SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Arizona State golf standout Olivia Mehaffey was looking forward to a stellar senior season last season, capped off with the opportunity to play for an NCAA championship on a home course.
That 2020 season didn’t exactly go as planned with the coronavirus pandemic derailing those plans.
The native of Belfast, Ireland, decided to take the NCAA up on its offer of an extra season for those spring sport athletes whose seasons were adversely affected.
Now that long-awaited chance is here, as the No. 11 Sun Devils join 23 other regional qualifiers for the six-day NCAA women’s golf championship which starts on Friday at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale.
The men’s event starts on May 28 on the same course, marking the sixth time in history that both will have been held at the same venue the same year.
“That’s a big reason I decided to come back,” Mehaffey said. “It was tough missing out last season but that just gave us more time to get to know this course. We’ve been preparing for this and we’re ready to go.”
Those in the Sun Devil camp insist there is no pressure as the home team or as one of the leading contenders. ASU is making its 36th appearance in the event and comes in boasting an NCAA-best eight titles, the last coming in 2017.
Mehaffey (73.94) is the lone senior in ASU’s starting five. She is joined by junior Alessandra Fanali (74.13), sophomores Linn Grant (70.70) and Amanda Linner (74.39) and freshman Ashley Menne (73.71). Grant tied for second at the regional, aided by a 2-under in the final round.
Coach Missy Farr-Kaye says there is more pressure in the regional, the step before nationals. The Sun Devils placed second in the Columbus, Ohio regional, bouncing back nicely after a tough first day in which weather conditions were difficult.
“If we’ve learned anything in the last year it’s about how to adjust,” Farr-Kaye said. “It can be weather conditions or other things. I have really been proud of this team and how they have been able to adapt. That’s not always easy.”
ASU and Arizona are among the six Pac-12 teams in the field. Only the SEC has more at seven, with that group led by No. 1 South Carolina.
For Mehaffey the event will mark the end of her ASU career. She’ll be turning professional as soon as the event wraps up, competing in a Symetra Tour event in Florida two days later.
The Sun Devils say they’re focused on enjoying the experience, rather than the pressure that comes with playing for a championship.
“This is the last time we’re going to play together so we just want to go out there and have fun,” Mehaffey said. “We want to enjoy the environment and the atmosphere and see what happens. Not everybody gets to play for a championship close to home so we’re excited about that opportunity.”
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Arizona is part of the national tournament field for a 23rd time, with three titles to its credit, the most recent coming in 2018. The Wildcats placed fifth in the Stanford regional led by the performance of senior Yu-Sang Hou, who was fourth individually.
The entire event will be held on the 7,151-yard, par-72 Raptor course, which is challenging.
“There’s really not a hole where you can relax. It’s a tough course and the greens are hard to read,” Grant said. “We have played it so we’ll know it better than the other teams so that’s definitely an advantage but we’re still going to have to play well.”
NCAA Women’s Golf championship
Site: Grayhawk Golf Club Scottsdale (Raptor Course)
Format: 54 holes of stroke play (Friday-Sunday). Following the first three rounds, the top-15 teams along with the top nine individuals not on an advancing team advance to the final day of stroke play Monday to determine the top eight teams for match play competition and the 72-hole stroke play individual champion. The top eight teams then compete in match play for the NCAA Championship on with quarter- and semifinals on Tuesday and the final on Wednesday.
Defending champion: There was no tournament last year due to COVID-19 (Duke won in 2019).
Qualifying teams: Alabama, Arizona, Arizona State, Auburn, Baylor, Duke, Florida State, Georgia, Kent State, Kentucky, LSU, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Mississippi, Oklahoma State, Oregon, South Carolina, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, USC, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest.
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