SUGAR GROVE, Illinois – In an eventful day from start to finish, one that last from nearly sun-up to sun-down, No. 7 Arizona State women's golf advanced to the NCAA semifinals with a win vs. Florida before play was suspended near the end of the semifinal match vs. Stanford.
"This is really important and I want my team to have the best opportunity," said head coach Missy Farr-Kaye. "With darkness coming very quickly, it didn't make any sense to rush this when we knew we had an opportunity to come back. This team has put their heart and soul into this year and has had a fantastic week, so I want them to have the best opportunity to compete tomorrow and finish the semis."
Earlier in the day, the Sun Devils (No. 3 seed in match play), earned the first-ever sweep in the three-year history of match play at NCAA women's golf championships, defeating No. 6 seed Florida, 5-0.
Three of the four teams that advanced to the semifinals – Arizona State, Stanford, and USC – hail from the Pac-12.
Olivia Mehaffey and Roberta Liti each won their match, up by five strokes with four holes left to play, with Monica Vaughn clinching the victory, 2&1. Sophia Zeeb and Linnea Strom also led their opponents when they left the course as the match was clinched.
"I'm really excited how we managed the course this morning. This group has a mentality that is exciting to watch in match play, and I'm just happy for them."
In the semifinals, after a nearly two hour rain delay, Mehaffey earned a victory before Stanford captured two straight to take a 2-1 lead before play was suspended at darkness. Right before the end of play, Strom had just gone back to all square (even) through 16 while Vaughn trails by a single stroke through 17.
The Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) also announced their All-Americans in conjunction with the tournament as Strom and national champion Vaughn were named to the First Team while freshman Mehaffey earned Honorable Mention.
The semifinal match between ASU and Stanford will resume at 9 am CT/7 am PT on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to the championship, facing the winner of Northwestern and USC. The championship match is set for Wednesday at approximately 2:10 pm CT.
The continuation of the semifinals will be broadcast on the Golf Channel while championship match pregame will start at 1:30 pm CT and coverage will continue through the final match.
Quarterfinals – Arizona State defeats Florida, 5-0-0
Olivia Mehaffey def. Samantha Wagner, 5&4
Monica Vaughn def. Karolina Vickova, 2&1
Sophia Zeeb def. Taylor Tomlinson, 1&2
Roberta Liti def. Maria Torres, 5&4
Linnea Strom def. Kelly Grassel, 2&4
Semifinals – Stanford leads, 2-1
Olivia Mehaffey def. Andrea Lee, 2&1
Monica Vaughn trails by 1 through 17 (Albane Valenzuela)
Casey Danielson def. Sophia Zeeb, 3&2
Shannon Aubert def. Roberta Liti, 4&3
Linnea Strom A/S through 16 (Madeline Chou)
"This is really important and I want my team to have the best opportunity," said head coach Missy Farr-Kaye. "With darkness coming very quickly, it didn't make any sense to rush this when we knew we had an opportunity to come back. This team has put their heart and soul into this year and has had a fantastic week, so I want them to have the best opportunity to compete tomorrow and finish the semis."
Earlier in the day, the Sun Devils (No. 3 seed in match play), earned the first-ever sweep in the three-year history of match play at NCAA women's golf championships, defeating No. 6 seed Florida, 5-0.
The face says it all! @TheSunDevils clinch a spot in the #NCAAGolf Women's semifinals. pic.twitter.com/NnyZ2Uieun
— Golf Channel (@GolfChannel) May 23, 2017
Three of the four teams that advanced to the semifinals – Arizona State, Stanford, and USC – hail from the Pac-12.
Olivia Mehaffey and Roberta Liti each won their match, up by five strokes with four holes left to play, with Monica Vaughn clinching the victory, 2&1. Sophia Zeeb and Linnea Strom also led their opponents when they left the course as the match was clinched.
?????? Women's #NCAAGolf semis
— NCAA (@NCAA) May 23, 2017
?? @NUGolf_Live vs ?? @USCWomensGolf
?? @SunDevilGolf vs ?? @StanfordWGolf
?? @GolfChannel at 4 ET pic.twitter.com/eINGD1dBiR
"I'm really excited how we managed the course this morning. This group has a mentality that is exciting to watch in match play, and I'm just happy for them."
In the semifinals, after a nearly two hour rain delay, Mehaffey earned a victory before Stanford captured two straight to take a 2-1 lead before play was suspended at darkness. Right before the end of play, Strom had just gone back to all square (even) through 16 while Vaughn trails by a single stroke through 17.
The Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) also announced their All-Americans in conjunction with the tournament as Strom and national champion Vaughn were named to the First Team while freshman Mehaffey earned Honorable Mention.
The semifinal match between ASU and Stanford will resume at 9 am CT/7 am PT on Wednesday, with the winner advancing to the championship, facing the winner of Northwestern and USC. The championship match is set for Wednesday at approximately 2:10 pm CT.
The continuation of the semifinals will be broadcast on the Golf Channel while championship match pregame will start at 1:30 pm CT and coverage will continue through the final match.
Quarterfinals – Arizona State defeats Florida, 5-0-0
Olivia Mehaffey def. Samantha Wagner, 5&4
Monica Vaughn def. Karolina Vickova, 2&1
Sophia Zeeb def. Taylor Tomlinson, 1&2
Roberta Liti def. Maria Torres, 5&4
Linnea Strom def. Kelly Grassel, 2&4
Semifinals – Stanford leads, 2-1
Olivia Mehaffey def. Andrea Lee, 2&1
Monica Vaughn trails by 1 through 17 (Albane Valenzuela)
Casey Danielson def. Sophia Zeeb, 3&2
Shannon Aubert def. Roberta Liti, 4&3
Linnea Strom A/S through 16 (Madeline Chou)