April 20, 2005
PLEASANTON, Calif. - Freshman Louise Stahle carded a five-under 67 to capture the Pac-10 individual title on Wednesday at the 2005 Pac-10 Conference Women's Golf Championships, held April 18-20 at the par 72, 6,304-yard Ruby Hill Golf Club.
The top-ranked player in the country, Stahle won ASU's ninth Pac-10 individual championship and the first since All-American Jimin Kang in 2002. She came into the final round four strokes out of the lead but birdied five holes in her final round, including two of the last three holes, to win the title. Stahle finished with a three-day total of nine-under 207 (69-71-67), earning a two-stroke victory over UCLA's Susie Mathews (209).
It marked the third victory of the season for Stahle, which is the most for a Sun Devil since Grace Park captured individual medalist honors at five tournaments in 1998-99, including the 1999 NCAA title.
"It felt awesome. It is very prestigious to win the Pac-10 title. I think the Pac-10 is the best conference in the United States," Stahle said. "I played solid today. I thrive under pressure and tend to find my best shots when the pressure is on. I had a lot of fun and got some putts down, which helped."
The fifth-ranked Sun Devils shot a one-over 289 in Wednesday's final round to finish second with a three-day total of 14-over 878 (297-292-289). ASU finished just four strokes behind Pac-10 team champion and second-ranked UCLA (874) and turned in the team's highest finish at the conference tournament since placing second in 1998.
USC finished third with a three-round total of 16-over 880 followed by Arizona (886) and tournament host California (894).
"I'm really proud of my team. We had kind of struggled on the front nine but played really well on the back," third-year head coach Melissa Luellen said. "The girls were solid on the back, and that was one of our big goals. USC and UCLA struggled on the back nine today, and playing well enabled us to stay in it and pass USC for second. The team knows how close they were to winning the tournament."
For ASU, sophomore Tiffany Tavee shot a two-under 70 on Wednesday to tie for sixth with a three-day total of one-over 217 (73-74-70). Junior Alissa Kuczka finished 17th with a three-round total of 10-over 226 (77-74-75), while senior Erin Tone tied for 23rd (78-73-78=229). Sophomore Charmaine Erasmus finished in a tie for 31st at 232 (80-75-77).
Stahle was named the 2005 Pac-10 Player and Newcomer of the Year in addition to earning first-team All-Pac-10 honors. Tavee and Kuczka both garnered second-team All-Pac-10 honors after being honorable-mention selections last season, while Tone earned honorable-mention All-Pac-10 accolades.
ASU now awaits selection to one of the three NCAA Regionals (East, West and Central), which will be announced Monday afternoon. A total of 63 teams will qualify for regionals with the top eight teams in each region advancing to the NCAA Championships.
New Mexico State University will play host the West Regional at the NMSU Golf Course in Las Cruces, N.M., Texas Tech University will host the Central Regional at the Jerry S. Rawls Course in Lubbock, Texas, and the University of Florida will host the East Regional at the University Golf Course in Gainesville, Fla.
Oregon State University will host the 2005 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships May 17-20 at the Meadows Golf Course in Sunriver, Ore.
2005 Pac-10 Conference Championships - April 18-20, 2005
Final Results - Ruby Hill Golf Club - Pleasanton, Calif.
| Pos | Team | Rd 1 | Rd 2 | Rd 3 | Total | >To Par |
| 1 | UCLA | 289 | 290 | 295 | 874 | +10 |
| 2 | Arizona State | 297 | 292 | 289 | 878 | +14 |
| 2 | USC | 291 | 295 | 294 | 880 | +16 |
| 4 | Arizona | 300 | 289 | 297 | 886 | +22 |
| 5 | California | 305 | 295 | 294 | 894 | +30 |
| 6 | Washington | 298 | 304 | 295 | 897 | +33 |
| 7 | Washington State | 299 | 293 | 306 | 898 | +34 |
| 8 | Oregon | 308 | 308 | 306 | 922 | +58 |
| 9 | Stanford | 304 | 315 | 313 | 932 | +68 |
| 10 | Oregon State | 327 | 312 | 307 | 946 | +82 |
Sun Devil Scores: 1. Louise Stahle 69-71-67=207 (-9); T6. Tiffany Tavee 73-74-70=217 (+1); 17. Alissa Kuczka 77-74-75=226 (+10); T23. Erin Tone 78-73-78=229 (+13); T31. Charmaine Erasmus 80-75-77=232 (+16).