Women's Golf Set to Host 49th PING/ASU Invitational
TEMPE, Ariz. - Sun Devil Women's Golf hosts the 49th edition of the PING/ASU Invitational at Papago Golf Club March 25-27.
Arizona State has moved into the Top-10 in the national rankings thanks to several impressive showings in the Spring. They come into the annual PING/ASU Invitational confident and comfortable, playing at home in front of the Sun Devil fans.
"We look forward to hosting PING/ASU this weekend," Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye remarked. "Our fans always do a great job of supporting us at this event, it will be fun to see all the Maroon & Gold out on the course."
The PING/ASU Invitational takes place at Papago Golf Club (5595 Karsten, Phoenix, AZ 85008) on Friday-Sunday and is free and open to the public. Don't miss your chance to cheer on the Top-10 Sun Devils at their only home tournament of the regular season.
THE FIELD
The PING/ASU Invitational features another loaded field, as the tournament consistently attracts the nation's top teams. ASU is one of 16 teams making up the field, 8 of which are ranked in the latest Golfstat Top-25. 11 of the 16 teams competing are ranked inside the Top-50, including five Top-10 teams. Coach Missy Farr-Kaye's team has had a ton of success against ranked teams this year, recently beating out six Top-25 teams to finish fourth at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge.
NORTHROP GRUMMAN REGIONAL CHALLENGE TOP-25 TEAMS (GOLFSTAT)
1.Stanford
2. Oregon
7. Virginia
8. Arizona State
10. Michigan
15. UCLA
19.Baylor
25. Arizona
In addition to the eight ranked teams, Colorado, Denver, Harvard, New Mexico, Northwestern, Oregon State, San Diego State, and Washington round out the field.
There is plenty of individual star power competing in the Regional Challenge as well. An impressive 17 of the Top-50 golfers in Golfstat's individual rankings are in the field, including Arizona State's own Alexandra Forsterling (No. 6) and Calynne Rosholt (No. 10) and . A total of 41 of the Top-200 golfers in the nation highlight an excellent field presenting a resume-building opportunity.
THE LINEUP
After a difficult qualifying session, Coach Farr-Kaye selected a deep and talented group of five to represent the Maroon & Gold. A benefit of being the host team is all seven Sun Devils will compete in the PING/ASU Invitational. Arizona State will start their round at 8 AM on the 10th hole, with a new golfer beginning their round every 11 minutes. They will be paired with No. 1 Stanford, No. 10 Michigan, and Northwestern on the first day. Tee times for Saturday and Sunday will be determined by the team standings from the previous day.
Alexandra Forsterling earned to top spot this week and is a consensus Top-10 ranked golfer in the nation. Fellow Top-10 golfer Calynne Rosholt follows up in the No. 2 spot. Returning All-American Ashley Menne qualified third, followed by Alessandra Fanali at No. 4. Grace Summerhays is back in the lineup and will be making her PING/ASU Invitational debut. Amanda Linner and Breyana Matthews will participate as individuals, eligible to win the individual title.
PING/ASU INVITATIONAL LINEUP (HOLE 10)
Alexandra Forsterling - 8:44 AM
Calynne Rosholt - 8:33 AM
Alessandra Fanali - 8:22 AM
Ashley Menne - 8:11 AM
Grace Summerhays - 8:00 AM
HOLE 1
Amanda Linner - 8:55 AM
Breyana Matthews - 8:55 AM
THE COURSE
Originally built in 1963, Papago Golf Club was one of the original Valley golf courses and has been an asset to the Phoenix public-golf community. Designed by well-known and esteemed golf course architect William Francis (Billy) Bell. The course provides spectacular views of Phoenix from its unique, strategic setting at the base of Papago Buttes. Despite its convenient central location, golfers experience a setting rich with the native elements that make Arizona a unique state.
The home of Sun Devil Men's and Women's Golf was named the Arizona Course of the Year by the National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) of Arizona in 2021. The annual host venue of both the ASU/PING Invitational and Thunderbird Collegiate has long been considered one of the top courses in the state, but now has earned the official title after being crowned by the NGCOA last year.
HISTORY AT PING/ASU INVITATIONAL
This is the 49th edition of the PING/ASU Invitational, which has developed a reputation as one of the toughest fields in the Spring women's golf season. The first 46 were at Karsten Golf Course, with the last three taking place at Papago Golf Club. It represents a prime opportunity for the top teams in the nation to get a taste of the intensity of postseason golf leading up to the conference champions. Arizona State has won the most event titles, claiming the team championship at PING/ASU an incredible 21 times. This included the 2021 version, in which they split the top spot with Oregon after a year hiatus due to COVID-19. ASU last won the title outright in 2017 on their way to a National Championship.
The Maroon & Gold also boast the most individual medalists in tournament history, with Sun Devils earning the crown 16 times. Roberta Liti most recently won it in 2017, shooting a 206 (-10) to clinch the victory. Some of the top scores in program history have come at PING/ASU, with Monica Vaughn leading the way with a historic 64 (-8) in the first round of the 2017 version. Last year, Linn Grant finished second, a result that moved her to the No. 1 spot in the Golfstat national rankings.
LAST TIME OUT
Sun Devil Women's Golf wrapped up another strong performance last week, completing the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge. Arizona State finished in fourth place in a field with 10 Top-25 teams, finding themselves only behind three Top-10 teams in the standings. The entire lineup contributed throughout the week, but no one enjoyed more success than Alexandra Forsterling. She was spectacular yet again, continuing her decorated senior campaign with a third place finish in a field that included 30 of the Top-100 ranked golfers in the nation.
SUN DEVILS IN THE RANKINGS
Coming off another impressive finish, Arizona State continues to climb up the national polls. The Sun Devils are ranked No. 8 by Golfstat, No. 9 team by Golfweek/Sagarin, and are the No. 11 team in the Mizuno WGCA Coaches Poll. With another challenge this upcoming week, the Maroon & Gold will have a chance to improve upon that ranking.
Several Sun Devils continue to move up the individual national rankings, as Arizona State features one of the most talented rosters in the country. Alexandra Forsterling is now ranked as the No. 5 golfer in the country according to Golfweek/Sagarin rankings, the highest ranking of any Sun Devil. The same publication tabbed Calynne Rosholt as the No. 14 player in the nation. Golfstat also looks favorably upon several Sun Devils, ranking two in the Top-10. Alexandra Forsterling came in at No. 6 and Calynne Rosholt is right behind her at No. 10, giving ASU one of the most decorated duos in the country.
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).