Azahara Munoz

Started playing golf at age eight and credits her father as the individual who most influenced her career.
As a member of the Spanish National Team, Munoz enjoyed a successful amateur career, winning the 2002 Spanish Amateur Championship, representing Europe at the PING Junior Solheim Cup in 2002, 2003 & 2005, and finishing runner-up at the 2008 U.S. Women's Amateur at Eugene (Ore.) Country Club, where she fell to Amanda Blumenherst in the final, 2 and 1. In 2009, she won the British Women's Amateur Championship.
At Arizona State University, Munoz was the 2008 NCAA individual champion, and she led the Sun Devils to the NCAA team title in 2009. She turned professional in September of that year.
She finished 5th at the LPGA Final Qualifying Tournament, where she earned Priority List Category 11 for the 2010 LPGA season. Competed on the Ladies European Tour, winning the Madrid Masters, and finishing T-40th at the Kraft Nabisco Championship.
In 2010, she became the first Spaniard to win the Louise Suggs Rolex Rookie of the Year award, recording a season-best T-4th finish at the Bell Micro LPGA Classic and T-10th at the Lorena Ochoa Invitational. In 2010, her rookie season on the LET, she played in seven LET events and posted two top-10 finishes: T-8th at the AIB Ladies Irish Open and T-10th at the Handa Women's Australian Open. Finished 20th on the Money List with season earnings of $96,633.44.
In 2011, she recorded three top-10 finishes, including a career-best co-runner-up showing at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan Championship, third at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia, and T-8th at the Wegmans LPGA Championship. Competed on her first European Solheim Cup Team with a 2-1-1 record. Played in three Ladies European Tour events and finished second at the Ladies Irish Open at Killeen Castle.
2012 Notes: Played in 26 events, made 22 cuts, and earned $1,230,751 (eighth on the money list). Captured nine top-10 finishes, and four top-five finishes. Winner of the 2012 Sybase Match Play Championship. She was the only Spaniard to finish in the top 20 in the Rolex Rankings, listed 16th. Crossed the $1 million and $2 million marks in career earnings that year, after a T-15th finish at the Kraft Nabisco Championship and a T-14th at the Sime Darby LPGA Malaysia.
2013 Notes: Played in 26 events and made 21 cuts. Finished 31st on the Tour money list and recorded three top-10 finishes, including a season-best runner-up effort at the Sunrise LPGA Taiwan. Played in only four tournaments on the LET but she made a huge impression at the Lacoste Ladies Open de France when she collected her second LET title at Chantaco in Aquitaine. She fired rounds of 68, 65, 68, and 65 to finish at 266, a stroke ahead of Frenchwomen Gwladys Nocera and Valentine Derrey. Competed on her second European Solheim Cup Team, posting a 2-2-0 record.
2014 Notes: Munoz finished ninth on the money list with $1,051,332 and 14th in CME points. She made 26 cuts in 27 starts with 10 top-10 finishes, including a pair of runner-up finishes. Lost the HSBC Women's Championship on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff to Paula Creamer, who made a 75-foot eagle putt to win. Munoz tied for the lead by making a 12-foot birdie putt on the 17th hole and had a chance to win it on No. 18, but missed her birdie putt. Finished T-2nd at the Founders Cup, one shot back of winner Karrie Webb. Her streak of nine consecutive top-20 finishes was snapped at the Lotte Championship when she finished T-22nd. She was a part of the Spanish team that won the inaugural International Crown. Munoz beat Ai Miyazato of Japan, 2 and 1, as Spain finished 4-0 in singles play. She had back-to-back fourth-place finishes at the Wegmans LPGA Championship and the Canadian Pacific Women's Open. In October, she successfully defended her title at the Ladies European Tour's Lacoste Ladies Open of France, shooting 67-67 on the weekend to finish at 11-under 269, one shot better than Maria Hernandez and Amy Boulden.
2015 Notes: Made 21 cuts in 23 starts and finished 32nd on the LPGA money list. Had surgery to remove a benign tumor from the base of her left thumb on March 16 and returned to action in May. Had five top-10s, with a best of T-3rd at the Walmart NW Arkansas Classic. Played on her 3rd European Solheim Cup team and was 0-3 in the matches.
2016 Notes: Played in 27 LPGA events making 15 cuts with five top-tens. Best was T-5th at the Sime Darby LPGA.
She led after the first round of the ANA Inspiration with a 67 but finished T-56th after rounds of 78-74-72. Was 43rd on the money list with $440,968 and 55th in CME points. She was T-21st at the Rio Olympics as a member of Spain's golf team. Played in 3 LET tournaments, which included a win in her home country at the Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open de Espana Femenino.
2017 Notes: Played in 26 events on the LPGA Tour making 21 cuts. Her best finish was T-15th finish at the Indy Women in Tech Championship, she was 63rd on the money list.
Played in 5 LET events and won the Andalucia Costa Del Sol Open for the second straight year. She also was 3rd at the Lacoste Ladies French Open and 4th at the Estrella Damm Mediterranean Ladies Open. Was 3rd in the order of merit winning euro111,749.
2018 Notes: In May on social media she shared her plight fighting Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease in which the thyroid gland is gradually destroyed. She didn't say anything about her problem, only telling her closest friends because she didn't want to make excuses for playing badly plus she was always run down and losing her hair. Munoz says that she is taking medication and has changed her diet. Was 2nd at the Lotte Championship 4 back of winner Brooke Henderson it was her best finish since finishing runner-up at the 2014 JTBC Founders Cup. Her second top-10n of the year was a T-4th at the Meijer LPGA Classic, 4 shots back of winner So Yeon Ryu. In her 26 starts he won $568,975 and finished 38th on the money list and 24th in the Race to CME.
2019 Notes: Played in 26 LPGA Tour events making 25 cuts with seven top-ten finishes. Was 30th on the money list with earnings of $667,184, was 21st on the CME points list. Feeling better from the treatments Munoz was in the top-six in four of her first six starts. Started with a T-5th at the ISPS Handa Vic Open, was T-6th the next week at the ISPS Handa Australian Open shooting 65 in the final round. Was T-3rd at the HSBC Women's Champions, 4 shots back of winner Sung Hyun Park. Was T-2nd at the KIA Classic, 3 shots back of winner Nasa Hataoka. Was T-8th at the LPGA MEDIHEAL Championship and shot a final round 64 to finish T-6th at the Pure Silk Championship. Was T-10th at the Toto Japan Classic. Played on the European Solheim Cup team, had a record of 2-2-1, shot lost her singles match to Jessica Korda 3 & 2.
2020 Notes: Played in 14 LPGA Tour events making 10 cuts with one top-ten finish. Was 64th on the money list with $181,537 in earnings, was 40th on the CME points list. Had a season-best T-2nd finish at the Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open, she lost to Stacy Lewis in a four-woman playoff, Lewis made birdie on the first extra hole.
2020 Notes: Best finish T-17th at the Bank of Hope LPGA Match-Play. She was T-50th at the Toyko Olympics as a member of Spain's women's golf team.