Women's Golf Climbs into First Place Tie at Pac-12 Championship

EUGENE, OR - Sun Devil Women's Golf has put themselves in a favorable position following the completion of two rounds at the 2022 Pac-12 Championship.

Arizona State (+4/580) posted the second-best round of the day (-2/286) en route to ascending into a tie for first place. Despite multiple weather delays and uncertainty if the round would even by restarted, Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye's team maintained their focus and delivered a championship-worthy effort. ASU is tied with No. 2 and tournament host Oregon, who is heavily favored playing on their home course. This has not prevented the Sun Devils from going toe-to-toe with one of the nation's best teams, matching their score through 36 holes.

Leading the way for the Maroon & Gold are the seniors, as Alessandra Fanali and Alexandra Forsterling continue to save their best golf for the final stretch of their careers. Both golfers sit in the Top-10 at one of the most loaded tournaments of the entire 2021-22 campaign.

Alessandra Fanali remains in a tie for second, firing her second consecutive 71 (-1) to maintain her positioning. She trails overall leader Hsin-Yu Lu of Oregon by only four strokes heading into the final day. Fanali is one of only two golfers to record two rounds under par in less than ideal conditions.

2022 Pac-12 Scholar Athlete of the Year Alexandra Forsterling improved upon her round from yesterday, ascending seven spots up the leaderboad and into a tie for eighth place. Her 72 (E) was one of the top rounds of the day, as she recorded three birdies on the back nine alone. Arizona State and Stanford are the only two programs with two golfers in the Top-10.

Four Sun Devils are in the Top-20 after two rounds, with the depth of Coach Farr-Kaye's lineup on full display. Ashley Menne moved up 11 spots and into a tie for 20th after shaving four strokes off her score, one of the best improvements. Joining her in a tie for 20th is freshman Grace Summerhays, who is fairing extremely well in her Pac-12 Championship debut. 

Five teams did not finish their second round, as play was suspended due to darkness. Arizona State is one of six teams whose 36-hole scores are finzalized. This means tee-times for tomorrow are fluid, with the Sun Devils teeing-off immediately following the conclusion of round one. Weather permitting, ASU will be in the top group with host Oregon, battiling it out for the Pac-12 Team Title. Alessandra Fanali is in a similar position that Olivia Mehaffey was during her championship run in 2019, trailing by four strokes heading into the final day.

QUOTABLES
Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye
"Today was one of the longest days on a golf course that I have experienced as a Coach with several delays due to rain and an unplayable golf course. We hung in there and played well on the back today."

"We are happy that we are tied for the lead but we still do not know how much golf will be played tomorrow due to more rain expected. We knew that Oregon would be a team to contend with, but we also know that we are capable of managing these tough conditions. We will be ready for whatever possible scenarios we will face tomorrow."

TEAM RESULTS
 

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
 

UP NEXT
Arizona State will begin the final round of the Pac-12 Championship tomorrow following the conclusion of the second round, which was suspended due to darkness last night. Weather permitting, the Sun Devils will be paired with the Oregon Ducks, who they are tied with in first place. The five Sun Devils will tee off every nine minutes starting on hole one after the five teams complete their second rounds. 

HISTORY AT THE PAC-12 CHAMPIONSHIP
No team has enjoyed more success at the Pac-10/12 Women's Golf Championships than Arizona State. Their 13 individual champions are six more than any other team, while their eight team championships are tied for first. Most recently, Olivia Mehaffey claimed the 2019 Individual Championship by coming back from four strokes down on the final day. The Sun Devils last one as a team back in 2009 on their way to the program's seventh of eight NCAA Championships, with Coach Farr-Kaye serving as an Assistant Coach that year.
 
Legendary Sun Devil Women's Golf Head Coach Linda Vollstedt could be considered the queen of the Pac-10/12 Championships. Her teams won it a total of six times, including the first two in 1987 & 1988. Later in her career, Arizona State ran off four straight titles during their dominant run in the mid-90s, a feat that has never been matched since. ASU has three Top-3 finishes at the conference championships under Coach Farr-Kaye, finishing third in 2016, 2019, and last year in 2021. 

HOW TO FOLLOW
Daily highlights will be featured across Pac-12 Network, Pac-12.com and Pac-12 social media channels, culminating with a special half-hour recap on Pac-12 Network on Thursday, April 21 at 6:00 p.m. PT. 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).