ASU's Ashley Menne set to make third appearance in Augusta National Women's Amateur
Ashley Menne, a senior golfer at Arizona State, is set to make her third consecutive appearance in the Augusta National Women's Amateur in April. She made the final cut in 2022, finishing 29th, but missed the cut in 2023.
Despite missing the cut last year, Menne still accomplished a historic season with Arizona State. She became a three-time All-American and has a chance to become only the fourth four-time All-American in program history. She also won the Arizona Women's Amateur for the third time, reached the Round of 16 in the North and South Women's Amateur and represented the U.S. in the Arnold Palmer Cup.
Already engraved into the state's golf lore, Menne is approaching the Augusta tournament as a grateful opportunity to show one last time what she can do.
"Definitely honored to be a part of Arizona history," Menne said. "Being from Xavier Prep, and having my name engraved alongside some amazing women, like Heather Farr, Missy Farr-Kaye and Cheyenne Woods. Just being from home feels like no other. It feels like I have the support from the state and everyone that I've known."
This year means a lot more for Menne, as this is her final year playing at the college level. She wants to end on a high note and be a role model for her colleagues.
"Third time, I'm hoping to make the cut again and hopefully finish at least top 10," Menne said. "Kind of struggled last year with a little bit of yardage issues going into the second day. Other than that, my brother is going to be in the stands, I'm going to have a great time. Augusta is beautiful, hard to beat so I'm just looking forward to be back and competing in the tournament."
Living and growing up in Arizona, Menne discovered the love of golf at a young age. Prior to her collegiate career, she was a four-time junior All-American (2016, 2017, 2018 and 2020). In 2019, she won the Pro-Junior competition in a PGA Tour Champions event at Pebble Beach with Tom Lehman.
She built a resume for herself and met many people throughout her career. However, if there's someone who understood Menne completely, it was her head coach, Farr-Kaye. Knowing Menne since she was about 13-14 years old, Farr-Kaye knew she was set up to be an amazing player.
"I talked with Ashley earlier about how much she has improved as a human being off the golf course," Farr-Kaye said. "She is amazing to coach, and it's been a great journey for her. We're really going to miss her, she's a great senior and the core to this team."
Farr-Kaye noted Menne's confidence and what the Augusta tournament means for her after being invited for a third time.
"I'm pretty sure Ashley didn't even know what Augusta was when she came here," Farr-Kaye said. "It's been a part of Ashley's journey. Her confidence and belief that she belongs there and her invitation shouldn't be a rare occurrence. Being invited three times probably means you're a really good player. She embraces that, and I know she's in a more comfortable position than when she was first there."
The Augusta National Women's Amateur is set for April 3-6, a week before The Masters. The first two days, Wednesday-Thursday, will take place at the Champions Retreat Golf Club. Friday will be a closed practice for the players, then the final round will take place at Augusta National Golf Club on Saturday.
To dedicate her final year at the collegiate level, Menne brought her journey together into one word.
"Growth," she said. "I've grown a lot since coming to Arizona State. Over the span of four years, I've got to know some really amazing people who's helped me along my journey and make me the player I am today."
NHL fans battle in PGA Tour event
The final round of the Mexico Open at Vidanta on Sunday became a two-horse race between two NHL fans. Sami Valimaki, who was a Monday qualifier and made the cut at the WM Phoenix Open two weeks ago, is the cousin of Juuso Valimaki, a Coyotes defenseman.
Valimaki battled Jake Knapp down the stretch. Knapp, who grew up in California and played golf at UCLA, lives right down the road from TPC Scottsdale these days. Tim Ryan, president and CEO of the Anaheim Ducks, was a member at Knapp’s previous home club and played nine holes with Ryan one day without realizing who he was. Ryan handed Knapp his card after the round and eventually sponsored him when he got back to the Korn Ferry Tour and continues to do so today, the Ducks logo prominent on the right sleeve of his shirts.
Ex-Sun Devil posts best finish
Former Arizona State golfer Chan Kim, who returned to the PGA Tour this season after earning his card, posted his first career top-10 finish. Kim, 33, turned pro in 2010 a year after competing one season for the Sun Devils. After posting scores of 66-69-66-71 at Vidanta Vallarta, he earned $220,725, his largest payday yet on tour.
New night golf league
The first fully lit golf course in Arizona is now home to a high-stakes team golf competition. Grass Clippings Rolling Hills, which turned on the lights for night golf on Dec. 1, 2023, has quickly made a name for itself. Several celebrities and golf influencers have visited the course, Good Good staged the Desert Open the week of the WM Phoenix Open – an event carried live on Peacock – and the tee sheet is packed from 8 a.m. with start times as late as 9:40 p.m.
The course aspires for more, with a restaurant and a music venue on property in the works. Next up: a par 3 golf league dubbed the Grass Clippings Open. It’s described as a two-person scramble golf tournament that showcases a blend of competitive spirit and diverse entry paths. The event begins with a no-stroke, 18-hole qualifying scramble, from which teams emerge to join the final lineup of 75 teams.
ASU freshman: Wenyi Ding sets all-time college golf scoring record
These selected teams then engage in a gripping 36-hole tournament over two days, adhering to a no-stroke, 2-person scramble, low gross format.” The action will be shown on Bleacher Report’s website and app as well as truTV. The plan calls for 20 franchises divided by regional markets including Phoenix, Scottsdale, Los Angeles, Minnesota, Michigan, Tampa Bay, New York and Canada. Registration for tickets and players will open in March. The first event is scheduled for April 17-20.
Todd Kelly, assistant managing editor for Golfweek, contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: ASU golfer Ashley Menne set to appear in third Women's Amateur
