GOLD CANYON, Ariz. - Sun Devil Women's Golf kicked off the Spring Season at the Match in the Desert on Monday.
Arizona State (+5/293) finished in second place at the seven-team event that took place at Superstitation Mountain Golf and Country Club in Gold Canyon, Arizona. It was the first chance for ASU fans to check out their team in the state of Arizona and the action did not dissapoint. Several Sun Devils had standout performances in their return to the course.
Leading the way for the Maroon and Gold was the duo of Isla McDonald-O'Brien (-2/70) and Paula Schulz-Hanssen (-1/71). They each finished in the Top-5 of the 44-golfer field thanks to rounds under par. McDonald-O'Brien finished with six birdies, the most of any golfer. Grace Summerhays (T15th) also finished in the top half of the field, helping the Sun Devils secure a second place finish. Arizona State beat out defending NCAA runner-up No. 17 Texas A&M, who finished in third. A big reason for the sucess of Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye's team was the play on par three opportunities, which was the best of any team at the tournament. The squad has a quick turnaround, as they get ready to head to California for the Therese Hession Regional Challenge running Feb. 2-4.
Final standings | Tournament Stats
Round breakdown
Isla McDonald-O'Brien
Finish: 2nd
Round: 70 (-2)
Birdies (6): Hole 6 (Par 4; 346 yards), Hole 8 (Par 3; 150 yards), Hole 11 (Par 4; 380 yards), Hole 12 (Par 3; 163 yards), Hole 13 (Par 5; 505 yards), Hole 18 (Par 5; 508 yards)
Paula Schulz-Hanssen
Finish: 4th
Round: 71 (-1)
Birdies (3): Hole 13 (Par 5; 505 yards), Hole 14 (Par 4; 304 yards), Hole 18 (Par 5; 508 yards)
Grace Summerhays
Finish: T15th
Round: 75 (+3)
Birdies (1): Hole 13 (Par 5; 505 yards)
Patience Rhodes
Finish: T25th
Round: 77 (+5)
Birdies (1): Hole 10 (Par 4; 336 yards)
Beth Coulter
Finish: T29th
Round: 78 (+6)
Birdies (2): Hole 11 (Par 4; 380 yards), Hole 18 (Par 5; 508 yards)
Quotables
"We struggled out of the gate in some unfriendly weather conditions, but I was proud of how we rallied on the back nine," Coach Farr-Kaye observed. "Great performances by both Isla and Paula to finish in the Top-5. Any time you can finish ahead of a strong program that is the defending NCAA runner-up like Texas A&M, it is a positive going forward."
Team Standings
| Place | Team | 1 | To Par |
| 1 | #24 Kansas | 290 | +2 |
| 2 | #7 Arizona State | 293 | +5 |
| 3 | #17 Texas A&M | 295 | +7 |
| 4 | #33 Purdue | 299 | +11 |
| 5 | #39 San Jose State | 300 | +12 |
| 6 | #27 Baylor | 303 | +15 |
Individual Standings
| Place | Player | 1 | To Par |
| 1 | Lily Hurst, Kansas | 69 | -3 |
| T2 | Isla McDonald-O'Brien | 70 | -2 |
| 4 | Paula Schulz-Hanssen | 71 | -1 |
| T15 | Grace Summerhays | 75 | +3 |
| T25 | Patience Rhodes | 77 | +5 |
| T29 | Beth Coulter | 78 | +6 |
The Competition (Scoreboard Rankings)
The Match in the Desert features an abbreviated field of only seven teams at the one day event. Six of the Top-40 teams in the nation will begin their Spring season in Gold Canyon. Arizona State is the highest ranked of the group at No. 7, followed by No. 17 Texas A&M. Host Kansas is the other Top-25 team coming in at No. 24, with Baylor (#27) just on the outside looking in. Purdue (#33) and San Jose State (#39) both boast NCAA Championship experience.
In the Field (7 Teams): Baylor, Eastern Michigan, Kansas (Host), Purdue, San Jose State, Texas A&M
The Course
For the third-straight year, the Match in the Desert took place at the Prospector Course at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club. The par-72 course was designed by Jack Nicklaus and his son, Gary. It has played host to several LPGA and other professional events since it opened in 1998.
History at Match in the Desert
This is the seventh consecutive edition of the Match in the Desert that the program has competed in and third held at Prospector Golf Course at Superstition Mountain Golf and Country Club. Arizona State won three-straight team titles at this event, coming away with victories in 2019, 2020, and 2022. The 2021 edition was reduced to an intra-squad round for the Sun Devils due to COVID-19. In the 2022 Match in the Desert, Alexandra Forsterling finished in second place on her way to earning Pac-12 Golfer of the Month honors for January of 2022. Arizona State finished at the top of an outstanding field that included No. 2 Oklahoma State, capturing their third consecutive Match in the Desert team championship.
In the 2024 version, Arizona State (-9/279) put together a terrific score resulting in a third-place finish. Ashley Menne led the way with an outstanding performance, carding a 66 (-6) on her way to earning second place at the 34-golfer event.
