After two rounds, familiar faces sit on top of the leaderboard at the 2011 Pac-10 Championships at the ASU Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz.
Here are the top nine competitors heading into the final day, all of them are within three strokes of the lead.
Tied 1st. Tiffany Lua (sophomore, UCLA): -4
Lua has taken over the lead in the middle of each of her two rounds. Her eagle on the 488 yard par-5 14th hole seemed to make her statement that this is her tournament to lose.
She has to be careful of the finishing holes though, as she finished 2-over-par on the last two holes on Monday.
T1. Sophia Popov (freshman, USC): -4
Popov was one of the favorites coming in to the tournament, especially since she came back and beat Lua in the PING/ASU Invitational held on the same course two weeks ago.
The freshman’s best chance is to continue playing well on the back nine, which most competitors have problems with. She has also been able to continue her extraordinary play on the par-5’s, shooting two under on those holes through two rounds.
3. Cyna Rodriguez (sophomore, USC): -2
Rodriguez’s high score is moderately surprising considering the last time she was on the Karsten Course she shot a 6-over-par 78 and finished tied for 19th in the PING/ASU Invitational.
Her outstanding round one, which included five birdies, showed she has the talent to win, but with a second-round score of an even-par might have shown that she’s afraid to take the chances necessary to claim the crown.
T4. Kyndall Ardoin (sophomore, UA): -1
Ardoin shocked many people on Sunday when she made a hole-in-one on the 153-yard par-3 16th hole, which is considered one of the toughest holes on the golf course.
In order for Ardoin to win, she is going to have to score more birdies, as she has scored five bogeys in two rounds so far.
T4. Isabelle Boineau (junior, UA): -1
The French upperclassman was the only UA player to finish in the top 10 during the PING/ASU Invitational. She seems to score progressively worse as her tournaments go on though with her worst score coming in the final round of the last two tournaments. This trend has continued as she scored a 1-over-par 73 Monday after a 1-under-par 71 Sunday.
In order to win she has to reverse this and play better in her final round on Tuesday.
T4. Carlota Ciganda (junior, ASU): -1
The two-time defending Pac-10 champion came back after a terrible 2-over-par 74 by doing what she does best, consistently hitting birdies. That ability, combined with her experience on the Karsten Course, is one of the reasons why she has to be considered one of the favorites to win.
Her second-round score of a 3-under-par 69 was the best of all competitors.
T4. Joanna Lee (junior, California)
Lee had 16 pars in her second-round score of an even-par 72. The consistency will help her on a course that the players need to respect.
She will have to find a way to beat the juggernaut that is the 16th hole in order for her to win. She has bogeyed the hole on both occasions so far.
T4. Marissa Mar (freshman, Stanford)
The talented freshman is going the wrong way after she dropped out of first place midway through her second round scoring a 4-over-par 41 on her back nine.
Mar must defeat the difficult back nine, especially the 14th, 15th and 16th holes after bogeying all three Monday in order to compete for the title.
T4. Sally Watson (sophomore, Stanford)
Watson has a ridiculous eight birdies through two rounds, but she also has seven bogeys.
In order for her to win she will have get more easy pars. If Watson continues to get this many bogeys, she is playing a dangerous game on a course that is very tricky.
Leaders for the other teams:
Oregon: Erica Omlid – 14th at +2
Washington: Sadena Parks – Tied 15th at +3
Oregon State: Seshia-Lei Telles – Tied 20th at +5
Washington State: Emma Betland – Tied 32nd at +9
Reach the reporter at jjmckelv@asu.edu
