Alexandra Forsterling and Arizona State Sweep PING/ASU Titles

PHOENIX, Ariz. - Sun Devil Women's Golf matched a program record with a historic team score of 839, earning the team title at the 2022 PING/ASU Invitational in dominant fashion.

Arizona State (-25/839) was the best team from start to finish, winning another PING/ASU Invitational by beating out the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the nation. Arizona State won their 21st team championship in a run-a-way, claiming the victory by an enormous 15 strokes. It is the 96th team championship in program history, 17 of which have come in the Farr-Kaye era.

"Could not be more proud of this team for the way they played this weekend," Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye remarked. "It was great to see so many fans out there supporting us on the way to victory."

Alexandra Forsterling was sensational in taking home individual medalist honors, becoming the 17th Sun Devil to win the individual crown. Forsterling (-9/207) had to beat out teammate Ashley Menne for the title, as Arizona State finished 1-2 in the final player standings. She is the first Sun Devil to win at PING/ASU since Roberta Liti back in 2017. 

"What an outstanding performance by Lexi (Alexandra Forsterling)," Coach Farr-Kaye added. "She remained calm under pressure and finished strong."

Joining Forsterling and Menne in the Top-10 was Calynne Rosholt, who did more climbing up the leaderboard after shooting a 68 (-4) today. As a result, she tied for 10th and shared the Ann Votik top freshman award with Stanford's Rose Zhang, Golfstat's current No. 1-ranked player.

This is the 13th time that Arizona State has swept both the individual and team titles, eight more than any other team in PING/ASU Invitational history. Not only was the 839 (-25) tied for the lowest score in program history, the 15-stroke advantage was the most ASU has won by in PING/ASU Invitational history.

FRONT NINE
Calynne Rosholt started her day off red hot, going four-under over the first nine to highlight a solid start for ASU. Grace Summerhays managed to par each of her holes to remain steady in the standings. Alexandra Forsterling began her rise up the leaderboard with a one-under front nine effort. Eight of the team's 13 birdies happened on the front nine in more favorable conditions.

BACK NINE
Despite the pressure mounting with the rest of the field chasing them, Arizona State continued to play well. Alexandra Forsterling clinched her individual championship behind the strength of a bogey-free back nine, going one-under par to maintain her lead. Both Ashley Menne and Calynne Rosholt finished their back nine's even, ensuring the Sun Devils matched the program record.

QUOTABLES
Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye
On what kind of statement the team made by earning the victory

"The best statement the team made was to themselves. They believe they can hang with the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country, who are very deserving. Stanford and Oregon are great teams and very deserving of those rankings. They have both had some fantastic wins. The fact that they have proven to themselves they can be in that same conversation is very powerful this time of year."

On her emotions watching Alexandra Forsterling win the individual title

"After the loss of her father her sophomore year. An unexpected and immediate loss. It was truly a life-altering time and it has taken her some time to process it. It is not something you ever get over. For a lot of female athletes, when we grew up our dads taught us our sport. He had just been with us at NCAA Championships and he was this bigger-than life man. It was a really difficult thing for her to learn to live with that loss. To watch her this whole year and really this Spring come into her own as the player that we thought she would be when she came in. The belief in herself, in her game, and how she is doing it makes it really exciting and fun to watch."

On Ashley Menne and Alexandra Forsterling competing in the Augusta National Women's Amateur this week

"Both of their games suit the type of tournament ANWA is and the two type of golf courses that they play. They know how to play within themselves. Keeping it straight and in the fairway and putting will be key. If they can manage the fatigue from playing this week and manage all that comes with this event, I think they will do well. It will be fun to watch. We will certainly be cheering them on."

On Calynne Rosholt winning the Ann Votik Lowest Freshman Score Award

"Don't underestimate Calynne Rosholt because that young lady is tough, resilient, and wants to win. She didn't have it all together the first round, but just kept fighting and believing. A gorgeous round today. It was a beautiful, beautiful finish." 

Alexandra Forsterling
On winning the individual championship

"It's awesome, there's really no way to describe it. Really happy and proud, and relieved because I was really waiting for it. I've just gone through so much with everything going on a few years ago. The fact that I won this now is really relieving. I am proud of myself."

On her mentality on the back nine today

"The back nine are the hardest, especially 16-18 are really hard. I just tried to concentrate,  make another put. I managed to birdie 15, where I was really relieved. That changed things a bit. Then 2-putt on 18 was also really relieving."

On an individual win coming with a team win

"It's always fun to win with the team. The girls played so great, and we had some awesome rounds the last few days. But, winning by 15 shots is amazing. We really proved ourselves. We all knew that we could do it and we finally did it."

On the quick turnaround to Augusta National Women's Amateur

"It's good, it's obviously easier. I really want to enjoy he week in Augusta, enjoy the time and play. I really don't have any expectations because it is the best 70-80 players in the world. Whatever happens, happens. I am glad that Ashley will be there, and my mom will be there. It will be awesome, so I am really excited. Then, I am off to Napa with the team."

TEAM RESULTS
 

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
 

UP NEXT
Arizona State has another quick turnaround, as they will get ready to head to California next week for the Silverado Showdown. The event in Napa, California is scheduled for Monday, Apr. 4 - Wednesday, Apr. 6. More information on the tournament will be available later in the week. 

Ashley Menne and Alexandra Forsrterling are heading to Augusta, Georgia this week to compete in the Augusta National Women's Amateur. The tournament will run March 30 - April 2, with live coverage provided by GOLF Channel. For more information on how the two Sun Devils qualified for the event, visit the following link.

HOW TO FOLLOW
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