Why Baena?

Why Baena? 

It all starts in 1996, with Baena’s magical freshman season when she completed the college golf equivalent of the Triple Crown.

First, she won the individual Pac-10 title.

Then, she won the individual title at Arizona’s NCAA regional, which helped them advance to the next portion of the NCAA tournament.

There, things got wild.

First, Baena won the individual title, completing that Triple Crown. Then, in a sudden-death playoff between Arizona and San Jose State for the team title, Baena holed a 7-iron from 140 yards for an eagle on the par-4 18th hole. It clinched the win, and might be the greatest shot in UA history, men or women.

She went on to win national player of the year that year, and again in 1997. She was a three-time first-team All-American and three-time first-team All-Pac-10 selection. Oh, and Baena is tied for the lowest individual round score (65) in program history.

She captured nine individual crowns in her career and placed in the top 10 in 23 of 28 tournaments.

“I’ve had a couple good tournaments, a couple bad ones,” Baena said during the 1996 season. “I’ve worked hard, my game’s improved, and I’ve matured more. I’m really happy with the way I’ve been playing.”

So was coach Rick LaRose, certainly.

Baena “plays with one purpose, and that’s to win,” LaRose said at the time. “Like all great champions, she’s hard on herself. She expects to do her best every time she plays, and she demands perfection.”

Here’s a look at the list of Arizona’s best women golfers: