The No. 13 ASU women's golf team finished fourth (+7) after the first day of play at the Pac-12 championship in Valencia, Calif.
Following a solid first round at the par-72, 5,702-yard Valencia Country Club, the Sun Devils feel good about their chances to finish high up in the standings Wednesday, when the tournament is scheduled to end.
"We're in fourth place after first day without many birdies," women's coach Melissa Luellen said. "Today proved that by finishing strong, we have a chance to move up the leader board in the next couple of days."
Sophomore Emilie Alonso (-1) set the pace for ASU in the first round of the three-day event, tying for third individually.
"It's great to get an under par score from Emilie," Luellen said. "She had a 60-foot putt to start the round and kept it rolling from there."
The rest of the squad stayed close behind with Alonso.
Junior Laura Blanco (+1) finished the day tied for 10th, while junior Daniela Ordonez (+3) ended in a three-way tie for 25th. Sophomore Noemi Jimenez and junior Justine Lee (+4) tied for 30th in the field of 55.
USC junior Sophia Popov (-6) sits atop the standings, while her teammate, freshman Annie Park (-2), has sole possession of second place one day into the contest.
On the team side of things, No. 1 USC also lays claim to first place while host No. 8 UCLA (+2) is second and No.14 Washington (+5) sits third.
"Both L.A. teams are very good. They're a threat to win in every single tournament they play," Luellen said. "Washington was ranked number one after the fall season, so we're up there with some really good company."
Last year, ASU placed fifth (+23) at the conference championship in Pullman, Wash., a mark the team is looking to improve on in 2013.
"Finishing top-three is the goal," Luellen said. "We are the fifth seed coming in, so we want to finish no worst than that, but in order for us to finish top-three, we need to make some birdies."
The Pac-12 championship features eight teams ranked in the nation's top-50, meaning ASU is up against some stiff competition. However, facing a talent-heavy field is nothing new for the Sun Devils' golf squad.
In their most recent action, the Sun Devils placed fifth at home in the PING/ASU Invitational tournament.
The Invitational hosted a 17-team field, which collectively was ranked within the nation's top 75. The event served as a great tuneup, leading up to the conference championship.
"Our field strength was outstanding," Luellen said. "Playing there gave us a feel for what were expecting to see here."
With 36 holes left to play, Luellen said anything can happen, but her team feels motivated to get on the course again.
"The girls believe we can win this tournament, and they're ready to go," Luellen said. "You can't win it on the first day but could sure lose it."
ASU tees off Tuesday at 9:10 a.m.
Live scoring of the Pac-12 Championship is available at www.golfstat.com.
Reach the reporter at adrian.martinez.1@asu.edu or follow on Twitter @AthruZ_14