Up Next
Therese Hession Regional Challenge – Feb. 2-4 (Palos Verdes, CA)
The former Northrup Grumman Regional Challenge was renamed in honor legendary women's golf coach Therese Hession in 2022. This will be Arizona State's second straight appearance in the event and third since 2020. The 30th edition of the event will be held at Palos Verdes Golf Club, a place Coach Farr-Kaye is very familiar with. Back in 2020, Olivia Mehaffey (-5/208) put together three consecutive rounds under par on her way to a second-place finish. She continued her dominance of the Palos Verdes Golf Club, earning silver in a loaded field less than a year after capturing the 2019 Pac-12 Championship at the same location. ASU has won the Regional Challenge team title twice (2006, 2009) and has had an individual medalist four times (Juliana Murcia in 2009, Carlota Ciganda in 2011, Monica Vaughn in 2016, Olivia Mehaffey in 2018).
A year ago, the final day of the Therese Hession Regional Challenge was cancelled due to rain. The tournament, which was originally scheduled for three stroke-play rounds from Feb. 4-6, was moved up a day due to the weather conditions. The format was also switched from traditional stroke-play to a bracket-style Match Play setup. Arizona State went 1-2 in their matches, defeating Pepperdine and losing to Texas and host Ohio State.
In the Field (15 Teams): Arizona, California, Cal Poly, Clemson, Georgetown, Miami, Ohio State, Oregon, Pepperdine, San Jose State, South Carolina, Texas (Host), UCLA, USC
2024-25 Arizona State Women's Golf Schedule
Arizona State will be tested throughout the campaign as Coach Farr-Kaye built one of the nation's toughest slates once again. The Maroon and Gold will compete in a total of ten regular season events, five in the Fall and five in the Spring. The postseason begins April 15 at the Big 12 Championship, with NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships scheduled for the month of May.
ANNIKA Intercollegiate – Sept. 9-11 (Lake Elmo, MN)
Mason Rudolph Championship – Sept. 20-22 (Franklin, TN)
Windy City Collegiate Classic – Sept. 30 - Oct. 1 (Wilmette, IL)
Stanford Intercollegiate – Oct. 18-20 (Stanford, CA)
Nanea Invitational - Oct. 28-30 (Kailua-Kona, HI)
Match in the Desert – January 27 (Gold Canyon, AZ)*
Therese Hession Regional Challenge – Feb. 2-4 (Palos Verdes, CA)
Darius Rucker Intercollegiate – March 3-5 (Hilton Head Island, SC)
Clover Cup – March 10-12 (Litchfield Park, AZ | Wigwam Golf Club)*
PING/ASU Invitational – March 28-30 (Phoenix, AZ | Papago Golf Club)*
Big 12 Championship – April 15-17 (Hockley, TX)
NCAA Regionals – May 5-7 (Columbus, Ohio; Lexington, Kentucky; Norman, Oklahoma; Lubbock, Texas; Charlottesville, Virginia; Gold Canyon, Arizona)*
NCAA Championship – May 16-21 (La Costa, CA; Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Champions Course)
Italicized = Home Tournament
*Held in the state of Arizona
Empty the notebook
- Arizona State is one of ten teams that made the 2024 NCAA Championship and returns four members from that team.
- The Sun Devils will face a team in the Top-10 of GOLF Channel's preseason rankings a total of 28 times this year.
- Missy Farr-Kaye enters her ninth season as the Head Coach of Sun Devil Women's Golf. She is tied with Bobby Hurley (Men's Basketball) and Greg Powers (Hockey) as the second-longest tenured Sun Devil Athletics Head Coach. She trails only Zeke Jones, who is getting ready for his 10th year at the helm of the Sun Devil wrestling program.
- ASU has the chance to play in the state of Arizona up to four times this year. Regular season events have them playing Superstition Mountain Golf Club (Gold Canyon), Wigwam Golf Club (Litchfield Park), and Papago Golf Club (Phoenix). Should they qualify for a regional, the Sun Devils would compete at Superstition Mountain Golf Club a second time, serving as one of six regional hosts.
