus Regional

COLUMBUS, OH – Sun Devil Women's Golf completed day one at the NCAA Columbus Regional, held at The Ohio State University Golf Club.
 
Arizona State (+3/291) sits in a tie for fifth after the first 18 holes, matching No. 4 seed Kent State. No. 1 seed Duke is in second place (-1/287), with everyone chasing No. 8 seed Oklahoma, who paced the field with a 286 (-2) today. 12 of the 18 teams competing are +8 or more, with the golf course presenting challenges. ASU has a chance to solidify their spot in the top-six beginning tomorrow at 6:00 AM MST, as they tee-off every ten minutes on hole one.
 
"We had a solid start today led by Olivia and Linn," Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye remarked. "There is a lot of golf left and I believe this team will give it all they have the next 2 days.  Ohio State is a good golf course that rewards great golf. We will be ready to go tomorrow!"
 
The Sun Devils managed to improve their score by seven strokes after making the turn, finding a rhythm and cutting down on mistakes. They look to continue that momentum into tomorrow, sitting in the coveted Top-6 entering the second day. The top six teams advance from each regional, with 24 teams competing at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona from May 21-26. Coach Farr-Kaye's team finished with a total of 12 birdies and 61 pars.
 
1          Oklahoma       286      -2
2          Duke               287      -1
3          Michigan         288      E
4          Georgia           289      +1
T5        Arizona State 291      +3
 
The individual leaderboard is crowded at the top, with only 14 golfers going under par today. Two of those were Sun Devils, who each find themselves in the Top-10 after day one. Olivia Mehaffey and Linn Grant paced Arizona State, sitting only two strokes back of the overall lead.
 
Making her fourth NCAA appearance, Olivia Mehaffey looked comfortable in the regional setting, already with a regional title to her name. Mehaffey shot a 71 (-1) to earn a tie for seventh, finishing three-under over her final 11 holes. She delivered a mistake-free back nine, a big reason why the Sun Devils moved into the top-six.
 
Linn Grant is tied with Mehaffey in seventh place thanks to a 71 (-1) round. Like Mehaffey, Grant made the proper adjustments on the back nine, finishing two under and playing bogey-free after making the turn. Grant's success on the par five is a main factor in her strong start, currently sitting second in the field with a 4.50 stroke average.
 
1          Hailey Borja               Michigan         69        -3
T2        Caley McGinty           Kent State       70        -2
T2        Gina Kim                    Duke               70        -2
T2        Kaitlin Milligan          Oklahoma       70        -2
T2        Monet Chun                Michigan         70        -2
T2        Leah Onosato (i)         Old Dominion 70        -2
T7        Olivia Mehaffey         Arizona State 71        -1
T7        Linn Grant                 Arizona State 71        -1
 
The third Sun Devil in the Top-25 of the 97-golfer field is Ashley Menne, who is tied for 23rd after the first round. After a somewhat rocky start to her NCAA postseason debut, Menne settled in and played excellent down the stretch. She did not have a bogey over her final 15 holes and finished that stretch one-under. Her 15 pars lead the team and are tied for the fourth-most in the field.
 
By virtue of carding 76's (+4), Alessandra Fanali and Amanda Linner are tied for 53rd. Each recorded two birdies today and will have a big impact on whether the Sun Devils can maintain their spot in the top-six over the next two days.
 
Arizona State will begin the second round of the NCAA Columbus Regional tomorrow morning, starting at 6:00 AM MST. Here is how the Sun Devils will tee-off tomorrow:
 

  
HOW TO FOLLOW
Live results for the regional will be available here. 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).