April 10, 2010
The No. 1 Arizona State women's golf team maintained their lead after round two of the PING/ASU Invitational. Held at the par-72, 6,230 yard ASU Karsten Golf Course, the Sun Devils have carded 11-under 565 (279-286) over the past two days to hold a five stroke lead over second place USC. They currently have three players in the top 10.
Jennifer Johnson paced the Sun Devils the second day. The freshman fired off a 2-under 70 in the second round to finish tied for second at 5-under 139 (69-70). She is currently two shots behind the leader, Kristina Merkle of Tulsa.
"I thought I played ok," said Johnson. "I had some good holes, some bad holes. When the wind started kicking up, I stuck with my game plan and didn't try to do anything different."
Sophomore Carlota Ciganda, who was tied for first following round one, finished the second day tied for fourth at 3-under 141 (68-73). Jaclyn Sweeney moved into the top 10 after shooting 1-under 71 for the second straight day. She is currently tied for 10th at 2-under 142 (71-71).
After a shaky start, Juliana Murcia made up ground on the back nine and finished the round at even par. She is currently tied for 15th at 1-under 143 (71-72). Giulia Molinaro compiled a two-round total of 9-over 153 (77-76).
"Today was kind of a rough day," said senior All-American Murcia. "I couldn't hit any fairways or greens but I played well on the back nine. It was tough but I hung in there."
Three Sun Devils also played as individuals. Senior Liisa Kelo led the Sun Devil indy players as she shot a two round total of 12-over 156 (78-78). Larissa Eruera finished the second round at 15-over 159 (79-80) while Alessia Knight carded 25-over 169 (78-91).
The Sun Devils will be paired with Pac-10 rivals USC and UCLA to close out the 2010 PING/ASU Invitational. The first groups tee off at 7:30 a.m., with the Sun Devils starting at 8:50 a.m.