Women's golf Murcia leads at Northrop Grumman

On a cold, wet and windy day in Southern California, the Arizona State women's golf team finished first after round one of the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge. Held at the par 71 5,912 yard Palos Verdes Golf Club, the Sun Devils shot a 21-over 305 on day one. Junior Juliana Murcia led the field after day one. Playing without 2008 NCAA champion Azahara Munoz who is out recovering from a minor surgery, the Sun Devils are eight shots ahead of second place USC.

Fighting through the rainy, windy and chilly conditions, Murcia finished the first day in the lead. The junior was the lone golfer in the tournament under par, shooting a 1-under 70. Murcia recorded three birdies over the first day to tie her career-low.

"Everything went well today, the only bad thing was the weather," said Murcia. "Tomorrow, we're just going to go out and keep playing great."

Freshman Carlota Ciganda had the second-lowest score of the team. The Spaniard shot a 5-over 76 to finish tied for seventh in her first round as a Sun Devil.

Also making her debut as a Sun Devil, sophomore transfer Jaclyn Sweeney shot an 8-over 79 in round one and currently stands tied for 21st. Senior Jennifer Osborn carded a nine-over 80 to finish tied for 27th. In her first outing as a Sun Devil, Giulia Molinaro finished round one tied for 36 after shooting a 10-over 81.

The Sun Devils continue their quest for their third tournament win this season, tomorrow. The team tees off at 10:30 a.m. Live results can be found on www.golfstat.com. The Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge concludes Wednesday Feb. 11.