Former UA golf star earns first LPGA win, $500k
Sunday was a banner day for former Wildcats on the links as Marisa Baena, the 1996 NCAA individual champion while at Arizona, took home her first career Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour victory in the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation (HBSC) Women’s World Match Play Championship in Gladstone, N.J.
Baena, seeded 60th out of 64 invitees, knocked off six higher-seeded opponents en route to earning a payday of nearly $500,000.
“I have changed as a player this week. I finally got my confidence back,” Baena, 28, told the Associated Press.
The 10-time collegiate winner during her UA career not only earned the half-million-dollar paycheck, but also garnered a three-year tour exemption by winning her 152nd career LPGA start.
“The funny thing about it is that I always believed I could do it, but this year I said, `You know what, I don’t care if I win or not,’” Baena told the AP. “This winter, I realized winning wasn’t as important to me as I thought. ... I’m thinking, `Why am I so obsessed about winning?’ I think once I took that load off, there I am winning.”
Baena, a native of Colombia, defeated fifth-seeded Natalie Gulbis, also a former UA star, No. 37 Grace Park, No. 21 Jennifer Rosales, No. 8 Candie Kung and No. 47 Meena Lee on her way to the tournament title.
Baena entered the tournament 63rd on the LPGA money list for 2005, with total earnings of just over $87,000 after missing the cut at last week’s U.S. Women’s Open.
Former Cat Furyk earns first win since ‘03
Baena wasn’t the only former Wildcat in the winner’s circle over the weekend, as Professional Golf Association tour veteran Jim Furyk took home his 10th career tour win Sunday at the Western Open in Lemont, Ill.
Despite a handful of chances at victories this year, the win was Furyk’s first since the 2003 Buick Open. Tiger Woods came on strong late to challenge Furyk by holing three straight birdies, but it wasn’t enough to defeat the former UA golf star.
“You take the combination of last week, surgery and not winning since surgery, you put all that together and it was an emotional win,” said Furyk, who missed half of last season after having wrist surgery, to the Associated Press.
Furyk finished with a final round of 2-under-par, finishing the tournament at 14-under.
“I’m trying to say that I’m healthy, I’m fit and I feel like my game is as good as it’s ever been,” Furyk said to the AP.
Prior to his injury, Furyk had won at least one tournament a year from 1997 to 2003, taking home his first major victory at the 2003 U.S. Open.
— Compiled from staff and wire reports