The ASU women’s golf team recorded its first top-10 finish of the season on Sunday at the 2014 Stanford Intercollegiate, but continue to struggle out of the gate this season.
The team finished at 19-over par to finish in 10th place at Stanford with senior Noemi Jimenez the only Sun Devil finishing under par, 3-under. Jimenez finished in the top-10 overall for the second straight tournament after tying for ninth this weekend.
Freshman Roberta Liti finished second on the team at 3-over par and recorded 10 birdies. Sophomore Monica Vaughn, carrying the Pat Tillman golf bag, finished third at 6-over par with seven birdies over the three rounds.
The field at the Stanford Intercollegiate included five top-25 teams according to GolfWeek. No. 8 USC and No. 6 Stanford finished the tournament tied at 15-under par. The home team Cardinal was able to secure the win after a playoff.
The only other teams who finished over par for the weekend were No. 10 UCLA at 14-under and No. 1 Washington at 1-under.
Despite the struggles of most teams, the conditions were not a factor according to coach Melissa Luellen, who said the conditions were “perfect.”
After two tournaments it would be safe to say the team has started slower then they would have liked, especially a team with as much talent as ASU has.
Both tournaments they have competed in have had difficult fields, but the Sun Devils have not truly played to their potential so far this season; however, this is still very early on.
“We’re just trying to get 1 percent better every day,” Luellen said. “If we can do that over the course of a year, we’ll be 365 percent better than we are right now.”
The team will have a week to return and prepare for their next event, the Pac-12 Preview, which will begin on Nov. 3. This event will be the team’s longest trip of the year, as the tournament will be held this season in Kona, Hawaii.
The Nanea Golf Course in Kona will be a new challenge for the Sun Devils as it will be a longer one than they are used to. Nanea spreads out to over 7,000 yards. Winds may also be a factor for the first time this season for the women’s team. Despite the challenges, the team is still excited about getting back on the course and competing.
“We’re obviously looking forward to Hawaii,” Luellen said.
You can reach the reporter at wslane@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @bill_slane
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