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Sun Devil Women's Golf finish second behind No. 2 USC at the 2026 PING/ASU Invitational

Sun Devil Women's Golf finish second behind No. 2 USC at the 2026 PING/ASU InvitationalSun Devil Women's Golf finish second behind No. 2 USC at the 2026 PING/ASU Invitational
by Zach Romesburg

PHOENIX – Arizona State Women's Golf wrapped up the 2026 PING/ASU Invitational on Wednesday with a second place team finish at 12-under par (852), capping a strong three-day showing on home turf.

Freshman Fai Rubrong headlined the Sun Devil effort, closing the tournament at seven-under par (209) to share second place with four other competitors. The Thailand native was also named the recipient of the 2026 Ann Votik Award, presented annually to the tournament's top freshman finisher. Rubrong's recognition marks back-to-back years an Arizona State player has claimed the honor, with sophomore Isla McDonald O'Brien earning the award at last year's invitational.

Senior Beth Coulter delivered a two-under par 70 in the final round, vaulting into 12th place with a three-under par (213) total for the event. Fellow senior Paula Schulz Hanssen finished at two-under par (214), securing 14th on the leaderboard.

The Sun Devils return to action in four weeks, traveling to Dallas, Texas, for the Big 12 Championships at the Dallas Athletic Club from April 23 to 25.

Live scoring
2025-2026 statistics homepage
PING/ASU Invitational history

Round breakdown
Fai Rubrong (209/-7/T2)
Todays round: (71/-1)
Birdies (2): Hole 9 (Par 5; 512 yards), Hole 14 (Par 4; 360 yards)

Beth Coulter (213/-3/12)
Todays round: (70/-2)
Birdies (4): Hole 10 (Par 5; 525 yards), Hole 13 (Par 4; 365 yards), Hole 15 (Par 5; 508 yards), Hole 16 (Par 4; 402)

Paula Schulz-Hanssen (214/-2/14)
Todays round: (73/+1)
Birdies (1): Hole 10 (Par 5; 525 yards)

Johanna Axelsen (218/+2/25)
Todays round: (74/+2)
Birdies (2): Hole 16 (Par 4; 402 yards), Hole 17 (Par 3; 214 yards)

Isla McDonald-O’Brien (219/+3/T28)
Todays round: (72/E)
Birdies (3): Hole 4 (Par 3; 161 yards), Hole 5 (Par 4; 371 yards), Hole 9 (Par 5; 512 yards)

Kate Dillon (IND) (219/+3/T28)
Todays round: (74/+2)
Birdies (1): Hole 8 (Par 3; 154 yards)

The competition (scoreboard rankings)
The PING ASU Invitational will feature 15 teams at Papago Golf Club, headlined by four top-25 programs in the latest Clipp’d rankings. Host No. 23 Arizona State is joined by No. 2 USC, No. 14 UCLA, and No. 19 Northwestern, with eight of the 15 participants ranked in the top 50.

In the field (15 teams): No. 2 USC, No. 14 UCLA, No. 19 Northwestern, No. 26 Baylor, No. 36 Kansas, No. 40 Cal State Fullerton, No. 46 Oregon State, New Mexico, Northern Arizona, Florida Atlantic, Denver, Hawai’i, Drake, Abilene Christian, Washington

The format
Holes: 54 (18 each day)
Days: 2 (Mon.-Wed.)
Scoring: 5 count 4
Par: 72
Yardage: 6,570

Patience is needed with one starter out
The Sun Devils will be without 2025 second-team All-American Patience Rhodes until at least April due to a leg injury suffered over the holiday break. The junior from England has posted nine top-10 finishes and finished in the top 15 at the 2025 NCAA Championships and competed at the 2024 Curtis Cup and the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur. She has January rankings of No. 19 (NCAA Scoreboard) and No. 17 (WAGR).

Meet Sun Devil Pimpisa “Fai” Rubrong
Sun Devil Women’s Golf has added highly-anticipated incoming freshman Pimpisa “Fai” Rubrong to the current roster, a student-athlete with extensive international experience. 

