Forsterling Shines on Day Two of Northrop Grumman

PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif. - Sun Devil Women's Golf played the second round of the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge on Monday at Palos Verdes Golf Club.

Arizona State moved up into fourth place thanks in large part to the efforts of Alexandra Forsterling, who shot a 67 (-4) and is now tied for 11th place. She is one of four Sun Devils in the Top-25 in a field of 84 talented golfers after 36 holes. One of those teammates is Ashley Menne, who shot a 71 (E) to climb into a tie for 13th. They are both joined by Calynne Rosholt in the Top-15, as fired her second consecutive round of 72. Alessandra Fanali rounds out the Top-25, making Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye's team the only one to have four placed that high on the leaderboard. 

FRONT NINE
Three different Sun Devils finished the front nine at even par, highlighted by a three-birdie effort by Amanda Linner. She caught fire over a three hole stretch, recording birdies on each hole to build momentum. Ashley Menne also finished her front nine strong, registering two birdies in the final five holes to get back to even. Alexandra Forsterling carded a par on every hole, implementing adjustments that would pay off on the back nine. Alessandra Fanali was one-under over her final four holes, part of a succesful stretch of golf for the Sun Devils.

BACK NINE
Alexandra Forsterling took over on the back nine, settling into a grove and converting the pars into birdies. She paired back-to-back birdies together on 11 & 12 as well as 16 &17, moving to four-under on the day. She wasn't the only Sun Devil to enjoy success down the stretch, as Calynne Rosholt recorded three birdies to finish her back nine under par. Ashley Menne was one-under over her final eight holes, setting her up for a run at the Top-10 tomorrow. Same goes for Alessandra Fanali, who was one-under over her final three holes. 

NOTABLES

• Alexandra Forsterling moved up 25 spots on the leaderboard thanks to a 67 (-4), which was bogey-free
  • She matched the lowest round of the day, shaving eight strokes off her score from day one
  • She had the third-largest rise of any player from the first to second round
  • She sits in the Top-10 of par three, four, and five scoring averages, showing off a well-rounded game
• Arizona State's 28 birdies are the fourth-most in the field, while their 109 pars are tied for the fifth most
  • They have the fourth-best scoring average on par four holes, which has been a key differentiator in the competition
• Amanda Linner also improved her score, reducing it by seven strokes after a four-birdie effort
• Calynne Rosholt is two-under on par four chances, which is tied for the fifth-best in the field
• Ashley Menne has found most of her success on par five holes, currently three-under on those opportunities
  • She has 25 pars, tied for the seventh-most of any golfer.

QUOTABLES
"We played well today with Lexi (Alexandra Forsterling) leading us with a really good -4 67," Coach Farr-Kaye exclaimed. "She was frustrated w her play yesterday and was ready to drop some putts today. I believe this is still anyones tourney.  We are going to stay focused on our goals and not what any other team is doing.  Tomorrow will be exciting playing in the lead groups!"

TEAM RESULTS
 

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
 

UP NEXT
Arizona State will begin the final round of the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge tomorrow at 8 AM MST, as the entire field undergoes a shotgun start. They will be featured in the lead group, paired with Top-10 foes No. 2 Oregon, No. 6 Virginia. Two Sun Devils will start on hole one, with the rest spread out across holes 3-5. Here is a closer look at where they will begin tomorrow morning at 8 AM:
 
NORTHROP GRUMMAN REGIONAL CHALLENGE DAY THREE TEE TIMES (8:00 AM SHOTGUN START)
Alexandra Forsterling - HOLE 1B
Ashley Menne - HOLE 1A
Calynne Rosholt - HOLE 3
Alessandra Fanali - HOLE 4
Amanda Linner - HOLE 5
 
HISTORY AT NORTHROP GRUMMAN
The annual tournament was not held last year because of COVID-19. Palos Verdes Golf Club, in partnership with Ohio State University, will again play host in Palos Verdes Estates, California. This is the 22nd time Arizona State has appeared, competing in every edition since 2000.
 
The Sun Devils won the tournament back in 2009 with a dominant performance, finishing 18-strokes ahead of the second-place finisher. Individually, Juliana Murcia won the the event in 2009, one of four Sun Devils to capture medalist honors at the event. Most recently, Olivia Mehaffey earned co-medalist honors at the 2018 edition. Monica Vaughn was the last sole winner for the program, doing so back in 2016. Some of the best names in the history of Sun Devil Women's Golf have used this event to help catapult their careers, including a win in 2011 by Carlota Ciganda preceeded by two second place finishes for Azahara Munoz in 2007 and 2008. 

HOW TO FOLLOW
Live scoring will be available on 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).