(Photo: Courtesy of Sun Devil Athletics)
After only finishing inside the top-5 in two tournaments throughout the fall season, No. 21 Arizona State crossed the threshold of winter break, looking to find its footing and work its way up leaderboards. Unfortunately, the Sun Devils’ first two starts resulted in a seventh- and 11th-place finish, leaving them entering the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate trying to turn things around.
54 holes later, ASU (305/303/282) was left scratching its head yet again after finishing 16th with a score of 38-over-par at Long Cove Club in South Carolina on Wednesday. No. 9 Texas (279/288/287) ultimately claimed the win by two shots at two-over-par.
No one on the team even touched the tournament’s top-30, with all but one of them finishing in the red by double digits. The Sun Devils were also only able to post two individual rounds under par, both of which came in Wednesday’s closing round.
One of those two came from the Maroon and Gold’s lowest scorer, senior Paula Schulz-Hanssen. The German was able to notch six birdies in a final round three-under-par performance, ultimately finishing the tournament in 37th with a total score of 7-over-par.
The better of those two final rounds came from freshman Pimpisa Rubrong, who was able to close her tournament with a four-under-par 67, bringing her final score to 10-over-par. Her score finished second amongst the Sun Devils as her freshman campaign has started to show some promise.
Rubrong finished 14-over-par and 15-over-par in her first two starts in the Maroon and Gold, and while her score in South Carolina was not the prettiest, finishing second on the squad during a weekend when scoring was high shows her game is trending in the right direction.
Filling in behind her was sophomore Isla McDonald-O’Brien, who finished 12-under-par over the three days. The sophomore found some success in her first two rounds, combining for a score of 7-over-par, but it was ultimately her lack of birdies that held her back.
McDonald-O’Brien was only able to circle five birdies across her three scorecards while also double-bogeying hole 10 on both Tuesday and Wednesday. The Shrewsburyan seemingly found herself in slumps throughout the week, bogeying three or more consecutive holes twice.
Senior Beth Coulter and freshman Kate Dillon both finished at 16-over-par, bringing up the rear for ASU. Coulter struggled to keep the big scores off the card, finishing her last two rounds with a double and a triple bogey.
Dillion, on the other hand, bogeyed six out of her first nine holes on Sunday, racking up 12 shots over par on the front nine alone. She was able to rally on the back nine of her final round to get her Wednesday score back to level par.
The Longhorns were able to top the podium behind a stellar opening round performance where they fired five-under-par. While they struggled over the last two days, firing seven shots over par, they were ultimately able to hold off a charge from Florida State (287/283/286).
Junior Farah O’Keefe led the way for Texas, winning the individual title of the tournament with a seven-under-par. Junior Lauren Kim also notched a top-10 finish, sliding into the seventh slot with a one-under-par weekend.
The Seminoles rifled a one-under-par round on Monday, followed by a two-over-par round to close, but their three-over-par tournament entrance was ultimately their fatal flaw, holding them back.
Sophomore Elin Pudas Remler finished one shot off the lead for Florida State at six-under-par, as she was joined in the top ten by sophomore Sophia Fullbrook, who finished eighth at level par.
Arkansas also had a bid for the top spot after an excellent rebound following a 14-over-par Monday performance. After a 4-under-par Tuesday and even par closing effort, the Razorbacks were able to claw their way onto the podium with a third-place finish.
Ultimately, the Sun Devils’ struggles have been the biggest shock of their season, and that trend has continued into 2026. While they still have two tournaments before the Big 12 Conference Championships, time is slowly running out for them to turn things around.
ASU will take to the links next in the Aloha State, as it heads to Hawaii March 17-18 for the Dr. Donnis Invitational. It will take on what is likely one of its weakest fields of the season in an attempt to gain steam ahead of the postseason.
