Rhodes Leads Women's Golf on Day One of Mason Rudolph

By: Connor Smith

Franklin, Tenn. - Sun Devil Women's Golf opened the Mason Rudolph Championship with a solid effort on Friday.

Hosted at Vanderbilt Legends Club, the 23rd edition of the Mason Rudolph Championship features four teams from GOLF Channel's preseason Top-10. Arizona State fired a 281 (-7) in the first round, which has them in eighth place in the 16-team field. Mississippi State and South Carolina share the lead at -12, with a crowded leaderboard currently boasting nine teams within six shots of the lead.

The Sun Devils were led by redshirt sophomore Patience Rhodes, who delivered an excellent first round for the second straight tournament. She once again recorded a 68 (-4) to open an event, finding herself in a tie for fifth after day one. Not far behind are juniors Beth Coulter and Paula Schulz-Hanssen, who are tied for 22nd after carding 70s (-2). Senior Grace Summerhays had bright spots throughout the initial 18, as she finished with a team-high six birdies. Freshman Isla McDonald-O'Brien looks to build off of the two birdies she registered at the end of her round, including one on 18. 

Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye's team is still in contention for the team lead, with Patience Rhodes sitting only three strokes back in the individual race. The Sun Devils combined for 20 birdies as a team, tied for the third-most in the field. A big reason for their success was the play on par five opportunities, with the team finishing seven-under on those holes. Arizona State will attempt to make up ground in the second of three rounds starting tomorrow at 6:30 AM MST.

Live Scoring

Round breakdown
Patience Rhodes (68/-4/T5)
Birdies (X): Hole 3 (Par 3; 166 yards), Hole 4 (Par 5; 477 yards), Hole 6 (Par 4; 389 yards), Hole 9 (Par 4; 409 yards), Hole 13 (Par 4; 420 yards),

Beth Coulter (70/-2/T22)
Birdies (3): Hole 7 (Par 5; 508 yards), Hole 13 (Par 4; 420 yards), Hole 14 (Par 5; 547 yards)

Paula Schulz-Hanssen (70/-2/T22)
Birdies (3): Hole 4 (Par 5; 477 yards), Hole 9 (Par 4; 409 yards), Hole 15 (Par 4; 403 yards)

Grace Summerhays (73/+1/T58)
Birdies (6): Hole 2 (Par 4; 357 yards), Hole 4 (Par 5; 477 yards), Hole 7 (Par 5; 508 yards), Hole 11 (Par 4; 387 yards), Hole 12 (Par 3; 155 yards), Hole 18 (Par 5; 504 yards)

Isla McDonald-O'Brien (76/+4/T74)
Birdies (3): Hole 4 (Par 5; 477 yards), Hole 14 (Par 5; 547 yards), Hole 18 (Par 5; 504 yards)

Quotables
"Another great start for Patience," Coach Farr-Kaye stated following the round. "Well done today with four-under. Beth and Paula had a lot of lot of birdies today. Probably had a few too many bogeys, but other than that a pretty solid start. We're still right in the thick of the tournament. Tomorrow will be a good moving day for us. A lot of positives nad looking forward to another day tomorrow."

"I just thought of how many more holes I had left to play and I didn't get down on myself at the start," Patience Rhodes reflected after bouncing back from a bogey on hole one to shoot four-under.

Team standings

Individual standings

Tee times
Arizona State will begin the second round of the Mason Rudolph Championship on Saturday at 6:30 AM MST, with a new golfer starting their round every nine minutes on Hole 1. ASU will be paired with Northwestern and host school Vanderbilt.
 

The competition (Golf Channel preseason rankings)
The Mason Rudolph Championship once again features one of the most decorated fields in all of collegiate golf. Ranked teams include #2 Texas, #5 South Carolina, #9 Arizona State, #10 Northwestern, #11 Texas A&M, #12 Mississippi State, #14 Arizona, #19 Clemson, and host #23 Vanderbilt. In total, 11 of the GOLF Channel's preseason Top-30 teams in the country will be in Tennessee this weekend.

In the Field (16 Teams): Arizona State, Alabama, Arizona, Baylor, Chattanooga, Clemson, Georgia Southern, Kentucky, Lipscomb, Middle Tennessee State, Mississippi State, Northwestern, South Carolina, Texas, Texas A&M, Vanderbilt (Host)

The format
Holes: 54
Days: 3 (Fri-Sun)
Scoring: 5 count 4
Par: 72
Yardage: 6,491

The course
Since opening in 1992, Vanderbilt Legends Club has made its mark in the world of golf by receiving national recognition and accolades. The par 72 North Course, stretching 6,491 yards for this tournament, was designed by Hall of Fame golfer Tom Kite and world-renowned golf course architect, Bob Cupp. The greens are well undulated with the promise of multiple hole locations and the bunkers are large and boldly shaped. The course path provides an inspired variety of holes playing through lush fields and around lakes and streams. It is widely recognized as among the finest in Tennessee, having served as the hosts of many local, regional, and national amateur and professional competitions.

History at Mason Rudolph Championship
For the second consecutive season, Sun Devil Women's Golf is competing in the Mason Rudolph Championship. The 23rd edition of the event will be played at Vanderbilt Legends Club near Nashville, where host institution Vanderbilt is based. In 2023, Arizona State (-13/851) finished in fourth place as a team after posting a 285 (-3). The Maroon & Gold were the top finishing non-SEC team at the tournament played in the footprint of the league. The Sun Devils were led by sophomore Paula Schulz-Hanssen, who was fantastic on her way to a Top-5 finish. She completed the Mason Rudolph Invitational at 209 (-7), capping the event with a 69 (-3) to move into a tie for fifth. She was joined by Beth Coulter (T16th) and Grace Summerhays (T20th) in the Top-20 of a loaded individual field.

The Sun Devils matched what was then a program-low 54-hole score vs. par (-25) with a third-place finish back in 2017, their first appearance in the event since 2013. ASU also competed at the Mason Rudolph Invitational from 2007-09 and 2005. The Maroon & Gold will be tested with an early trip to the southeast part of the country, a potential landing spot for NCAA Regionals.

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.

Best rounds in 2024-25
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/-4 Patience Rhodes (Mason Rudolph Championship First Round/Sept. 20, 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)

Birdies by Sun Devil (2024-25 Season totals)
Patience Rhodes (16 birdies; 1 eagle)
Beth Coulter (16 birdies)
Paula Schulz-Hanssen (15 birdies)
Isla McDonald-O'Brien (12 birdies)
Grace Summerhays (9 birdies; 2 eagles)
Total (68 birdies; 3 eagles)

Career appearances
Grace Summerhays, 35 (32 stroke; 3 match)
Beth Coulter, 26 (23 stroke; 3 match)
Paula Schulz-Hanssen, 26 (23 stroke; 3 match)
Patience Rhodes, 13 (11 stroke; 2 match)
Isla McDonald-O'Brien, 2 (2 stroke)
Total 102 (91 stroke; 11 match)

Career Top-20 Finishes 
Grace Summerhays, 14 (7 Top-10)
Paula Schulz-Hanssen, 11 (4 Top-10)
Beth Coulter, 9 (3 Top-10)
Patience Rhodes, 5 (2 Top-10)
Total 39 (16 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
Live scoring for the Mason Rudolph Championship 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.