In their final tournament of the fall season the No. 9 ASU women’s golf team finally conquered one of its biggest problems; they finished strong.
The team’s final round of 6-over-par 294 was their best during the Pac-12/SEC Challenge and helped the team to a tie for 10th in one of the strongest fields in the nation in Knoxville, Tenn.
Sophomore Laura Blanco can take some credit for that low score because of her willingness to persevere through difficulty.
Blanco withdrew in the second round because of back spasms but was able to return in the third round, tying the team best for that day with a 1-over-par 73.
“After the second day we had to readjust,” ASU coach Melissa Luellen said. “We didn’t know if we were going to have Laura on the last day or not due to injury. I’m just really glad all five were able to go out there and compete.”
The player of the tournament for the Sun Devils was senior Giulia Molinaro, who tied for seventh despite having her worst round on the final day.
All that really counts is that her high round of a 3-over-par 75 didn’t keep her from recording her fourth straight top-15 finish.
“She has improved so much that her game is just so solid,” Luellen said. “We had to start on the tough side (of the course). She didn’t really get it going the right direction early. In the last year or so she would have gotten frustrated and ended up shooting 77 or 78. Today she had to make a five-footer to save bogey on the last hole which determined if she finished top 10 or not.”
The tough side of the course Luellen was referring to was the back nine, which played tough for everyone but especially for the Sun Devils.
The team finished 13 strokes over-par on the back nine on their final day, which wasn’t uncommon as the team finished 13-over and 11-over on the nine holes in the first and second rounds respectively.
“We looked at how we could improve our scores, and the girls were realistic about the back nine when they said, ‘It’s tough,’” Luellen said. “They knew there was bogeys out there, but they knew if they could stay patient then they could make some birdies on the other side.”
The composure that the relatively young team showed in its final competition before the long break showed the possibility for bright things in the future of the ASU women’s golf team.
And though the athletics department and the coaches will relax most of their goals until the team competes again on Feb. 5, for a couple of the girls the competition has just begun.
Molinaro will be playing in Turkey during the break to practice for the World Amateur. Blanco and sophomore Daniela Ordonez, originally from Colombia, will be going to back to South America to compete as well.
Reach the reporter at jjmckelv@asu.edu
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