ASU women's golfer Alessandra Fanali is a highly-valued member of the nation's No. 8 ranked team because of both her skills on the course and the determination she brings to the team every day.
The sophomore hails from the Italian town of Fiuggi, located 38 miles outside of Rome. She was recruited by head coach Missy Farr-Kaye last year and officially entered the Sun Devil program in January as an early high school graduate.
Farr-Kaye said that the first time she watched Fanali play was in a European championship, noting that the golfer's relentless mindset and ability to remain composed in difficult situations really stood out to her in the recruitment process.
“I was looking for 2019 (recruits), and she really just skyrocketed the top of my list, because she’s got a calm about her on the golf course and a strength to her that I felt was really unique for her age,” Farr-Kaye said.
She also praises Fanali’s superiority in match play, viewing it as an important factor in ASU's quest for an NCAA Championship.
“If we have that opportunity at the end of the year to be in a match play scenario, I’m excited because I think my team knows how to play match play, which is a big factor,” Farr-Kaye said.
On Sept. 16, at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate tournament in Lake Elmo, Minnesota, Fanali sank a hole-in-one on a par-3 — her first as a Sun Devil and the second of her career.
The ace was part of an extremely impressive start for the sophomore at the tournament, in which she added five birdies and notched a score of -7 (29) across her first nine holes.
“There was so much wind left to right,” she described. “I was just focused to hit it on the green. Left side I was opening with the wind, so I just hit a perfect shot. It was so good.”
Every golfer presents a different approach to each hole when teeing off. The yardage of a hole and its dimensions determine how a golfer chooses to play their strokes, and in many instances, it is in their best interest to aim for the green and finish with their short game.
Fanali accomplished her first hole-in-one three years ago, during an international championship in Sicily. She recalls her father in attendance filming her performance and the crowd going wild, which made for a special moment.
Interestingly, both aces that Fanali has recorded in her career have come by way of the 5-iron club, a tool that she does not regard as being her most desired on the course.
“The 5-iron is not so easy to play with,” she said. “I have to be focused on it more than other wedges … pitching wedge, sand wedges and 7-iron are kind of my easiest part of the game, while 6-, 5- and 4-irons are difficult.”
Evidently, Fanali’s concentrated approach to every hole is what factors into her ability to perform successfully, even when using a more challenging club.
In addition to her focus and attention as a golfer, Fanali’s teammates and coaches note her positive attitude and cheerful sense of humor as important factors in her contribution to the team.
“She brings a new kind of energy,” assistant coach Michelle Estill said. “She gets her job done, she scores ... She doesn’t need a lot of guidance. It’s been fun to watch her come into her own and see that she can be that great golfer that we know she is.”
Senior Olivia Mehaffey has built a strong relationship with Fanali and notes what a pleasure it has been to watch her grow as a competitor over the past year.
“She’s very lighthearted,” Mehaffey said. “She’s always got a smile, always joking about something. It’s only been one semester since she came in — from January until now — and you see a big change already.”
As a Sun Devil, she remains just as determined and focused in the classroom as she does on the golf course, and proudly represents ASU on and off the green.
She and the team are in Illinois to compete in the Windy City Collegiate Championship starting Monday.
While the state is a familiar area for the Sun Devils — the setting in which they secured the 2017 NCAA Championship — Farr-Kaye emphasizes that Fanali and her teammates must be ready for any potential surprises.
“It is an excellent course,” Farr-Kaye said. “It’s a players course, and a course (that) rewards good shots … We just have to be very intentional about our practice round and know where to hit it.”
Reach the reporter at hcroton@asu.edu or follow @thecrote on Twitter.
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