TEMPE – Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye’s squad was busy this summer.
Several student-athletes and alumni competed in different regions of the world in professional and amateur tournaments, it's time to look at what they accomplished this summer before the fall season begins at the Mason Rudolph Championship on Sept. 18 for the seven-time NCAA Champions.
Returning All-American and Big 12 Player of the Year
Patience Rhodes is back for Arizona State this season and is one of five Sun Devils returning who earned Big 12 Player of the Year honors in 2025-26. Rhodes also earned All-American honors for the second straight season after appearing in seven tournaments.
Despite missing part of the season due to injury, Rhodes finished in the top-15 in six of the seven tournaments she appeared in last year and had five top-10 finishes for the team. Additionally, she made her second appearance in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
This summer, she was part of the Curtis Cup for the second straight occurrence and went unbeaten in match play, going 4-0-0 for the weekend. Her success in match play translated to the 2026 Palmer Cup, where Rhodes went 3-0-1 and was the only team international player to go unbeaten. Her four points were critical in helping Team International defend the Palmer Cup for the second straight year.
In June, Rhodes finished ninth at the Women’s Amateur Championship, making it to the round of 8 and going 2-1 in match play. Rhodes would play in the European Team Championships, representing England, where they placed third.
The Bath, England native competed in the R&A Home International event and went 5-0-1 in match play, leading the women to a victory over Ireland, Scotland and Wales. Rhodes graduated from ASU this past spring with a bachelor's in sports business.
Kate the Great
In June, sophomore Kate Dillon won the inaugural East of Ireland Women’s Open with a birdie on the second playoff hole at Woodbook. Dillon made a long birdie on the 72nd hole to get into a playoff, where she finished the tournament at 3-under (216).
Dillon would represent Ireland at the European Team Championships, where she finished tied for second in stroke play, shooting 138 (-6) over the two days, helping Ireland qualify for match play.
The Galway, Ireland, native was selected for Team Ireland for Home Internationals earlier this month. Dillon went 3-2-1 in match play and scored 3.5 points to help Ireland win the overall title over England for the second time in the history of the event.
Dillon appeared in 31 rounds as a freshman for the team last season with a 72.5 scoring average in 11 tournaments. Dillon had a runner-up finish at the Wyoming Cowgirl Classic, shooting 14-under (202), and was tied for 20th at the Nanea Invitational at 2-under (217)
The Fai file
Sophomore Fai Rubrong had a successful freshman campaign, appearing in eight tournaments and having three top-15 finishes. Notably, she finished tied for second at the PING/ASU Invitational, hosted by the Sun Devils, at 7-under (209) and was fifth at the Dr. Donnis Invite at 3-under (210).
This summer, Rubrong competed in three Thai LPGA events on the Color Tour and won the Singha Red Lemon Soda at Laem Chabang Country Club at 4-under (68) on July 6. Later in July, she played in the SINGHA-NSDF Ladies Open and earned low amateur honors at 4-under (212) for the week, finishing 13th.
Welcome to the Valley
The team welcomes Natalia Aparicio, Amelia Wan and Isabella Cioe to the team this season. Aparicio is the team’s lone freshman and is the No. 1 girls player in Italy. She won the 2025 Italian Girls U18 National Championship. In July, she was tied for 13th at the European Ladies’ Amateur, shooting 4-under (288). In April, Aparicio won the Italian International Ladies Amateur Championship by two strokes, shooting 285 (-3) and has seven junior wins in her career.
The Sun Devils added Baylor transfer Amelia Wan and San Jose State transfer Isabella Cioe to the team this summer. Wan, who competed in 30 rounds for the Bears, had two top-15 finishes and eight rounds at par or better during her 2025-26 season. At the UCF Challenge, she filed a career-best round of 66 (-6) and would later finish tied for 10th, with 10 birdies for the weekend.
Cioe appeared in 34 rounds for the Spartans and 14 tournaments over two seasons. In the first round of the Illini Women’s Invitational last October, she shot a career-best 69 (-3) and was the top Spartan on the team, finishing 1-over (217) for the weekend. Cioe earned a win in the Battle of the Bay against No. 1 Stanford, with a 2-and-1 win over Paula Martin Sampedro with five birdies and never trailed against the then-No. 5-ranked NCAA player.
Pro Devils on tour
At the professional level, Anna Nordqvist (2006-08), captain of Team Europe for the Solheim Cup, solidified her team for the biannual event earlier this month. Alumnae Carlota Ciganda (2008-10) and Linn Grant (2019-21), both qualified for spots on Nordqvist’s European squad for the Cup.
On the LET (Ladies European Tour), aluma Alexandra Forsterling (2018-22), has seven top-10 finishes this season. She was second at the Australian WPGA Championships last March, shooting 12-under (272) and placed third at the Amundi German Masters at 7-under (285). Forsterling was runner-up at the Swiss Ladies Open at 12-under. (201).
Aluma Beth Coulter (2022-26) went professional on July 28 and three days later won her debut on the LET Access Tour, winning her home tournament in Ireland in a sudden-death playoff.
Coulter shot 5-under (211) and made two birdies in the final five holes to force a playoff, becoming the first Irish woman to win on home soil. The win earned her an exemption into the KPMG Women’s Irish Open. One week later, she finished as runner-up in a playoff at the CSK Steel Women’s Open in Denmark.
Grace Summerhays appeared in her first professional tournament at the Utah Women’s Open on August 3-4, finishing tied for fourth at 6-under (138).
WGCA scholars
Five members of Sun Devil Women’s Golf were selected as Academic All-American Scholars. Paula Schulz-Hanssen, Patience Rhodes, Kate Dillon, Fai Rubrong, and Johanna Axelsen were recognized for their efforts and achievements in the classroom.
This is the 21st consecutive year that at least one Sun Devil was named an All-American Scholar. In total, the Arizona State Women’s Golf program has had 92 individuals earn the academic distinction since the National Golf Coaches Association established the annual award in 1988, with 45 of those coming since Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye took over prior to the 2015-16 season.
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