Each year thousands of golfers flock to the Valley of the Sun to enjoy the beautiful weather and the lush, green courses. This week, 16 collegiate women's golf teams headed to Tempe expecting the same conditions but, unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate.
Rain turned the Ping/ASU Invitational into a golf marathon, as the three-day 54-hole golf tournament was squeezed into two days.
The Sun Devils' weekend at the Karsten Golf Course echoed the gloomy weather. ASU finished 11th in the field of 17, shooting a three-day total of 901 (+37).
Junior Erin Tone led the Sun Devils, finishing in a tie for 18th after shooting a 221 (+5). Freshman Charmaine Erasmus (+6) and sophomore Alissa Kuczka (+9), also turned in top 35 finishes for ASU.
Despite the subpar playing conditions, a few teams were still able to fire low scores. UCLA -- currently ranked No. 2 in the nation -- blew away the competition by firing a three round total of 861 (-3). The closest team to the Bruins was USC, which shot an 877 (+13).
UCLA also took home the top individual honors as the Bruins' Charlotte Mayorkas won medalist honors in the tournament by shooting a three-day total of 207 (-9), which included an amazing 65 (-7) in Sunday's final round. Mayorkas was followed by fellow teammate Gina Umeck, who finished in second with a 212 (-4).
Only four players were able to turn in three-round totals that were below par.
The Pac-10 represented itself well in the tournament, as three of its teams -- UCLA, USC and California -- finished in the top five. ASU finished seventh out of the nine Pac-10 schools that participated.
The Sun Devils, who had been crowned tournament champion of the Ping/ASU Invitational 22 times in 38 years, have not won their home event since the 1999 season.
Reach the reporter at matt.reinick@asu.edu
