The Sun Devil women's golf team is getting some great play from senior Beth Coulter at the 2026 NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad.
It also got a clutch bounce-back round from junior Patience Rhodes.
A day after shooting 3-under 69 in the first round with a super early tee time, Coulter went 2-under 70 in the tougher afternoon wave on Saturday and is tied for fourth and just one shot off the lead in the 156-player field. Coulter had six birdies Saturday including going back-to-back twice. Her nine birdies are second in the field (10 is most) and the 2.63 par-3 scoring and 3.90 par-4 scoring are tied for second-best.
ASU (289-292) shot 4-over 292 and is tied for ninth for at 5-over 581. The top-15 teams after Sunday advance to the final round on Monday, where the top eight teams advance to match play.
Another key was Patience Rhodes bouncing back with a 1-over 73 after shooting 9-over 81 in the first round. She posted sevens on two holes Friday and then got par and birdie on those same holes on Saturday.
Quoting Beth Coulter
On her mindset heading into the round
“I was focused on playing my game and not worrying about the standings. I know if I play well, that will take care of itself.”
On bouncing back from bogeys with birdies
“That was a key to my round. I was able to take it one hole at a time and tried not to let the previous hole impact the next. Leaning on my coaches in those moments really helps.”
On leading her team to a spot in Top-10
“It is super exciting that the team is in contention and playing for a chance to advance. Since it is my last tournament in college, I want to give it my all and perform for my teammates. I know they will be working hard to find success in the next round.”
First round Coulter recap
Coulter shot a 3-under 69 in the first round with no bogeys and three birdies at the 6,271-yard course in her 34th round of the season. The 69 matched her lowest score of the year, as she shot a 69 in the third round of the Mason Rudolph Championship on Sept. 21 and at the Dr. Donnis Invitational in Hawaii on March 17. Coulter started the day with a birdie on the par-5 No. 10, and also birdied the par-3 No. 16 and par-5 second hole.
NCAA Women's Golf Championship
May 22-27
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
Carlsbad, Calif.
Par 72/6,271 yards
Team (Ranking/NCAA Championship Seed) Leaderboard
Stanford (1/1) 282-282=564/-12
USC (2/2) 281-286=567/-9
Oklahoma State (21/16) 283-286=569/-7
Iowa State (17/13) 284-292=576/E
Arkansas (7/7) 286-290=576/E
SMU (16/12) 288-289=577/+1
Duke (10/9) 291-286=577/+1
Texas (5/5) 288-290=578/+2
Eastern Michigan (27/21) 286-295=581/+5
Arizona State (23/18) 289-292=581/+5
Northwestern (31/23) 290-292=582/+6
Florida (3/3) 297-285=582/+6
Missouri (32/24) 287-296=583/+7
Pepperdine (11/10) 296-289=585/+9
Tennessee (18/14) 291-295=586/+10
Texas A&M (4/4) 289-297=586/+10
Florida State (22/17) 292-294=586/+10
North Carolina (12/11) 293-294=587/+11
Wake Forest (8/8) 300-287=587/+11
Baylor (26/20) 289-299=588/+12
Auburn (6/6) 302-286=588/+12
Virginia (35/27) 289-299=588/+12
LSU (34/26) 288-301=589/+13
Houston (29/22) 294-297=591/+15
Ohio State (25/19) 297-295=592/+16
Ole Miss (20/15) 301-294=595/+19
Michigan State (38/28) 298-294=595/+19
Kentucky (33/25) 298-299=597/+21
Texas Tech (49/30) 296-304=600/+24
Oregon State (46/29) 300-300=600/+24
Individual leaderboard
--Three players tied at 6-under 138--
T4. Beth Coulter, Arizona State 69-70=139/-5
T81. Paula Schulz-Hanssen, Arizona State 73-75=148/+4
T81. Isla McDonald-O'Brien, Arizona State 74-74=148/+4
T94. Fai Rubrong, Arizona State 73-76=149/+5
T136. Patience Rhodes, Arizona State 81-73=154/+10
No one has better history
No. 23 Arizona State has made the NCAA Championship 40 times, tying Stanford for the most in the nation and ahead of USC (38). Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye is looking to lead the program to a record ninth NCAA title and her second at the helm in Tempe after winning the NCAA title in 2017.
