Noemi Jimenez has turned a difficult transition from moving overseas to play golf and study into a No. 6 ranking by World Amateur Golf Ranking in her senior season.
Jimenez will likely go down as one of the most successful female golfers in ASU history.
The native of Malaga, Spain, has had plenty of success both representing her school and her home nation, recording 10 top-10 finishes as a junior, including a win at the NCAA West Regional with a score of 3-under par.
She has finished in the top-10 in both of the tournaments the team has competed in so far this season, with her highest finished being fifth place scoring 4-under par at the ANNIKA Invitational. Jimenez is one of five international athletes on the team, including three freshman.
The women's team has stumbled out of the gate, but Jimenez knows it's still early in the season. She thinks the experience gained by younger players during the first two tournaments will make the team better in the long run.
“Well, we have three freshmen this year so obviously they need to adapt," Jimenez said. "They need to get used to it, especially for the next semester. So I feel that these first tournaments are going to be good for them, getting used to being in a new place, being far from home.”
Jimenez went through the same transition her first year in Tempe, and lived through the challenges the three freshman are currently facing.
“It’s just difficult,” Jimenez said. “I remember my first year; I used to be a different player, because I would be scared of everything. So until they get used to it, it’s going to be hard.”
For international players, the distance from home and inability to lean on one's family and friends can make the transitional period difficult.
Luckily, the team, which has just seven golfers on the roster, has grown to be an extremely tight-knit group.
The fact that five of those seven women are from overseas has helped with the cohesion of the squad.
“We are almost all international except two players, so that makes it feel like we are at home,” Jimenez said. “We are a really close team and all of us have the same personality. It’s really important when we think the same way, we like the same things.”
Despite the slow start, Jimenez is optimistic both about the performance of the young players and the team as a whole as they move deeper into the season.
“I feel that the first tournament was not good for us,” Jimenez said. “The second one we fought really hard, but we feel that we can do so much better. We just need to keep working and pushing ourselves and we’ll do great.”
As the team prepares for the Pac-12 Preview next week, the team is excited, not just to make the trip and enjoy the atmosphere in Hawaii, but also to have another chance to improve.
“It’s a really exciting tournament,” Jimenez said. “But not just because we’re going to Hawaii, but the course there is amazing.”
The Pac-12 Preview in Kona, Hawaii, is set to begin next Monday, Nov. 3.
Reach the reporter at wslane@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @bill_slane
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