Forsterling, Women's Golf Lead on Day One of PING/ASU

TEMPE, Ariz. - Sun Devil Women's Golf opened up the PING/ASU Invitational with a strong first round at Papago Golf Club.

Arizona State (-8/280) has a five-stroke lead over No. 1-ranked Stanford in second place, showing why they have recently achieved consensus Top-10 status. It was a team effort that allowed ASU to claim the top spot after 18 holes, but no one was better on the day than Alexandra Forsterling. She was on fire to open her round and matched a career-low by shooting a 66 (-6), putting her in the lead by one stroke after the first round. Ashley Menne (T-3rd) and Amanda Linner (T-8th)  join Forsterling in the Top-10, with all seven Sun Devils enjoying great stretches of golf.

Maroon and Gold was spotted all over Papago Golf Club today, as the Sun Devil fans showed their support. Come out to cheer on Arizona State tomorrow and Sunday as they make a run at their 21st PING/ASU Invitational title. 

FRONT NINE
The story of the front nine was the play of Ashley Menne, who avoided any bogeys while recording three birdies to finish her round strong. She was not the only Sun Devil to finish this stretch under par, as Grace Summerhays and Alexandra Forsterling built upon impressive days with solid front nine performances. In total, 12 birdies were careded over these nine holes.

BACK NINE
Arizona State started their day with a bang on the back nine, proving to be comfortable at their home course. No where was this more appearance than the 15th hole, where the Sun Devils enjoyed an incredible amount of success. Two eagles, three birdies, and the first albatross of the season were all recorded on this hole. Amanda Linner was responsible for the albatross, need just two strokes to finish the par five hole. Alexandra Forsterling had five birdies and no bogeys, shooting a miniscule 31 in the first half of her round. 

NOTABLES

• Arizona State leads the team standings and Alexandra Forsterling leads the individual standings.
• The Sun Devils lead the field with two eagles, while their 18 birdies are the second most of any team.
• ASU has been brilliant on par five holes, finishing the day 11-under on those opportunities. That is five strokes better than any other team.
• Arizona State is the only team with three individuals in the Top-10.
• Amanda Linner's albatross was the first of the season by a Sun Devil and only one on the day. The two eagles from Ashley Menne and Alessandra Fanali gave ASU a season-high for one round.
• Alexandra Forsterling leads the field with seven birdies.

QUOTABLES
Amanda Linner
On her Albatros on the 15th hole
"I think it is a good hole that you can go for from almost anywhere. I hit my drive to the left of the bunker, you can go either right or left, I hit it from the left and then from there you can do a layup but it is not such a big risk to go for it so I decided to go for it and I hit a three wood and I hit it good, it was right at the pin, but I couldn't see the hole so I just kept walking and then a couple of people were standing by the green and they were screaming so I realized it went in.
 
On playing at home in front of the fans
"I love being home and I love playing at Papago. I really like this course and I think the conditions are good right now. The greens are tricky, they are fast and firm but it is really fun to be out here playing at home."

Alexandra Forsterling
On her approach on the 15th hole
"I had to save my birdie a little bit, most of the girls went for it in two and I think they all hit it pretty close but I was in the desert and the right so I had to punch it out and then I hit it close and I made a good put so that is how I got birdie. 15 is a great hole, it's always a good chance to get one back."

On being in the lead after one round
"We all know the course pretty well so I think I know now where to hit it and not to hit it, I just tried to use my knowledge and that worked out really well. I will try to go have a nice day tomorrow again and have fun and enjoy being home and whatever happens happens. 
 
On seeing her teammates suceed and being in the lead as a team
"I was obviously really happy to see that everybody was playing so well and that we are in first right now and especially Ashley had a really good day so I think that helps. It brings us a good start and I think we will keep it going and we will be good."

TEAM RESULTS
 

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
 

UP NEXT
Arizona State will begin the second round of the PING/ASU Invitational tomorrow at 8:55 AM MST, with a new golfer teeing-off every 11 minutes. They will be featured in the lead group, paired with Top-10 foes No. 1 Stanford and No. 2 Oregon along with Northwestern. All seven Sun Devils will start on the first hole. Here is a closer look at where they will begin tomorrow morning at 8 AM:
 
NORTHROP GRUMMAN REGIONAL CHALLENGE DAY THREE TEE TIMES (HOLE 1)
Alexandra Forsterling - 9:50 AM
Ashley Menne - 9:39 AM
Grace Summerhays - 9:28 AM
Alessandra Fanali - 9:17 AM
Calynne Rosholt - 9:06 AM
Amanda Linner - 8:55 AM
Breyana Matthews - 8:55 AM
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.

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).