It’s always exciting when the Sun Devils play against the Wildcats.
State bragging rights are on the line anytime ASU and UA square off in competition.
Though the Wildcat Invitational on Feb. 5-7 in Tucson won’t count toward the Territorial Cup standings, the victor will take pride in being the top golfing school in the state.
Both teams return after a midseason break. Neither UA nor ASU’s golf teams have played against another school in the last three months. Both teams may not be as sharp as normal due to the mini offseason between the spring and fall.
With all the time off, the ASU golf team held a four-day, intra-squad qualifier to determine its top five competing golfers.
“It’s a lot of competition, but I think because of the break, I wanted to have a long qualifier because they need to compete and have it mean something,” coach Melissa Luellen said.
The golf season is one of the longest in collegiate sports. The first invitational ASU competed in occurred in early September, and the season won’t end until the second-to-last week of May.
“It’s tough because, since we play a fall and spring season and they all count equally, it’s a long year,” Luellen said. “I like to give (the athletes) a break, get them to work hard on their school and studies, and then they all went home to their respective homes and worked with their coaches. They have to be really self-motivated.”
After the team qualifier concluded on Wednesday, Luellen announced the team’s competing lineup.
Senior Giulia Molinaro, sophomore Daniela Ordonez, freshman Noemi Jimenez, and sophomores Laura Blanco and Justine Lee round out the top five.
The overall strength of the field may be down with just four teams from the GolfStat Top 25 competing in the 15-team tournament.
“I think (in) the tournament, the field isn’t quite as strong as it has been in the past,” Luellen said.
No. 1 UCLA headlines a field that features seven Pac-12 schools. No. 8 ASU is the next highest ranked team in the Wildcat Invitational.
However, the women’s golf team doesn’t focus on other schools or rankings because the sport is more about improving personal performance than scouting opposing players. “We’re trying not to worry about everyone else because you can’t control them,” Luellen said. “We’re just concerned (with) getting our team to score well.”
Still, ASU anxiously awaits the start of the Wildcat Invitational. The team is eager to compete against people other than themselves.
“Playing tournaments is always nice and exciting,” Molinaro said. “We are looking forward to it.”
Reach the reporter at jmjanss1@asu.edu
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