Seven former Sun Devil golfers set for U.S. Women's Open
Seven former members of the Arizona State University women's golf team will be competing this weekend at the U.S. Women's Open. Held at the Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pa., the U.S. Open will be held July 8-11. Former Sun Devils competing include professional players Azahara Munoz, Anna Nordqvist, Louise Stahle, Wendy Ward and Heather Young. Juliana Murcia and Jennifer Johnson will be playing as amateurs.
Munoz and Ward will tee off together at 8:17 a.m. Munoz currently leads the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year race. With two top 10 finishes already in her first season on the LPGA tour, Munoz is 58th in the overall Rolex Rankings and has yet to miss a cut in her professional career. She graduated from ASU in May 2009 with a 3.98 GPA in psychology and was the first two-time recipient of the Edith Cummings Munson Award, given to the All-American with the highest GPA. During her four-years at ASU, the Spaniard won the 2008 NCAA Individual Championship and led ASU to their seventh NCAA team title in 2009.
While at ASU, Ward was known as one of the finest collegiate players of all time. She was a two-time Honda Award winner and a two-time Pac-10 Champion. Additionally, she led ASU to team titles in 1993, 1994 and 1995. After graduating with a degree in Business Management in 1995, Ward has had a stellar professional career earning four tournament wins. She was named to the U.S. Solheim Cup team in 2002, 2003 and 2005.
Nordqvist finished second in last season's Rookie of the Year race. As a Sun Devil, Nordqvist received NGCA Freshman of the Year accolades and was a two-time first-team All-American. In 2009, she won her first major, the LPGA Championship, and the LPGA Tour Championship. She is currently sixth in the Rolex Rankings.
Like Nordqvist, Stahle was a NGCA Freshman of the Year selection and was ASU's most recent NGCA Player of the Year honoree. Stahle turned professional after her freshman season and put together her best season last year, earning $95,284 and finishing 90th on the money list. Heather Bowie Young competed for ASU for two seasons before transferring to Texas. While a Sun Devil, Bowie was a two-time First-Team All-American and helped lead ASU to two NCAA Championship titles.
Recent ASU graduate, Murcia, is set to tee off at 2:42 p.m. Murcia recently capped a successful collegiate career with First-Team All-American accolades. She carded four top-three performances in her final season with the Sun Devils and was a member of the 2009 NCAA Championship team. She graduated in May with a 3.8 in Sculpture and was honored with the Edith Cummings Munson award.
Johnson recently announced she would not be returning to ASU and is turning professional. In her lone year at ASU, Johnson put forth a stellar season and only finished out of the top 15 once. She was recognized as the NGCA Freshman of the Year and was named a First-Team All-American. She concluded her collegiate career with a runner-up performance at the NCAA Championships.
Tee times for Sun Devils at the U.S. Women's Open
Jennifer Johnson 7 a.m.
Azahara Munoz 8:17 a.m.
Wendy Ward 8:17 a.m.
Louise Stahle 9:01 a.m.
Anna Nordqvist 1:14 p.m.
Juliana Murcia Ortiz 2:42 p.m.
Heather Young 1:25 p.m.