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All five under par for Women's Golf at Nanea Invitational

All five under par for Women's Golf at Nanea InvitationalAll five under par for Women's Golf at Nanea Invitational
by Zach Romesburg

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii — Sun Devil Women’s Golf delivered a fantastic opening round of the Nanea Invitational, hosted at Nanea Golf Course.

Arizona State opened the tournament in impressive fashion, firing a 271 (-17) to sit second on the leaderboard, just four strokes behind Auburn (-21) after the first day of play. It was the ultimate team performance that led Head Coach Farr-Kaye's team, as all five Sun Devils shot under par and sit in the Top-20 of a 60-golfer field. The last time Arizona State had all five golfers shoot under par was in the first round of the 2023 Mason Rudolph Championship. 

All five Sun Devils delivered an impressive showing in the round, with every player finishing under par. Sophomore Isla McDonald-O’Brien led the charge with a remarkable 66 (-7), tying for second after recording eight birdies. Right behind her, Patience Rhodes continued her stellar play, carding a 68 (-5) with six birdies to sit comfortably inside the top five.  Beth Coulter added a solid 70 (-3) performance, while Paula Schulz-Hanssen and Kate Dillon each posted 71 (-2) rounds to round out a dominant all-around effort for Arizona State.

Live Scoring


Round breakdown
Isla McDonald-O’Brien (66/-7/T2)
Birdies (8): Hole 2 (Par 4; 342), Hole 5 (Par 4; 319 yards), Hole 6 (Par 5; 462 yards), Hole 9 (Par 4; 366), Hole 13 (Par 4; 464), Hole 15 (Par 4; 372), Hole 17 (Par 3; 191), Hole 18 (Par 5; 536)

Patience Rhodes (68/-5/T4)
Birdies (6): Hole 1 (Par 4; 382 yards), Hole 3 (Par 4; 389 yards), Hole 7 (Par 4; 390 yards), Hole 10 (Par 4; 379), Hole 13 (Par 4; 464), Hole 16 (Par 4; 346 yards)

Beth Coulter (70/-3/9)
Birdies (5): Hole 5 (Par 4; 319 yards), Hole 6 (Par 5; 462 yards), Hole 10 (Par 4; 379), Hole 13 (Par 4; 464), Hole 14 (Par 4; 303 yards)

Paula Schulz-Hanssen (71/-2/T16)
Birdies (3): Hole 2 (Par 4; 342), Hole 6 (Par 5; 462 yards), Hole 10 (Par 4; 379)

Kate Dillon (71/-2/T16)
Birdies (4): Hole 8 (Par 3; 166), Hole 9 (Par 4; 366), Hole 15 (Par 4; 372), Hole 17 (Par 3; 191)

Quotables
“Really great start" Coach Farr-Kaye remarked. "We had such a fantastic day with everyone shooting under par. That is not something that happens every day. I'm really proud of these girls and the grit that they've shown this Fall getting better everyday and every tournament. We're making some really good strides in our practices getting prepared for the tournaments and we showed a lot of great things out on the golf course today. I'm just really happy for them. It's important that we put today behind us and put two more good rounds together. We're going to continue to focus and take it one day at a time. I'm really happy for everyone, top to bottom."

Tee times
Arizona State will begin the second round at the Nanea Invitational on Tuesday at 7:30 AM HST/10:30 AM MST shotgun time. The Sun Devils will be paired with Auburn, Stanford, and Texas.

The Competition (Scoreboard rankings)
Ranked teams include #1 Stanford, #6 Auburn, #10 Texas, #17 UCLA, and #21 Arizona State. In total, five of the Top-25 teams in the country will be in Hawaii for the event.

In the field (12 teams): Auburn, California, Colorado, Hawaii (Host), Oregon State, San Jose State, Stanford, Texas, UCLA, Washington

The format
Holes: 54 (18 each day)
Days: 3 (Mon.-Wed.)
Scoring: 5 count 4
Par: 73
Yardage: 6,449


The course
Since the inaugural event in 2013, the Nanea Invitational (formerly Pac-12 Preview) has been permanently hosted at the Nanea Golf Club located in Kailua Kona on the island of Hawaii. The Par-73, 6,449-yard private course opened in 2003. Billionaires Charles Schwab and George Roberts partnered up to create the club located on the slopes of Mount Hualalai.


History at Nanea Invitational
Previously called the Pac-12 Preview, the Nanea Invitational reunites some teams from the disbanded conference with Hawaii serving as the host. It will be the 13th time in the past 14 years that Sun Devil Women's Golf has had the opportunity to compete at an event in Hawaii. In 2022, Coach Farr-Kaye's squad set a new program record for 18-hole team score vs. par, shooting -17. Arizona State wraps up the Fall and will have a three-month break before resuming play in the Spring.

2025-26 Arizona State Women's Golf schedule
Arizona State will be tested throughout the 2025-26 campaign as Coach Farr-Kaye again built one of the nation’s toughest slates. The Maroon and Gold will compete in ten regular-season events, five in the fall and five in the spring. The postseason begins April 23 at the Big 12 Championship, with NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships scheduled for May.

Best rounds in 2025-26

*16 total rounds of 70 or lower

Birdies by Sun Devil (2025-26 season totals)

Tradition like no other
Many premier amateur women’s golfers have called Arizona State University home for the past five decades. Arizona State won its NCAA-leading eighth national championship in 2017 to reinforce its standing as the premier women’s golf school in the United States.

Under legendary Head Coach Linda Vollstedt, the program became the first women’s collegiate golf program to win six championships in a decade (1990, ’93, ’94, ’95, ’97 and '98). ASU remains the lone program to capture three national titles (1993, ’94, '95). 

The Sun Devil Golf programs also did something in 1990 that had never been done before, and hasn’t been accomplished since. The men’s and women’s teams won national titles in 1990, becoming the first school to capture both championships in the same year.

"The Bird"
The Thunderbirds Golf Complex, designed by Douglas Fredrickson Architects and built by Rummel Construction Inc., is a 7,000-square-foot facility featuring a grand entry lobby, national championship displays, a team gym and locker rooms for both men’s and women’s teams, a fueling station, study lounge, team lounge, indoor hitting bays and more.

Designed by Sun Devil alumnus and five-time PGA Major Championships winner Phil Mickelson, who is known for his short-game expertise, the four-acre practice area consists of five practice greens, four practice bunkers and a three-acre fairway and rough designed to practice every possible golf shot.

On Nov. 1, 2018, Papago Golf Course became the new home for Sun Devil Men’s and Women’s Golf by unveiling their new state-of-the-art practice facility — The Thunderbirds Golf Complex — through the generous commitment by The Thunderbirds organization. Arizona State, in partnership with The Thunderbirds, Arizona Golf Community Foundation, the city of Phoenix and Phil Mickelson Design, revitalized the course and helped build the Lou Grubb Clubhouse and Lou’s Bar and Grill.

Fantastic four
Patience Rhodes, Isla McDonald-O’Brien, Paula Schulz-Hanssen, and Beth Colter all return having gained another year of valuable experience. Incoming freshmen Johanna Axelsen and Kate Dillon join the program, forming a talented 2025-26 roster under the direction of Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye and Associate Head Coach Ryan Heisey. Highly-touted incoming freshman Fai Rubrong will join the team in January to fill the final spot on the roster. 

Follow us
Stay connected with Sun Devil Women’s Golf on social media throughout the season by following @SunDevilWGolf on Instagram, X, Facebook and sundevils.com. General athletic news can also be found at @TheSunDevils on X, Instagram and Facebook.