(NOTE: This story will be updated after the second wave of teams finish their afternoon tee times).
With one more round of stroke play and a spot in match play on the line Monday, the Sun Devil women's golf team continues to get some great balance and get better each day at the 2026 NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad.
You want proof? How about a Sun Devil freshmen with 17 bogeys and a double bogey in the first 36 holes getting a clean scorecard and four birdies on Sunday, as the Sun Devils look to no only survived the 15-team cut but put themselves in position for a top-eight match play spot that starts Tuesday.
Fai Rubrong, who was at 5-over 149 (73-76) after the second round, delivered a bogey-free round with four birdies to lead the Sun Devils with a 4-under 68 on Sunday.
ASU (289-292-285) shot 3-under 285 and is at 2-over 866 and tied for seventh with Duke and Florida.
The top-15 teams after Sunday advanced to the final round on Monday, where the top eight teams advance to match play.
First round Coulter was huge
Senior Beth Coulter jumped out to a fantastic two-round start and was tied for fourth after two rounds, but no other Sun Devil was in the top 80. She took a little step back on Sunday with a 1-over 73. Her 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 set the tone for the week. 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.
Fantastic bounce-back for Patience Rhodes
A key for ASU for the first three days was Patience Rhodes bouncing back 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 and shot 1-over 73. She notched another 73 on Sunday.
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
1. Stanford (1/1) 282-282-279=843/-21
2. USC (2/2) 281-286-281=848/-16
3. Oklahoma State (21/16) 283-286-285=854/-10
4. Texas (5/5) 288-290-280=858/-6
T5. Iowa State (17/13) 284-292-285=861/-3
T5. Arkansas (7/7) 286-290-285=861/-3
T7. Florida (3/3) 297-285-284=866/+2
T7. Arizona State (23/18) 289-292-285=866/+2
T7. Duke (10/9) 291-286-289-289=866/+2
10. Eastern Michigan (27/21) 286-295-289=870/+6
T11. Pepperdine (11/10) 296-289-287=872/+8
T11. Missouri (32/24) 287-296-289=872/+8
13. SMU (16/12) 288-289-297=874/+10
14. Northwestern (31/23) 290-292-294=876/+12
15. Tennessee (18/14) 291-295-293=879/+15
---Afternoon wave/scores through three rounds---
Texas A&M (4/4) 289-297-293=586/+15
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
--Two players tied at 10-under 206/morning wave standings--
T15. Beth Coulter, Arizona State 69-70-73=212/-4
T35. Fai Rubrong, Arizona State 73-76-68=217/+1
T67. Isla McDonald-O'Brien, Arizona State 74-74-72=220/+4
T67. Paula Schulz-Hanssen, Arizona State 73-75-72=220/+4
T133. Patience Rhodes, Arizona State 81-73-73=227/+11
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 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 NCAA title. ASU 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 fourth round
The Sun Devils will play with xxx and xxx at xx a.m. on Monday.
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 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. Nobody knew how to win at the NCAA Championship more than 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 in 1990, 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. ASU's eight NCAA titles are 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.
Not easy to make it, NCAA regionals can be brutal
Thirty teams make the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship, but many top-30 ranked teams don’t. In 2026 seven top-30 teams heading into regional action didn’t make the cut. Oregon (8), Vanderbilt (13), UCF (14), UCLA (15), Mississippi State (17), Oklahoma (23) and Kent State (28) all are missing the finals. Big 12 teams to advance besides ASU (22) were Iowa State (18), Oklahoma State (20), Baylor (26), Houston (30) and Texas Tech (48).