ASU women’s golf shows improvement, finishing 4th in Tennessee

(Photo: Sun Devil Athletics)

Nine days after Arizona State women’s golf’s flat-footed start in Minnesota, it ventured down south to the Volunteer State in search of a spark in the Mason Rudolph Championship at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tenn.

Vanderbilt (275/284/278) ultimately claimed victory in their home tournament at fifteen-under-par, largely due to a clutch six-under par closing round, overtaking the 36-hole-leaders, Mississippi State. Freshman and No. 1 prospect in the class of 2025, Elizabeth Rudisill (71/72/66) led the way for the Commodores’ closing rally with a five-under-par Sunday effort. The Sun Devils (285/292/283) found their stride in Franklin with a fourth-place eight-over-par finish following a 10th-place finish at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate.

The Maroon and Gold mounted a final-day surge, led by junior Beth Coulter (74/74/69) and redshirt sophomore Patience Rhodes (73/73/69), recording the second-best team score on Sunday with one-under-par.

Rhodes fired an impressive three-under-par round to cap off an exceptional weekend. The sophomore’s closing charge saw her climb 19 spots up the leaderboard, finishing 13th for the weekend at one-over-par.

Although her worst round came on the team’s best day, freshman Isla McDonald-O’Brien (68/72/73) was the standout for the Sun Devils this weekend. The Shrewsburyan came out swinging with a three-under-par first round. From there, she kept her nose to the grindstone, leading the way for ASU at even par, good enough for 12th on the weekend.

Coulter opened the weekend with two three-over-par finishes, but quickly found a rhythm in the final round. After dropping in a birdie to start, the sophomore was able to finish at two-under-par on Sunday, ending the weekend at four-over-par and tied 24th for the tournament.

German Junior Paula Schulz-Hanssen (70/73/73) also had a solid performance in Franklin. Schulz-Hanssen shot out of the gates early on, finishing the first day with an eagle on the par five 18th for a round of one-under-par. She followed that with two days of two-over-par golf to finish the weekend in a share of 24th place at four-over par.

Freshman Johanna Axelsen (72/71/72) played independently this weekend but had a striking performance regardless. The Dane posted a total score of two-over-par, which would have been the third lowest on the team, and was good enough for an individual 16th-place finish.

Freshman Kate Dillon (78/74/73) also made her debut this week after sitting out the ANNIKA Intercollegiate. Dillon saved her best for last with a two-over-par round to finish on Sunday.

After going through an early rough patch in Minnesota, the young squad hinted at future success in Tennessee. With fresh faces settling in, the Sun Devils could be primed for further success as the season continues.

ASU has the week off before it returns to the links on Sept. 29 at the Windy City Collegiate Classic. After winning outright last year, it will have to defend its title against a strong field, including Golfweek’s No. 1-ranked team: Stanford.