Last time out
Sun Devil Women’s Golf punched its ticket to the NCAA Championship on after finishing in fourth place at the Stanford Regional. It was the eighth championship that ASU has advanced to under Missy Farr-Kaye in the past nine years, who was at the helm when the 2017 team captured the program’s eighth National Championship. Arizona State is one of only four programs in the country to make the NCAA Championship at least 23 times since 2000 (25-year span). They are joined by Duke, Stanford, and USC on this exclusive list.
The format
In the championship finals, all 30 teams and six individuals will complete 54 holes of stroke play. Following 54 holes of competition, the top 15 teams, along with the top nine individuals, will advance for one additional day of stroke play to determine the top eight teams for match-play competition and the 72-hole stroke-play individual champion. The top eight teams after 72 holes of play will be placed into a bracket with the No. 1 seed playing the No. 8 seed, the No. 2 seed playing the No. 7 seed, the No. 3 seed playing the No. 6 seed and the No. 4 seed playing the No. 5 seed in match play.
A total of five points will be available, with one point being awarded for each individual match. Winning teams will advance to the semifinals and subsequently the finals. The first team to win three points within the team match will advance, or in the case of the final match, be declared the national champion.
Holes: 72 Stroke Play (18 each day); 54 Match Play (36; 18)
Days: 4 Stroke Play (Fri-Mon); 2 Match Play (Tues-Wed)
Scoring: 5 count 4
Cuts: 15 teams after 3 days; 8 teams after 4 days
Par: 72
Yardage: 6,297
*Substitutions allowed in between rounds
The lineup in the third round
The Sun Devils were play with Northwestern and Missouri at 7:47 a.m. on Saturday.
Junior Patience Rhodes
Senior Paula Schulz-Hanssen
Freshman Fai Rubrong
Senior Beth Coulter
Sophomore Isla McDonald-O'Brien
The course
Formerly known as the Champions Course, the re-imagined North Course at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa is located just north of San Diego in Carlsbad. Nestled among 400 lush garden acres near pristine beaches and recognized as one of the world’s top golf and spa destinations, this iconic resort unveiled a fresh new look in 2024 – including Gil Hanse’s dramatic course redesign that paves the way for three consecutive NCAA Division I Championships. Learn more about the course by watching this video breakdown from Scoreboard.
History at the NCAA Championship
The Sun Devil Women’s Golf program is the most prestigious in the nation, taking home an NCAA record eight NCAA Championships. ASU won the NCAA championship in 1990, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2009, and 2017, dominating the women's collegiate golf scene for decades.
Nobody knew how to win at the NCAA Championship like legendary head coach Linda Vollstedt, who won five titles in nine years in the 1990s. The first came when current head coach Missy Farr-Kaye was a player, starting the trifecta for Farr-Kaye. She later won as an assistant coach in 2009 and as a head coach in 2017, giving her three NCAA titles in three different roles. Since 2000, Arizona State has qualified for the NCAA Championship 22 times, one of only five programs that can make that claim (Stanford, Duke, USC, UCLA). ASU's eight titles is ahead of Duke (7) with Stanford, San Jose State, USC and UCLA all having three.
Team Championships under Missy Farr-Kaye (21)
2025 PING/ASU Invitational
2025 Clover Cup
2024 Windy City Collegiate Classic
2024 Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational
2024 Darius Rucker Intercollegiate
2022 Match in the Desert
2022 PING/ASU Invitational
2021 Bruin Wave Invitational
2021 Clover Cup
2021 PING/ASU Invitational (Co-Champs)
2020 Stanford Intercollegiate
2020 Tri-Match vs. UCLA & Denver
2020 Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational
2019 Wildcat Invitational
2019 Tri-Match against Denver & Georgia
2018 Windy City Collegiate
2017 NCAA Championships (NATIONAL CHAMPION)
2017 NCAA Regional Championships
2017 PING/ASU Invitational
2017 Clover Cup
2016 Pac-12 Preview
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.