Mehaffey making all the right moves at Palos Verdes

Olivia Mehaffey bettered her season-low round of the previous day to go two shots deeper in carding a three-under par 68 to move into third spot at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge.

Again a standout for the Sun Devil Women’s Golf, Mehaffey looked right at home at Palos Verdes Golf Club as she moved to four-under par and within two shots of the leaders.

A bogey-free front nine from the Banbridge star set the tone for what would be a strong finish for the senior. She made an incredible run over her final five holes to jump into a tie for third, recording four birdies on her way to posting the fifth-best round of the day.

A big reason Mehaffey has remained in the Top-Five at the end of both days is her play on par four opportunities, as she boasts the second-best average score of the tournament.

Meanwhile, of her teammates, Alessandra Fanali had the second-best total of the day, finishing even (71) and ascending 14 spots up the leaderboard. Another solid round was turned in by Linn Grant, as she sits in the Top-15 heading into the final round.

Arizona State made excellent adjustments to the course and took advantage of better playing conditions. The Maroon & Gold caught fire on several occasions, putting together fantastic stretches of golf on both the front and back nine.

Coach Missy Farr-Kaye’s team shot a 284 (E), cutting their day one score down by nine strokes helping them move into sixth place. In a field featuring eight of the Top-10 teams in the country, the Sun Devils are within striking distance of the top, sitting just three strokes back of third place and five strokes back of second.

Meanwhile Wake Forest freshman, Lauren Walsh proved 13 can be lucky for some as she made a hole-in-one on her 13th hole to turn her fortunes around on the second day.

Two-over taking on the 205-yard obstacle, the Castlewarden amateur nailed an ace to return to even par on the day and that’s where she stayed, signing for a 71 to sit just inside the top-20 at plus-two.

Lurgan’s Annabel Wilson is just inside the top-40 on six-over after signing for rounds of 76 and 72.

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