The Pac-10 has been one of the toughest conferences for women’s golf for a long time, and this year the league appears to be as deep as ever.
This year’s Pac-10 Championships, which features six ranked teams, will be held on the ASU Karsten Golf Course and will begin on April 17.
1. Southern California (No.1 NCAA.com, No. 2 golfstat.com)
USC has three players capable of winning the championship. Senior Lizette Salas, junior Lisa McCloskey and freshman Sophia Popov rank in the top four in the conference in scoring average. USC has not finished lower than second in the four tournaments this spring, but its last win came in early March.
The only weakness the Women of Troy have is the team’s reliance on its big three to produce. Also, Popov is the only player to win an individual title this year, something she has accomplished twice, including a win in the PING/ASU Invitational on the Karsten Golf Course just two weeks ago.
“I am excited to play the course again just because I like it, but I think it will be a challenge to play the same scores again,” Popov said.
2. UCLA (No. 2 NCAA.com, No. 1 golfstat.com)
UCLA has one of the most consistent rosters in the NCAA.
The Bruins lead the nation with the lowest average dropped score at 76.58, meaning any of their five competitors are capable of shooting a low score on any given day.
“I am expecting (the course) to play a tad tougher than it did for the invitational,” UCLA coach Carrie Forsyth said. “We are really excited about coming back out to play.”
3. ASU (No. 10 NCAA.com, No. 10 golfstat.com)
Junior Carlota Ciganda won a three-way playoff last year to capture her second Pac-10 Championship in as many years. The amazing part is that she beat two other ASU teammates to claim the title.
ASU coach Melissa Luellen had to deal with the fact that while the top players on her team finished first, second and third, the team couldn’t win because its fourth and fifth players retired with illnesses. This meant ASU’s rival UA won the team title and stopped the Sun Devils’ run for back-to-back team titles.
This spring semester the team has had to play in eight events to qualify, double the normal amount. While finishing seventh in their home tournament two weeks ago was disappointing, the extra time practicing will have given the Sun Devils more of a home course advantage.
Not only will Ciganda have to play well enough to have a chance at the title, but also junior Giulia Molinaro will have to assert herself as a dominant No. 2 player for ASU. They are the only upperclassmen on a team that features five freshmen.
ASU will also need at least one big contribution out of their new three competitors, Laura Blanco, Justine Lee and Daniela Ordonez, in order to walk away with the title.
4. UA (No. 9 NCAA.com, No. 7 golfstat.com)
The Wildcats captured last year’s conference title after shooting the best second and third rounds out of all the competitors. UA returns four out of its five players from last year, including junior Margarita Ramos, who finished tied for third last year outside the playoff, and junior Isabelle Boineau, who leads the team in scoring average.
The Wildcats finished third in the PING/ASU Invitational.
“My expectations are high. We won last year, we want to defend our title and play well,” UA coach Laura Ianello said. “I feel confident. I feel the girls are going to be ready to play and compete at their highest level.”
5. California (No. 7 NCAA.com, No. 9 golfstat.com)
Cal looks very vulnerable after poor finishes at the Battle of Rancho Bernardo and the PING/ASU Invitational, placing 13th and sixth respectively.
The Golden Bears’ poor finishes can be attributed to the struggle of two of the team’s top players, junior Emily Childs, winner of two events this spring, and junior Daniela Holmqvist. However, being one of the more veteran teams with four upperclassmen competing, Cal has the talent and experience to capture a title.
“(The coaches) look at it as a way to see where you stack up for nationals,” Cal coach Nancy McDaniel said. “If you are in the top three in the championship, you are definitely in the mix.”
6. Stanford (No. 24 golfstat.com)
Stanford is closing in on the upper echelon of the Pac-10 after a great team finish at the PING/ASU Invitational, but the team still hasn’t proven it belongs there quite yet.
The Cardinal rely heavily on sophomore Kristina Wong and have not won a team or individual title this year.
Stanford ranks 16th in the nation in pars per round, which will help immensely on a course that is very dangerous for players who cannot consistently score pars.
7. Oregon
The Ducks could shock some people with a par-3 scoring average that is 20th in the nation.
Oregon is one of only two teams in the tournament field that is coming off a win after it finished first at the Pacific Coast Intercollegiate on April 5, the other being UCLA. However, the Ducks will have the disadvantage of being the only Pac-10 that hasn’t played on the Karsten course.
“I am just looking forward to playing with no fear and giving it all I have,” said senior Erica Omlid, who is the only Oregon player with an individual win.
8. Washington
The Huskies will find it very difficult to keep up with the top six in the conference, as they rely heavily on senior Anya Alvarez to carry most of the burden. Washington finished a devastating 16th out of 17 teams in the PING/ASU Invitational with only instate rivals Washington State behind them.
“Our expectations are to go and play the best we can,” UW coach Mary Lou Mulflur said. “We need to makes sure each player is focused on themselves and not worrying about anything else.”
9. Oregon State
The Beavers showed some promise with a second round score of a 4-over-par 292 at the PING/ASU Invitational, but they fell back out of contention with a terrible third round score.
Still, OSU lacks the star power and is really only three players deep. Anything higher than ninth would have to be considered a success.
10. Washington State
The best thing WSU has going for it is the fact that it knows who its five competitors are going to be, which is more than UW or OSU can say.
The worse thing is that the last time the Cougars were on the Karsten course, they shot a 101-over-par 965 tournament score, finishing last behind UW by an inordinate 36 strokes.
Reach the reporter at jjmckelv@asu.edu
