To the victor goes the bag of M&M’s.
The ASU women’s golf team won its first Triangular Meet on Saturday, surging past No. 10 UA and New Mexico at Wigwam Golf Course in Litchfield Park.
The win was the team’s first of the year, and each member of the squad received a bag of the chocolate candy as a prize. The individual title went to UA sophomore Kendyll Ardoin, who also received a bag of M&M’s for her 4-under-par 68.
Senior Carlota Ciganda regained her form after her last tournament, in which she finished tied for 18th, to lead the Sun Devils in scoring with a 1-under-par 71, which tied her for second.
The key for ASU, as it has been so far this season, was the consistent play of all its members, especially the newcomers. Freshman Justine Lee was the second ASU finisher, tying for fourth with a career low 1-over-par 73.
ASU coach Melissa Luellen said she was happy with Lee’s performance over the weekend.
“I was very pleased, especially after her poor finish at New Orleans,” Luellen said. “It was nice to see her confident again.”
Lee finished tied for 65th in her last tournament.
Freshman Laura Blanco finished sixth for ASU with a 2-over-par 74, followed by junior Giulia Molinaro in seventh with a 75.
“Laura continued to make a couple of unforced errors, so I see red numbers in her future,” Luellen said.
Freshman Daniela Ordonez turned in the highest round, a 6-over-par 78, which continued the Sun Devils’ streak of not having a player score over 80 in a round this year.
While some teams have better production at the one and two spots, the three incoming freshmen have consistently shot low enough to produce solid team results.
“It makes us pretty solid one through five. I think our freshmen are doing a really good job,” Luellen said.
The fact that ASU doesn’t have a weak link seems to take some of the pressure off the entire tournament roster.
It was the team’s first tournament in the Valley this year. They have competed twice in their home state but both tournaments were in Tucson.
ASU will look to continue its stellar performance in their next tournament, the Donnis Thompson Invitational, in Hawaii starting March 14.
Reach the reporter at jjmckelv@asu.edu
