Arizona State's Missy Farr-Kaye inducted into 2022 Arizona Golf Hall of Fame Class
Arizona State women's golf coach Missy Farr-Kaye is one of four inductees into the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame class for 2022.
Farr-Kaye is entering her eighth season with ASU. She led the Sun Devils to the national championship in 2017, the program's eighth NCAA title, best in the nation. She also won a national title with ASU as a player (1990) and as an assistant coach (2009).
Farr-Kaye is also a three-time cancer survivor. Her sister, Heather, died of breast cancer at age 28, and Missy was diagnosed with breast cancer at age 30 and again at age 40. In November 2020, at age 53, she was diagnosed with colon cancer. Her dad battled colon cancer, too.
She has led the Sun Devils to the postseason every year as head coach.
"Life isn’t always fair, and it doesn’t always make sense," Farr-Kaye told Golfweek in January 2021. "I want to prepare them for life. I feel that’s part of my purpose in why I coach."
The other members of the 2022 class include amateur and philanthropist Geri Cavanagh, industry leader Del Cochran Legacy inductee and Rock & Roll Hall of Famer Alice Cooper.
The ASU women's team opened its season Monday at the Annika Intercollegiate in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.
ASU goes low; key player turns pro
The ASU men's golf team, led by Ryggs Johnson, set a program mark for lowest three-day tournament score over the weekend. It wasn't quite enough to win the Maui Jim Intercollegiate but the Sun Devils carded a score of 800, beating the old program mark by two strokes.
Johnston finished 12 under for the tournament at Mirabel Golf Club in Scottsdale. Preston Summerhays tied for 13th at 8 under. Jose Luis Ballester tied for 17th at 7 under. Freshman Luke Potter tied for 24th at 5 under in his first college tournament. Gabriel Salvanera tied for 29th at 4 under.
Senior David Puig, who was on ASU's roster ahead of the fall campaign, did not participate. On Monday, he announced he's leaving school and turning pro, where he'll join the breakaway LIV Golf Series.
Puig, who is from Spain, has made two starts for the Greg Norman-led, Saudi Arabia-backed series as an amateur, finishing T-41 and T-42. When LIV Golf starts its event near Chicago on Friday this week, Puig will tee it up as a professional.
In a post on social media, Puig wrote that he intends to stay in school and graduate in May.
Chase Sienkiewicz tied for 21st and was the high finisher for the Arizona Wildcats, who finished ninth at the Maui Jim. Chaz Aurilia, son of former Major League Baseball All-Star Rich Aurilia, and Sam Sommerhauser were among those tied for 24th.
Epson Tour returning to Longbow
Longbow Golf Club in Mesa will host the Epson Tour once again in 2023. The LPGA announced that its development tour will hold the Carlisle Arizona Women's Golf Classic March 16-19 next year.
"The women on the tour truly embody Carlisle's culture of continuous improvement and resilience," Chris Koch, Chairman, President and CEO of Carlisle Companies said. "With our record purse, we hope to attract the best golfers and show the Phoenix community and our employees true characteristics of excellence."
The purse will increase from $250,000 to $335,000 in 2023, which will make it the largest on the Epson Tour.
Honor for GCU's Mueller
Jesse Mueller, an voluntary assistant coach for the Grand Canyon golf team and the 2022 PGA Professional Championship winner, is one of 10 golfers named to the U.S. team for the 30th PGA Cup.
The Ryder Cup-style matches will be Sept. 16-18 at the Foxhills Club & Resort in Surrey, England. The U.S. will take on a team of golf professionals from Great Britain & Ireland. The U.S. leads the series 18-7-4.
The Americans will be captained by Suzy Whaley, the first woman to be president of the PGA of America.
Time again for overseed season
Golf courses around the Phoenix area are preparing for the 2022 overseed season. The Arizona Golf Association has a list of courses and the dates they'll be temporarily closed. For information, go to azgolf.org/digital-magazine.