Sept. 26, 2012

LIVE SCORING

ANTALYA, Turkey--The atmosphere at the World Amateur Championships is familiar territory for Sun Devil golfers Giulia Molinaro and Laura Blanco. Molinoro, an All-American and the 2012 Pac-12 Player of the Year, has finished her eligibility for Arizona State and will compete in the World Amateur for her home country of Italy as her last event before turning pro. Molinaro will make her third-consecutive World Am appearance, having represented the Italian national team in 2008, 2010 and now 2012. 

Blanco, a junior at ASU, will represent her home country of Colombia for the second-straight competition ('10, '12). Blanco is coming off of a top-10 finish in the Sun Devils' opening season win at the Dale McNamara Invitational. 

In the golfing community, the World Amateur Championships is regarded as the "Olympics of golf", with 53 countries vying head-to-heard for the title and the coveted Espirito Santo trophy on the women's side. In 2008, Sun Devil and current LPGA professional golfer Anna Nordqvist helped her home country of Sweden take home top honors. With golf joining the summer Olympic games in 2016, there a more weighted importance to the field of the 2012 World Amateur.

Arizona State's storied golf history is not limited to the collegiate realm. Since its inception, 15 Sun Devil women's golfers have competed in the World Amateur, with eight players making multiple appearances. Names like Grace Park, Wendy Ward, Heather Farr, Azahara Munoz, and Carlota Ciganda have all represented their respective countries.

Competition runs from Sept. 27-30 at the Gloria Golf Club in Antalya, Turkey. Live scoring for the tournament is available by Golfstat.

Just marked my Titleist balls with the Italian blue and the pitch fork! ready for tomorrow 11:20#SunDevils #worldam twitter.com/GMolinaroGolf/...

-- Giulia Molinaro (@GMolinaroGolf) September 26, 2012