The No. 22 ASU women’s golf team finished fourth in the SDSU Farms Invitational after losing to the host team in match play on Wednesday.
The team started the invitational out strong defeating the Boise State Broncos 4.5-0.5 in the first round rather handily. Senior Noemi Jimenez finished her round four up, sophomore Monica Vaughn and freshmen Sophia Zeeb and Ashleigh Greenham all finished one up. Freshman Roberta Liti finished halved her match with Boise State’s Samantha Martin.
They followed up that strong opening round with another win to start the day off on Tuesday against No. 19 Pepperdine 3-2. The only player to finish all 18 holes was Greenham who won her match one up. Jimenez and Vaughn both won their matches two holes early at 3 and 2. The only losses came from Zeeb and Liti who were both beaten in 15 holes.
Later on Tuesday the Sun Devils dropped their first match of the event to Pac-12 opponent Colorado. Only Jimenez, at 4 and 3, and Vaughn, at one up, won their matches against the Buffaloes. Greenham lost her match at 2 and 1 while Zeeb was defeated 2 up. Liti halved her opponent for the second time in the event. The match ultimately did end in a 2.5-2.5 tie but the Buffaloes took the win on a tiebreaker.
If the Sun Devils could have moved past the Buffaloes they would have earned the right to face off with No. 15 Tennessee in the championship match. Instead the Buffaloes moved on to that match and fell to the Volunteers 3.5-1.5 to give them first place in the event.
In the final round ASU matched up with the host team San Diego State Aztecs in the consolation A bracket effectively playing for third place in the event. Only one Sun Devil won her match against the Aztecs as ASU lost 3.5-1.5 in the final round.
Greenham dispatched of her opponent in just 15 holes winning 5 and 3. Jimenez halved with her opponent after 18 holes. Zeeb lost her match one up, Vaughn dropped hers 4 and 3 and Liti was done after just 14 holes losing 6 and 4. With the loss ASU finished in fourth place in Rancho Santa Fe at The Farms Golf Club.
This is the third top-five finish of the season for the Sun Devils after finishing tied for fifth at the Pac-12 Preview in November and winning the Clover Cup earlier in March. In an event with a decent field a top-five finish could give the team a little more momentum at a good time of the season with their home tournament next on the schedule.
The four-round PING/ASU Invitational tees off at Karsten Golf Course in Tempe on April 10 and it will be the last opportunity for the team to compete before they head to the Pac-12 Championships in Boulder, Colorado a little over a week afterwards.
Reach the reporter at wslane@asu.edu or follow @bill_slane on Twitter.
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