Grace Summerhays Leads at Darius Rucker

By: Connor Smith

HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. - Grace Summerhays is the individual leader and Sun Devil Women's Golf sits in second place after day two of the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.

No. 20 Arizona State (-4/564) was prominently featured on GOLF Channel's live television coverage as one of the contenders at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye's team is only one stroke back of No. 11 Northwestern heading into the final round at Long Cove Club.

Junior Grace Summerhays carded a 68 (-3) for the second consecutive day, allowing her to claim the individual lead after 36 holes. A 136 (-6) gives her a two-stroke advantage with one round left to play. She is leading a field that includes the World's top-ranked female amateur Ingrid Linblad from LSU. Summerhays is looking to secure the program's 99th individual title since 1982 and first  since Alessandra Fanali won the 2022 Silverado Showdown.

Joining Summerhays in the Top-25 are redshirt freshman Patience Rhodes (T16) and sophomore Beth Coulter (T21). Sophomore Paula Schulz-Hanssen improved her score by seven strokes and moved up eight spots on the leaderboard, contributing a counting score today. The Maroon and Gold's pursuit of the 2024 Darius Rucker Team Championship begins tomorrow at 9:10 AM MST. GOLF Channel/Peacock will be providing live television/streaming coverage of all three days of the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, with the broadcast running 12:30-3:30 PM MST.

QUOTABLES
"That was a lot of fun," Coach Farr-Kaye observed after the round. "Really excited for this team that their hard work is paying off. We are trying to stay in our process and take it one day at a time. I am just proud of the resilience that this team is showing."

"Staying in the present," Grace Summerhays mentioned when asked her thoughts on having the lead heading into the final day. "Sometimes as athletes it is hard not to think about the future, but I am just going to try and enjoy it and play my best golf."

"Starting on the front nine was different than yesterday and I knew if I made a couple birdies on the front, it would give me a little more margin for error on a harder back nine," Summerhays added. "It was really good to get those birdies early and boost my confidence."

"I am so happy for Grace," Coach Farr-Kaye added. "She is doing what we know she is capable of doing."

"We might have some inclement weather tomorrow," Coach Farr-Kaye forecasted. "Whatever is thrown our way, we will be ready for it and can adjust. It will be exciting to have another opportunity to compete."

ROUND BREAKDOWN

Grace Summerhays (136/-6/1)
TODAY'S ROUND: 68 (-3)
BIRDIES (5): Hole 5 (Par 4; 314 yards), Hole 6 (Par 5; 520 yards), Hole 7 (Par 4; 398 yards), Hole 9 (Par 4; 375 yards), Hole 13 (Par 3; 135 yards)

Patience Rhodes (142/E/T16)
TODAY'S ROUND: 74 (+3)
BIRDIES (2): Hole 1 (Par 4, 389 yards), Hole 10 (Par 4; 384 yards)

Beth Coulter (143/+1/T21)
TODAY'S ROUND: 72 (+1)
BIRDIES (3): Hole 2 (Par 3; 164 yards), Hole 15 (Par 5; 530 yards), Hole 17 (Par 3; 178 yards)

Ashley Menne (146/+4/T44)
TODAY'S ROUND: 75 (+4)
BIRDIES (1): Hole 10 (Par 4; 384 yards)

Paula Schulz-Hanssen (151/+9/T72)
TODAY'S ROUND: 72 (+1)
BIRDIES (2): Hole 5 (Par 4; 314 yards), Hole 16 (Par 4; 389 yards)

TEAM STANDINGS

INDIVIDUAL STANDINGS

UP NEXT
Arizona State will begin the final round of the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Wednesday morning at 9:10 AM AZT on the first hole, with a new golfer starting their round every 10 minutes. They will be paired with No. 11 Auburn for the third straight day, this time joined by No. 12 Northwestern. The trio are at the top of the team standings heading into the last day.

THE COMPETITION (CLIPP'D RANKINGS)
The Darius Rucker Intercollegiate features arguably the toughest field of any collegiate golf tournament on the 2023-24 schedule. Arizona State is one of 10 Top-20 teams in the latest Clipp'd rankings heading to Hilton Head, South Carolina. This includes SIX of the Top-10 and THREE of the Top-5 teams in the nation. 15 of the Top-33 ranked teams will be competing for the title at Long Cove Club.

LIVE ON GOLF CHANNEL
The Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Presented by Principal Financial and PXG will return after making its television debut on GOLF Channel two years ago when it became the first all-women's regular season collegiate golf tournament to be presented live on the network. Here is a closer look at the broadcast schedule. Watch on GOLF Channel and Peacock.
 

HISTORY AT DARIUS RUCKER
Long Cove Club, in partnership with Darius Rucker and South Carolina, will again play host on Hilton Head Island for the 12^th time. This is the seventh time Arizona State has appeared, competing in each of the past three editions. 

In 2023 at an event featuring 16 of the Top-46 and 14 of the Top-32 teams in the Golfstat rankings, Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye's team finished in sixth. Four of the five teams that finished ahead of them are ranked in the Top-10. Three Sun Devils finished in the Top-25 of the individual race, led by Ashley Menne. Menne had the best round of any Sun Devil throughout the three days, delivering a 69 (-2) to cap teh event. She made a jump up the standings for the second consecutive day, eventually finishing in a tie for 13th. Not far behind was Paula Schulz-Hanssen, who continued her strong play by finishing tied for 16th. Beth Coulter was the third Sun Devil in the Top-25 in a field that boasted 23 of the Top-52 and 41 of the Top-100 golfers in the latest Golfstat rankings.

