Women's golf to compete in the Mason Rudolph Championship

September 24, 2008

The No. 1 Arizona State women's golf team heads to Franklin, Tenn., to play in the Mason Rudolph Championship. The Mason Rudolph Championship, hosted by Vanderbilt, takes place at the par-72, 6,217-yard Legends South Course. Counting ASU, the field boasts 14 teams ranked in Golf World's preseason poll including returning NCAA champions USC, UCLA, Duke, Oklahoma State, Purdue, Florida, Auburn, Alabama, Wake Forest, Arizona, Arkansas, Stanford and Tennessee. Last season, the Sun Devils placed second at the prestigious tournament. The Sun Devils tied a single round team record, shooting an 8-under 280 the first day of the tournament.<separator></separator>Quick Recap: The Sun Devils started their season off with a bang as they won the NCAA Fall Preview for the first time since 1994. The Fall Preview, held at the site of the 2009 NCAA Championships at the Caves Valley Golf Course in Owing Mills, Md., showcased many of the top-ranked teams. The Sun Devils shot an 8-over 872 (295-291-286) to take home the trophy. Three Sun Devil golfers placed in the top 10. <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/nordqvist_anna00.html">A… Nordqvist</a> finished runner-up, <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/munoz_azahara00.html">Az… Munoz</a> tied for fourth and <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/osborn_jennifer00.html">… Osborn</a> tied for ninth. For their strong finish, the Sun Devils were named "Team of the Week" by Golfweek.<separator></separator>Follow the Action Online: The Sun Devils tee off at 8:45 CT. Live updates are available on <a href="http://www.golfstatresults.com/public/index.cfm?tournament_id=1345">www… Women's Golf in the Rankings: After a come-from-behind win at the NCAA Fall Preview in Owing Mills, Md., the Sun Devils find themselves ranked first by Golfweek. The Sun Devils, who were preseason No. 2, return all five golfers who helped the team finish fifth at the NCAA Championships last spring. ASU was ranked fourth in the Golf World/NGCA Preseason Poll.<separator></separator>Much Ado about Munoz: Reigning NCAA Individual Champion <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/munoz_azahara00.html">Az… Munoz</a> comes back for more as she looks to cap her Sun Devil career in superior fashion. Munoz, whose win at the NCAA Championships last season marked her first collegiate tournament victory, entered the season ranked No. 2 in the Golf World/NGCA poll. The native of Malaga, Spain shot par at the NCAA Fall Preview to tie for fourth. Munoz is currently ranked eighth by Golfweek.<separator></separator>Anna on a Roll: All-American <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/nordqvist_anna00.html">A… Nordqvist</a> was the team leader at the NCAA Fall Preview. Nordqvist finished runner-up at the prestigious tournament, shooting a 2-under 214. The junior entered the season ranked sixth in Golf World's Players to Watch list. Nordqvist is currently ranked third by Golfweek.<separator></separator>World-Class Talent: ASU will be well represented at the World Amateur Team Championships held in Adelaide, Australia. Five members of the women's golf team will represent their native countries at the tournament which will take place October 8-19. Incoming freshman <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/ciganda_carlota00.html">… Ciganda</a> and senior Munoz will represent Spain. Nordqvist will play for her native Sweden. <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/murcia_juliana00.html">J… Murcia</a>, who won the Colombian Open this summer, will compete for Colombia. The final Sun Devil that will compete in the World Amateur is <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/molinaro_giulia00.html">… Molinaro</a>, who will play for Italy.<separator></separator>Girls of Summer: Members of the team showcased their superior talent in numerous amateur tournaments over the summer. After finishing runner-up for two consecutive years, Nordqvist took home the Championship Trophy at the Ladies British Amateur. Incoming freshman Ciganda also brought home some hardware as she won the European Amateur for the second time. Ciganda had previously won in 2004. In addition, Murcia won the Colombian Open. Munoz fell just short of becoming only the second amateur to win both the NCAA Individual Championship and the U.S. Amateur in the same year as she finished runner-up at the U.S. Amateur in July. <separator></separator>More to Come... The Sun Devils team will not be complete until January, when the team will welcome two more additions to the team. <a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/ciganda_carlota00.html">… Ciganda</a><a href="http://thesundevils.cstv.com/sports/w-golf/mtt/molinaro_giulia00.html">… Molinaro</a> of Treveso, Italy will join the team for the spring season. Ciganda is known as one of Europe's top amateurs, having recently won the European Open. Molinaro will join the Sun Devils as their third Scotland's Duke of York tournament champion. Munoz and Nordqvist have also won the prestigious girls tournament. of Pamplona, Spain and<separator></separator>Up Next: The Sun Devils will head east again for the third time this season and will compete at The Derby Invitational held at the Auburn University Golf Club in Auburn, Ala., October 24-26.