Arizona women’s golf will open the 2015 spring season at the Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge on Sunday in Palos Verdes, Calif. The three-day tournament will be the first look at the Wildcats since November. The tee-time is set for 8 a.m. at the Palos Verdes Golf Club from Sunday through Tuesday.
The last time the Wildcats teed off was in Kona, Hawaii, after the Wildcats finished in fourth place by posting a final score of 13-over-par 889 in the Nanea Pac-12 Conference Preview. This allowed the Wildcats to compete with every Pac-12 rival other than Utah.
The season was eventually followed by receiving national letters of intent from highly touted freshmen Danielle Lee and Gigi Stoll in November for 2015-2016.
The UA has been consistent all season long. Arizona finished in the top 10 in every tournament of 2014, which was highlighted by a second-place finish in the Annika Intercollegiate in Orlando, Fla., back in September.
The Wildcats will look to contend for a Pac-12 championship as head coach Laura Ianello’s team returns marquee veterans like second-team All-American Lindsey Weaver.
Weaver is coming off an impressive season after transferring from Notre Dame after one season for the Fighting Irish. Weaver started off her second year of eligibility with Arizona finishing at 72 (E) for all three rounds in the tournament, which tied for 14th place.
Last season, Weaver shot a 3-over-par 216 at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge, which earned her a tie for eighth place. Weaver is looking to finally get her first individual win since the Windy City Classic in 2013, when she shot a 5-under-par 208.
The last time Weaver competed in a tournament was the Pac-12 Preview when she helped lead the Wildcats to a top-10 finish. Weaver’s finish was also the first finish under par.
As a veteran, Ianello can rely on Weaver heavily going forward and count on her to mentor younger players and players from other countries.
One player that originates from Paris is senior Manon Gidali. Despite stumbling in her junior season by only finishing in the top 10 once, she proved to be a dark horse in the Pac-12 individually. Gidali tied for eleventh place in the Landfall Tradition event in Wilmington, N.C., in October.
Gidali tallied her best score as a junior when she shot to par with a 2-over-par 282 to tie for seventh place at the NCAA Championships.
Last season, the Wildcats finished in sixth place and shot a 30-over-par 882 at the Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge. There wasn’t a single Wildcat that scored under par, but with players that are leaders for this team, the Wildcats hope to bounce back and catch a Pac-12 crown in the spring portion of the 2015 season, as well as sprint to the NCAA Championships and do something that hasn’t been done in 15 years: win a championship.
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