April 15, 2011
STANFORD, Calif. - With five of the nation's top-10 teams residing in its own conference, Stanford will face one of its stiffest challenges of the championship season at the Pac-10 Conference Championships, which get underway on Sunday in Tempe, Ariz.
The 54-hole event will be contested on the Pete Dye-designed Karsten Course, which will play to a par of 72 and 6,230 yards for this event. Teams will tee-off at 8:00 a.m. each day, with the team and individual champion being crowned on Tuesday.
Six of the teams in the field are ranked in Golfstat's top-25, including top-ranked UCLA, second-ranked USC, seventh-ranked Arizona, ninth-ranked California, 10th-ranked Arizona State and Stanford, currently ranked 24th.
Arizona won last year's event at the Eugene (Ore.) Country Club while Stanford finished seventh, 31 strokes off the pace. Arizona State's Carlotta Ciganda, who shared medalist honors last year with teammate Julianna Murcia, will be gunning for her third straight individual title.
Stanford claimed its only Pac-10 team title in 1999 on its home course and followed with back-to-back second place finishes in 2000 and '01. However, the Cardinal has finished no higher than sixth in its last nine starts at the Pac-10 Championships.
Head coach Caroline O'Connor is expected to start a lineup consisting of sophomores Kristina Wong and Sally Watson, senior Rebecca Durham, junior Lila Barton and freshman Marissa Mar.
The Cardinal may have received a dose of confidence for this event with a solid fifth place finish at the PING/ASU Invitational, held just two weeks ago at the same venue. Stanford's final round of 296 (+8), turned in by the same lineup, was a season low and the best number posted by the field over the final 18 holes.
"Confidence will be a big key for us," said head coach Caroline O'Connor. "We've been strong closers this spring, as evident of our last round at the ASU event a few weeks ago. But we have to do a better job in finishing off our early rounds so we don't put ourselves in a hole."
"This is one of the strongest fields we will see all year," said O'Connor. "We've competed well against some of the top teams in the conference this year and we are treating the Pac-10's just like another tournament."
Wong and Watson, who finished tied for 16th and 34th, respectively, in this event last year, figure to make strong runs at the individual title. Wong enters the tournament riding with five consecutive top-10 finishes, while Watson was in the title hunt at the PING/ASU Invitational before faltering down the stretch en route to a 14th place finish.
The last Stanford player to win the Pac-10 individual title was Mhairi McKay in 1997.
"From a confidence standpoint, Kristina is at a much different place now than she was a year ago," said O'Connor. "Her final round 67 at the NCAAs last spring really gave her a boost coming into this spring.
"She has picked up 10-15 yards off the tee which has put more scoring clubs into her hands coming into the green. Plus, she has what I call a sneaky great short game."
O'Connor was very encouraged by Watson's showing at the PING/ASU Invitational a few weeks ago.
"Sally's back has been bothering her a bit and she hasn't been completely comfortable all spring. She is healthy now and recently put a new driver in her bag, which has given her a lot of confidence. Her iron game has always been solid, but now she is getting into much better position off the tee."
Live scoring of the Pac-10 Championships will be available at Golfstat.com.