KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii – Sun Devil Women’s Golf is being led by a freshman through two rounds at the Nanea Invitational.
In a field that features three of the Top-10 teams in the latest Scoreboard rankings, No. 8 Arizona State (-10/574) is tied for third in the 11-team field. They trail No. 1 Stanford by eight strokes and No. 6 Texas by five, with No. 47 San Jose State and Colorado rounding out the rest of the Top-5. The Maroon and Gold combined for 38 birdies as a team through 36 holes, second-most in the field behind only tournament leader Stanford.
Freshman Isla McDonald-O’Brien was once again the standout, as she remains in contention for an individual title. She fired a 71 (-2), her second straight round under par. This has placed her in a tie for first place with two other golfers with only 18 holes remaining. McDonald-O’Brien is looking to become the first Sun Devil to win a title in her freshman year since Linn Grant in 2020. Joining McDonald-O’Brien in the Top-10 is junior Paula Schulz-Hanssen, who also delivered a round under par. Schulz-Hanssen is in a tie for ninth place and only four strokes off the pace after a six-birdie effort. Redshirt Freshman Patience Rhodes makes it three Sun Devils in the Top-20, as she finds herself even (146) and tied for 19th through two rounds. Both senior Grace Summerhays and junior Beth Coulter are part of the logjam at 26th place in the top-half of the 60-golfer field.
Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye‘s team is still in contention for the team lead, with Isla McDonald-O’Brien tied in the individual race. A big reason for the Sun Devils’ strong performance is their play on par-four opportunities. They have a 4.03 scoring average on such holes, the second-lowest in the field. Isla McDonald-O’Brien has done her best work on par-five holes, matching the best in the field with a 4.13 scoring average. Arizona State will look to finish the Fall season on a high note as the last of three rounds starts tomorrow at 10:30 AM MST.
Round breakdown
Isla McDonald-O’Brien (-8/138/T1)
Today’s Round: 71 (-2)
Birdies (6): Hole 2 (Par 4; 342 yards), Hole 4 (Par 5; 466 yards), Hole 5 (Par 4; 319 yards), Hole 6 (Par 5; 462 yards), Hole 13 (Par 5; 464 yards), Hole 18 (Par 5; 536 yards)
Paula Schulz-Hanssen (-4/142/T9)
Today’s Round: 72 (-1)
Birdies (5): Hole 4 (Par 5; 466 yards), Hole 7 (Par 4; 390 yards), Hole 12 (Par 4; 400 yards), Hole 15 (Par 4; 372 yards), Hole 16 (Par 4; 346 yards)
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