Muñoz scores LPGA card

December 07, 2009

Recent Arizona State women's golf graduate, <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/munoz_azahara00.html">Az… Munoz</a> was able to cross one item off her holiday wish list, an LPGA tour card. The Spaniard tied for fifth at the LPGA Qualifying School to earn one of the tour cards given to the top 20 finishers. Firing off a 5-under 355 (69-72-73-72-69) at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Fla., Munoz opened and closed the five-round event with scores of 3-under 69.<separator></separator>Munoz graduated this past May as one of the Sun Devils' all-time finest student-athletes. After earning NGCA Second-Team All-American her freshman and sophomore years, Munoz turned it up her junior year. She capped a successful junior campaign in which she earned seven top-5 finishes in dramatic fashion as she sank a 25-foot putt to win a playoff hole to become ASU's ninth individual NCAA Champion. After a roller-coaster of a senior year, in which Munoz had to miss several tournaments due to a minor wrist surgery, the senior showed her leadership as she led the Sun Devils to the program's seventh NCAA Championship. Munoz tied for fourth at the NCAA Championships, her seventh top-10 finish of the season.<separator></separator>Not only did Munoz find success on the links, she was also a star in the classroom. Graduating summa cum laude with a 3.98 in psychology, Munson became the first double winner of the Edith Cummings Munson Award, which is given to the All-American with the highest GPA. She is a four-time NGCA All-Scholar, three-time First-Team Pac-10 All-Academic recipient, two-time ESPN the Magazine First-Team Academic All-American, and was the 2009 Pac-10 Scholar of the Year.<separator></separator>Munoz has already made her mark on the world and professional golf scene. She won her professional debut, the Madrid Ladies Masters, earlier this year, beating former Sun Devil teammate <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/nordqvist_anna00.html">A… Nordqvist</a> in a playoff. She won the Ladies British Amateur this past summer after finishing runner-up in the U.S. Amateur the summer. A two-time member of the Spanish World Amateur team, Munoz placed third both times she competed in the prestigious event. <separator></separator>Other former Sun Devils on the tour include LPGA Championship winner <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/nordqvist_anna00.html">A… Nordqvist</a>, former Pac-10 Champion <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/kang_jimin00.html">Jimin Kang</a>, two-time NGCA Player of the Year Wendy Ward, 2005 NGCA Player of the Year <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/stahle_louise00.html">Lo… Stahle</a> and former LPGA Rookie and Player of the Year Grace Park.