ASU women's golf is headed to the NCAA Championships for the seventh time in eight years. With eight NCAA Division I titles, the Sun Devils will travel to Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, to compete for a ninth.
The team wrapped up the Gold Canyon Regional in Arizona on May 7, officially qualifying for the national tournament with a top 5 finish.
The No. 8 Sun Devils were just one of two teams to hit under par on day one, finishing top of the leaderboard at 2-under. Redshirt sophomore Patience Rhodes and freshman Isla McDonald-O'Brien each finished round one at 2-under-par.
Rhodes continued her run on day two, scoring 6-under-par to lead the way for the Sun Devils. However, with ASU finishing day two at 2-over-par, the team fell to third in the standings.
Head coach Missy Farr-Kaye was impressed with Rhodes' shooting on the second day.
"It was just a really solid round of golf today," Farr-Kaye said via Sun Devil Athletics. "Bogey-free on this course, which doesn’t happen very often."
The final day saw the Sun Devils return under par. Junior Beth Coulter joined Rhodes and McDonald-O'Brien, scoring one under for the third round. This performance saw ASU finish with a score of three under, earning the team second place at the Gold Canyon Regional.
Rhodes finished second individually, scoring 9-under-par, despite two early bogeys in round three.
"Yeah, this course can be quite frustrating, so I was just trying to stay patient out there and hit greens," Rhodes said via SDA.
McDonald-O'Brien tied for third individually with a score of three under. Junior Paula Schulz-Hanssen shot four over, Coulter shot five over and senior Grace Summerhays shot 13 over to round out the scores for the Sun Devils.
Oregon won the regional at 12-under-par. Sophomore Kiara Romero led the way for the Ducks, finishing the tournament 16 under, including a 10-under 62 in round two. Romero led the individual leaderboard and is currently ranked as the No. 2 golfer in NCAA Division I.
Oklahoma State, Mississippi State and CSU Fullerton also qualified for the national tournament at two over, 11 over, and 23 over, respectively. Auburn sophomore Anna Davis qualified as the individual, finishing at 1-under-par, and the top golfer not advancing with a team. No. 17 Auburn finished just short of qualifying, one stroke behind CSU Fullerton at 24-over-par.
This is ASU's 39th national tournament appearance, more than any other program in the country. The NCAA Championships will commence May 16 and go through May 21.
Edited by Jack McCarthy, Henry Smardo and Katrina Michalak.
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Alan is a sophomore studying sports journalism. This is his second semester with The State Press. He has also worked at Blaze Radio.
