Freshman additions bolster ASU women’s golf team

The Arizona State women’s golf team boasts a talented international roster this season, but the road to victory will be anything but easy.

ASU men’s golf team stocked with aces

Senior Jennifer Osborn, who coach Melissa Luellen jokingly referred to as “the token American on the team,” said the freshman talent will present healthy competition within an already stacked team.

Only five players can travel for tournaments, so two will be sitting home.

“Everyone will be practicing more knowing that they don’t have a secure spot on the team,” Osborn said. “It doesn’t matter if you are an upperclassman, the coaches make it equal. There’s no seniority.”

The team played nine holes on Thursday and 18 holes on Tuesday to determine the order in which they will play this weekend at the Fall Preview in Baltimore, Md.

The first player is no surprise. Senior Azahara Munoz, winner of last season’s NCAA individual championship, will lead the Devils’ five-some, followed by junior Anna Nordqvist, junior Juliana Murcia, Osborn and junior Liisa Kelo.

One of ASU’s biggest competitors, UCLA, won’t attend the tournament since the Bruins will be in Japan.

Two new freshmen, Carlota Ciganda from Spain and Giulia Molinaro from Italy, will join the team, but not until January since they are both currently representing their countries in the World Amateur Championship in Australia.

Munoz is looking forward to the arrival of the freshman as well, especially Ciganda, with whom she is good friends. “Carlota is very outgoing and she will adapt very well,” Munoz said. “I am sad I will only be with the freshmen for four months (before graduating).”

Luellen said the recent news of associate head coach Missy Farr-Kaye’s second battle with breast cancer is still on everyone’s minds, but the team has managed to stay positive and confident.

“Life is not perfect,” Farr-Kaye said. “If anything, I am just teaching them earlier on and giving them insight about how to handle the real life.”

Luellen said she will definitely have to pay more attention to details without the help of Farr-Kaye this season. Although it will be difficult without her.

“She is a great role model of how to handle adversity with dignity,” a skill that Luellen said the team can apply both on and off the field.

ASU is looking to improve on a fifth-place finish at last year’s NCAA Tournament.

“If they believe in themselves, together they can achieve anything,” Farr-Kaye said.

 ASU women’s roster
Carlota Ciganda    Fr.    Pomplona, Spain
Liisa Kelo    Jr.    Mexico City, Mexico
Giulia Molinaro    Fr.    Treveso, Italy
Azahara Munoz    Sr.    Malaga, Spain
Juliana Murcia    Jr.    Bogota, Colombia
Anna Nordqvist    Jr.    Eskilstuna, Sweden
Jennifer Osborn    Sr.    Huntington Beach, Calif.
 

2008 ASU women’s schedule
Date    Event    Location
Sept. 7-8    NCAA Fall Preview    Owing Mills, Md.
Sept. 26-28    Mason Rudolph Invitational    Franklin, Tenn.
Oct. 24-26    The Derby Invitational    Auburn, Ala.
Feb. 9-11    Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge    Palos Verdes, Calif.
Feb. 23-25    Wildcat Invitational    Puerto Penasco, Sonora, Mexico
March 8-10    The UCF Challenge    Sorrento, Fla.
March 20-22    The Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational    Austin, Texas
April 3-5    PING/ASU Invitational    Tempe
April 23-25    Pac-10 championships    Stanford, Calif.
April 7-9    NCAA West Regional    Tempe
May 19-22    NCAA championships    Owing Mills, Md.