A highly regarded competitor on the global stage, Rubrong is currently ranked No. 64 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings. She claimed the title at the 2024 SINGHA Thailand Amateur Match Play Championship and earned champion honors as the No. 6-ranked player on Thailand’s National Team in 2025.

Rubrong also played a key role in Thailand’s second-place finish at the 2025 Southeast Asian Amateur Golf Team Championship (Santi Cup). She is ranked No. 5 in Thailand and has already accumulated two victories and 25 top-10 finishes throughout her junior career.

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 10 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

  • 66/-7: Isla McDonald-O’Brien (Nanea Invitational First Round/Oct. 27, 2025)
  • 65/-6: Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Dr. Donnis Invitational Third Round/March 18, 2026)
  • 68/-5: Patience Rhodes (Nanea Invitational First Round/Oct. 27, 2025)
  • 68/-4: Paula Schulz-Hanssen (PING/ASU Invitational First Round/March 23, 2026)
  • 67/-4: Patience Rhodes (Stanford Intercollegiate Second Round/Oct. 18, 2025)
  • 69/-4: Patience Rhodes (Nanea Invitational Third Round/Oct. 29, 2025)
  • 67/-4: Pimpisa "Fai" Rubrong (Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Third Round/March 4, 2026)
  • 68/-4: Fai Rubrong (PING/ASU Invitational Second Round/March 24, 2026)
  • 69/-3: Isla McDonald-O’Brien (ANNIKA Intercollegiate Third Round/Sept. 10, 2025)
  • 69/-3: Patience Rhodes (ANNIKA Intercollegiate Second Round/Sept. 9, 2025)
  • 68/-3: Isla McDonald-O'Brien (Mason Rudolph Championship First Round/Sept. 19, 2025)
  • 68/-3: Patience Rhodes (Mason Rudolph Championship Third Round/Sept. 21, 2025)
  • 68/-3: Patience Rhodes (Stanford Intercollegiate Third Round/Oct. 19, 2025)
  • 68/-3: Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Third Round/March 4, 2026)
  • 68/-3: Pimpisa Rubrong (Dr. Donnis Invitational Second Round/March 17, 2026)
  • 70/-3: Beth Coulter (Nanea Invitational First Round/Oct. 27, 2025)
  • 70/-3: Kate Dillon (Nanea Invitational Second Round/Oct. 28, 2025)
  • 69/-2: Beth Coulter (Mason Rudolph Championship Third Round/Sept. 21, 2025)
  • 69/-2: Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Stanford Intercollegiate Second Round/Oct. 18, 2025)
  • 69/-2: Beth Coulter (Dr. Donnis Invitational First Round/March 17, 2026)
  • 69/-2: Isla McDonald-O'Brien (Dr. Donnis Invitational Second Round/March 17, 2026)
  • 69/-2: Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Dr. Donnis Invitational Second Round/March 17, 2026)
  • 70/-2: Patience Rhodes (ANNIKA Intercollegiate Third Round/Sept. 10, 2025)
  • 70/-2: Isla McDonald-O’Brien (Windy City Collegiate Classic Second Round/ Sept. 29/2025)
  • 70/-2: Fai Rubrong (PING/ASU Invitational First Round/March 23, 2026)
  • 70/-2: Beth Coulter (PING/ASU Invitational Third Round/March 25, 2026)
  • 70/-1: Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Mason Rudolph Championship First Round/Sept. 19, 2025)
  • 70/-1: Kate Dillon (Stanford Intercollegiate Second Round/Oct. 18, 2025)
  • 70/-1: Beth Coulter (Stanford Intercollegiate Third Round/Oct. 19, 2025)
  • 70/-1: Kate Dillon (Therese Hession Regional Challenge/Feb. 3, 2026)
  • 70/-1: Beth Coulter (Dr. Donnis Invitational Second Round/March 17, 2026)

*31 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 Coulter all return having gained another year of valuable experience. Freshmen Johanna Axelsen and Kate Dillon joined the program in the fall, 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 joined the team this 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.