TEMPE, Ariz. -- After a week off between tournaments, the Arizona State women's golf team hits the road once more to California for the Bruin Wave Invitational in San Luis Obispo on Monday, Feb. 29.
On a weekend that historically hasn't involved competition for the No. 15 Sun Devils in the past, head coach Missy Farr-Kaye said the proximity of the tournament is too close to pass up for extra competition.
"We picked this tournament because it has a good field and we're trying to stay a little more west coast this spring," Farr-Kaye said. "Trying to chase some good weather and we like the fast-green aspect of this course."
The San Luis Obispo Country Club, which is not the typical host course for this annual tournament, will play a par-72 at 6,250 yards.
"Because we haven't been there there's not a lot we know about (the course), but from what we've heard there are fast, undulating greens and a fair amount of trees," Farr-Kaye said. "It's actually really good preparation for the NCAA Championships, which is in Eugene, Oregon. That was our thought behind it."
The tournament hosts 16 teams -- all west of Oklahoma -- with six of them being in the top-15. No. 6 UCLA, No. 9 Washington, No. 11 Stanford, No. 13 Oklahoma State and No. 14 California are all participating, along with No. 20 San Diego State.
However, it's not nearly the juggernaut of a tournament like the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge two weeks prior.
The field made no difference to junior Monica Vaughn, who is coming off her first individual tournament victory not shared with an opponent after shooting a six-under 65 on the final day to come from five shots back.
That never-say-never mentality is something Farr-Kaye wants her entire team to have top to bottom.
"My goal for my team right now is to encourage their belief in themselves," she said. "That's what I've been focusing on in practices. I want this team to believe what I believe, which is that they can go under par in any tournament. We can't control what everyone else is shooting or doing, but we can control our emotions and our mental game. If we continue to believe in ourselves, there's nothing that this team can't do."
The Bruin Wave Invitational tees off on Monday with an 8 a.m. PT (9 a.m. MT) shotgun start. The players will play 36 holes on Monday followed by the final round on Tuesday at 7:30 a.m. PT (8:30 a.m. MT).