In 2022, Calynne Rosholt and Alexandra Forsterling led the way individually for the Sun Devils, each finishing in the Top-10 at the Darius Rucker. Rosholt set the pace by tying for third place, with Forsterling not far behind her teammate finishing in a tie for sixth.
 
The Sun Devils have finished fourth or higher three times, including third-place finishes in 2022 & 2017. Linnea Strom finished second, while Sophia Zeeb claimed third place individually in 2017. Back in 2013, Noemi Jimenez won her second-straight individual title during a breakout sophomore season, claiming medalist honors at the Darius Rucker. She earned a four-stroke win and was joined by teammate Daniela Ordonez (4^th) in finishing in the Top-5.

BEST ROUNDS IN 2023-24
66/-6 - Ashley Menne (Match in the Desert/Jan. 22, 2024)
67/-5 - Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Mason Rudolph Invitational first round/Sept. 22, 2023)
67/-4 - Ashley Menne (Stanford Intercollegiate second round/Oct. 21, 2023)
68/-4 - Patience Rhodes (McGuire Invitational second round/Sept. 11, 2023)
---> 68/-3 - Patience Rhodes (Darius Rucker Intercollegiate first round/Mar. 4, 2024)
---> 68/-3 - Grace Summerhays (Darius Rucker Intercollegiate first round/Mar. 4, 2024)
---> 68/-3 - Grace Summerhays (Darius Rucker Intercollegiate second round/Mar. 5, 2024)
69/-3 - Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Mason Rudolph Invitational third round/Sept. 24, 2023)
69/-3 - Beth Coulter (Mason Rudolph Invitational first round/Sept. 22, 2023)
69/-3 - Ashley Menne (McGuire Invitational first round/Sept. 11, 2023)
69/-3 - Beth Coulter (McGuire Invitational second round/Sept. 11, 2023)
69/-3 - Calynne Rosholt (Windy City first round/Oct. 2, 2023)
69/-2 - Patience Rhodes (Stanford Intercollegiate third round/Oct. 23, 2023)

TOP FINISHES IN 2023-24
T2nd - Ashley Menne (Match in the Desert)
T5th - Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Mason Rudolph Invitational)
6th - Ashley Menne (McGuire Invitational)
T14th - Grace Summerhays (McGuire Invitational)
T14th - Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Match in the Desert)
T16th - Beth Coulter (Mason Rudolph Invitational)

BIRDIES BY SUN DEVIL
Grace Summerhays - 52
Ashley Menne - 51
Patience Rhodes - 50
Paula Schulz-Hanssen - 46
Beth Coulter - 46
Calynne Rosholt - 27

CAREER APPEARANCES 
Ashley Menne, 38 (35 stroke; 3 match)
Calynne Rosholt, 29 (25 stroke; 4 match)
Grace Summerhays, 28 (25 stroke; 3 match)
Beth Coulter, 19 (16 stroke; 3 match)
Paula Schulz-Hanssen, 19 (16 stroke; 3 match)
Patience Rhodes, 8 (6 stroke; 2 match)

CAREER TOP-20 FINISHES
Ashley Menne, 22
Grace Summerhays, 11
Calynne Rosholt, 10
Paula Schulz-Hanssen, 8
Beth Coulter, 5
Patience Rhodes, 2

2023-24 CAMPAIGN
Arizona State will be tested throughout 2023-24 as Coach Farr-Kaye built one of the nation's toughest slates once again. The Maroon and Gold will compete in a total of ten regular season events, four in the Fall and six in the Spring. The postseason begins April 21 at the Pac-12 Championship, with NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships scheduled for the month of May.

ARIZONA STATE WOMEN'S GOLF SCHEDULE
McGuire Invitational – Sept. 11-12 (Albuquerque, NM)
Mason Rudolph Invitational – Sept. 22-24 (Franklin, TN)
Windy City Collegiate Classic – Oct. 2-3 (Chicago, IL)
Stanford Intercollegiate – Oct. 20-22 (Palo Alto, CA)
Match in the Desert – January 22 (Gold Canyon, AZ)
Therese Hession Regional Challenge – Feb. 3-4 (Palos Verdes, CA)
Duel in the Desert (vs. Denver) – Feb. 25 (Phoenix, AZ)
Darius Rucker Intercollegiate – March 4-6 (Hilton Head Island, SC)
Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational – March 17-19 (Honolulu, HI)
PING/ASU Invitational – March 28-30 (Phoenix, AZ) - HOSTED BY ASU
Pac-12 Championship – April 21-23 (Pullman, WA)
NCAA Regionals – May 6-8 (Auburn/Cle Elum/College State/East Lansing/Las Vegas/Winston-Salem)
NCAA Championship – May 17-22 (La Costa, CA; Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Champions Course)

HOW TO FOLLOW
GOLF Channel/Peacock will be providing live television/streaming coverage of all three days of the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate. Live scoring can be found 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). Find Coach Farr-Kaye (@missymkaye) and Coach Tatman (@CoachMikayla_) on Twitter as well.