Top finishes in 2024-25
---> T2nd - Isla McDonald-O'Brien, Match in the Desert*
---> 4th - Paula Schulz-Hanssen, Match in the Desert*
T5th - Beth Coulter, Stanford Intercollegiate
T5th - Patience Rhodes, Windy City Collegiate Classic
T5th - Patience Rhodes, Mason Rudolph Championship
T6th - Isla McDonald-O'Brien, Nanea Invitational
T6th - Patience Rhodes, ANNIKA Intercollegiate
T9th - Paula Schulz-Hanssen, Nanea Invitational
T9th - Beth Coulter, ANNIKA Intercollegiate
T10th - Beth Coulter, Windy City Collegiate Classic
T10th - Paula Schulz-Hanssen, Windy City Collegiate Classic
T12th - Patience Rhodes, Nanea Invitational
14th - Paula Schulz-Hanssen, ANNIKA Intercollegiate
---> T15th - Grace Summerhays, Match in the Desert*
T15th - Isla McDonald-O'Brien, Windy City Collegiate Classic
T16th - Paula Schulz-Hanssen, Mason Rudolph Championship
T18th - Grace Summerhays, Nanea Invitational
T18th - Grace Summerhays, Windy City Collegiate Classic
T18th - Isla McDonald-O'Brien, Stanford Intercollegiate
T20th - Beth Coulter, Nanea Invitational
20 total Top-20 finishes; 11 Top-10 finishes by Sun Devils this year
*One-day, 18-hole event
Best rounds in 2024-25
67/-6 Isla McDonald-O'Brien (Nanea Invitational First Round/Oct. 28, 2024)
67/-5 Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Mason Rudolph Championship Third Round/Sept. 22, 2024)
67/-5 Patience Rhodes (Mason Rudolph Championship Second Round/Sept. 21, 2024)
68/-4 Isla McDonald-O'Brien (Mason Rudolph Championship Third Round/Sept. 22, 2024)
68/-4 Patience Rhodes (Mason Rudolph Championship First Round/Sept. 20, 2024)
68/-4 Beth Coulter (ANNIKA Intercollegiate Third Round/Sept. 11, 2024
68/-4 Paula Schulz-Hanssen (ANNIKA Intercollegiate Third Round/Sept. 11, 2024)
68/-4 Patience Rhodes (ANNIKA Intercollegiate First Round/Sept. 9, 2024)
68/-3 Beth Coulter (Stanford Intercollegiate First Round/Oct. 18, 2024)
69/-3 Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Windy City Collegiate Classic Second Round/Sept. 30, 2024)
69/-2 Beth Coulter (Stanford Intercollegiate Second Round/Oct. 19, 2024)
70/-3 Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Nanea Invitational First Round/Oct. 28, 2024)
70/-3 Patience Rhodes (Nanea Invitational Third Round/Oct. 30, 2024)
---> 70/-2 Isla McDonald-O'Brien (Match in the Desert/Jan. 27, 2025)
70/-2 Patience Rhodes (Windy City Collegiate Classic Third Round/Oct. 1, 2024)
70/-2 Beth Coulter (Windy City Collegiate Classic Second Round/Sept. 30, 2024)
70/-2 Beth Coulter (ANNIKA Intercollegiate Second Round/Sept. 10, 2024)
70/-2 Patience Rhodes (ANNIKA Intercollegiate Third Round/Sept. 11 2024)
70/-2 Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Mason Rudolph Championship First Round/Sept. 20, 2024)
70/-2 Beth Coulter (Mason Rudolph Championship First Round/Sept. 20, 2024)
70/-1 Paula Schulz-Hanssen (Stanford Intercollegiate First Round/Oct. 18, 2024)
70/-1 Isla McDonald-O'Brien (Stanford Intercollegiate First Round/Oct. 18, 2024)
70/-1 Isla McDonald-O'Brien (Stanford Intercollegiate Second Round/Oct. 19, 2024)
70/-1 Beth Coulter (Stanford Intercollegiate Third Round/Oct. 20, 2024)
24 total rounds of 70 or lower
Birdies by Sun Devil (2024-25 Season totals)
Paula Schulz-Hanssen (64 birdies)
Isla McDonald-O'Brien (63 birdies)
Beth Coulter (49 birdies)
Patience Rhodes (48 birdies; 1 eagle)
Grace Summerhays (43 birdies; 4 eagles)
Total (267 birdies; 5 eagles)
Career appearances
Grace Summerhays, 39 (36 stroke; 3 match)
Beth Coulter, 30 (27 stroke; 3 match)
Paula Schulz-Hanssen, 30 (27 stroke; 3 match)
Patience Rhodes, 16 (14 stroke; 2 match)
Isla McDonald-O'Brien, 6 (6 stroke)
Total 116 (105 stroke; 11 match)
Career top-20 finishes
Grace Summerhays, 17 (7 Top-10)
Paula Schulz-Hanssen, 15 (7 Top-10)
Beth Coulter, 12 (5 Top-10)
Patience Rhodes, 8 (4 Top-10)
Isla McDonald-O'Brien, 4 (2 Top-10)
Total 56 (25 Top-10)
Fantastic five
Patience Rhodes, Grace Summerhays, Paula Schulz-Hanssen, and Beth Coulter all return having gained another year of valuable experience. Highly-touted incoming freshman Isla McDonald-O'Brien joins the program, forming a talented 2024-25 roster under the direction of Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye and Assistant Coach Mikayla Tatman.
How to follow
Final standings for the Match in the Desert can be found at the following link. For the latest updates and information on the Sun Devil Women's Golf program, follow our Twitter/Instagram accounts (@SunDevilWGolf), like our Facebook page (facebook.com/sundevilwgolf/), and visit our website (sundevils.com). Find Coach Farr-Kaye (@missymkaye) and Coach Tatman (@CoachMikayla_) on X as well.