Baena Has Internal Alarm to Detect Bad Performance

Marisa Baena doesn’t need to be told when her swing is poor. Her body lets her know.

“If I go a little bit outside with my shoulder turn, if I don’t turn the shoulders good, that’s when it kills,” Baena said. “But if I make a good golf swing, then it doesn’t really hurt.”

Baena, a junior at Arizona, has an arthritic condition in her right shoulder. She played mostly without pain in the opening round of the Pac-10 women’s golf championships Monday in Rancho Santa Margarita. She shot a two-over-par 74 at Tijeras Creek and is in an eight-way tie for fifth with two rounds to play.

Baena, who won the Pac-10 and NCAA titles as a freshman in 1996, has also been puzzled by her tendency to match her competitor’s level of play. Baena, a 20-year-old from Colombia, has made the cut in three of five LPGA events she has entered, including the U.S. Open in 1996 and the Nabisco Dinah Shore in 1997. It that event, she led the field in driving distance.

She leads the Pac-10 Conference in stroke average (73.4), but is only ranked 19th in the national college rankings.

“Sometimes [in college tournaments], if you didn’t get a very good group, it’s like all over the place, and then I start getting all over the place,” Baena said. “At the professional level, it’s so competitive. Here, you just get kind of lost sometimes.”

Last season, she really struggled with her motivation, but still managed to finish second at the NCAA championships in May. Her shoulder injury this season has forced her to refocus on performing well at the college level.

“Before, [getting motivated for college tournaments] was harder for me when I was in shape,” she said. “Right now, it’s OK because I haven’t been playing that much and I’m struggling basically.”

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Baena’s teammate, sophomore Jenna Daniels of Bonita was the only player to break par, shooting a three-under 69 to take a three-shot lead. The Wildcats have a six-stroke advantage over Arizona State.

Stanford’s Hilary Homeyer and Jeanne-Marie Busuttil of Arizona State each shot 72 and Arizona’s Jill Gomric had a 73. Coto de Caza’s Kellee Booth, a senior at Arizona State, is tied for fifth after a 74.