When ASU women's golf head coach Missy Farr-Kaye was introduced as the new head coach in June of 2015, she had two freshman who she wanted to integrate into the team's newfound culture.
Fast forward four years, and now seniors Roberta Liti and Sophia Zeeb are graduating. They put their trust in Farr-Kaye and earned something they will always cherish.
“They're national champions,” Farr-Kaye said. “They’re part of a national championship legacy, so they have had a huge impact on our program.”
Both of their ASU careers are coming to an end shortly, but they have learned so much in their four years as Sun Devils.
“I think it made me better in every way – as a person, in the classroom, on the golf course, just being in the team environment and being around my teammates everyday,” Zeeb said.
Zeeb is from Stuttgart, Germany and in her four years, she has placed five times in the top-10 of tournaments.
“I learned how to grow as an individual as well as growing in the team, and I made a lot of friends and had a great time,” Zeeb said.
Liti is from Siena, Italy, and college golf wasn’t something that she could have competed in back home. During her career, she won two tournaments as a Sun Devil and was named the Pac-12 Women's Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
“It’s obviously something that I wouldn't have been able to experience back home,” Liti said. “It was a learning experience, and I grew a lot as a person and a player. I was literally thrown into livelihood right after high school.”
Farr-Kaye said that Liti and Zeeb are very special, and she can’t wait to see what they conquer five to 10 years from now.
“Whether it is playing professional golf or doing something else, they are smart," Farr-Kaye said. "They’re such engaging people that it is so much fun to be around – it's going to be really fun to watch them and sad to lose them.”
In 2015, Farr-Kaye was promoted from assistant to head coach of the women's golf team, and Liti said that Farr-Kaye’s role change was amazing to be a part of.
“Seeing her become the head coach and taking on both roles, it was pretty amazing,” Liti said. “We got to see her in both figures, and she knows when it is time to be a coach and when it’s time to take care of us.”
Both Liti and Zeeb talked about the differences in their games and how they compliment each other.
“Her aggressive way of hitting to the pins and hitting it long, I think it's given me the motivation to get up on that level as well,” Zeeb said. “We just balance each other out. I'm more of the calm person, and she's more of the fun and motivated one. Whenever she struggles to stay calm, I'm there and the other way around.”
For Liti, she said their competition has made them better.
“We both became much better players,” Liti said. “With a better attitude on and off the course, we both pushed each other since the start to just become better everyday.”
Farr-Kaye hopes that the number one thing both seniors take from their careers at ASU is how to handle what life hands them.
“Life is not always easy, life is not always fair, but it's how you get back up and how you continue to move forward and be tough and resilient," Farr-Kaye said. “I hope that they continue to do that, and no matter what happens, they can continue to get through it ... they’ve got this.”
The Sun Devils are currently competing in the Pac-12 Tournament and are sitting at seventh after two days of play.
Reach the reporter at sbemanue@asu.edu or follow @SebastianEman24 on Twitter.
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