No. 6 Women’s Golf Hosts Stacked Field for 2014 PING/ASU Invitational

By Lindsay Gaesser, SDA Media Relations

TEMPE, Ariz.—The sixth-ranked Arizona State women’s golf team returns to action April 4-6 when it hosts the 2014 PING/ASU Invitational at the par-72, 6,223-yard ASU Karsten Golf Course in Tempe, Ariz. 

This year’s PING/ASU Invitational showcases seven of the top 10 teams in the country.  The 15-team field includes:  No. 6 Arizona State, No. 9 Arizona, California, No. 3 Duke, No. 5 Oklahoma, No. 21 Oregon, Oregon State, No. 8 South Carolina, No. 10 Stanford, Texas, UC Davis, No. 2 UCLA, No. 12 Vanderbilt, No. 11 Washington, and Washington State.    

The Sun Devil lineup features Noemi Jimenez, Justine Lee, Emilie Alonso, Dani Ordonez, and Monica Vaughn.  Jimenez, currently the eighth-ranked golfer in the country and the Pac-12 Women’s Golfer of the Month for March, is fresh off her seventh top-10 finish of the season.  Last week, Jimenez tied for fifth in the SDSU Farms Invitational after shooting a 1-over 217 through 54 holes.

Saki Iida, Laura Blanco, and Nicole Jones are competing in the Invitational as individuals.  Blanco, returning from injury, will be competing in her first tournament of the spring season. 

In the history of the PING/ASU Invitational, the Sun Devils have taken home the team title a total of 19 times, most recently in 2007.  Former Sun Devil golfer and current LPGA player Anna Nordqvist set the individual-low record in 2007 shooting a 10-under 206 over three rounds. 

Last time out, the Sun Devils took fourth place at the SDSU Farms Invitational behind top-ranked USC, second-ranked UCLA, and 10th-ranked Stanford.

Live scoring for the tournament is available at www.golfstat.com.