The No. 23 Arizona State women’s golf team is chasing its ninth national championship and first since 2017. If it accomplishes that domestic feat, it will do so with a lineup made up entirely of international players.
Missy Farr-Kaye has tutored many domestic players in her 11 years as ASU’s coach, but she is enjoying this team’s decidedly international flavor.
“It’s a lot of fun to go around the world to look for future Sun Devils,” Farr-Kaye said. “We’ve got an English player that’s going to be coming (and) we have two English players (already). We have an Italian coming next year. We have players from Ireland that have known our previous players from Ireland, and they trust each other, and they share with them how great it is to be here and be a Sun Devil golfer.”
ASU has a long history of bringing in international players. Anna Nordqvist (Sweden), Carlota Ciganda (Spain), Linn Grant (Sweden), Azahara Muñoz (Spain), Alexandra Försterling (Germany), Alessandra Fanali (Italy), Olivia Mehaffey (Ireland) and Louise Stahle (Sweden) are just some of the big names that have come through Tempe this millennium.
English golfer Patience Rhodes, a redshirt junior at ASU, said one of the plusses of having such an international cast of players is the ease with which they bond due to their similar backgrounds.
“I love it,” Rhodes said. “I think we all bond because we’re all far away from home, and it’s just nice to be in the same boat as someone else and you get to speak to people and they understand you and what you’re going through.”
English golfer Isla McDonald-O’Brien said ASU was an easy choice after talking to the staff while being scouted.
“The coaches come over to Europe,” she said. “They meet us at events and recruit us. Then we get in contact with them, and then I came on a visit, and now I’m here.”
McDonald-O’Brien said knowing Rhodes had a similar heritage helped when picking a school.
“Me and Patience were on an England squad together for one year,” McDonald-O’Brien said. “Then she came out to ASU and I was like ‘Wow, I want to follow her.’ So when it came to recruiting I did look where there were English people just to see, because it’s nice to have that connection.”
Also on the team are Denmark’s Johanna Axelsen, Thailand’s Pimpisa “Fai” Rubrong, Germany’s Paula Schulz-Hanssen and Ireland’s Beth Coulter and Kate Dillon.
On a heavily European team, freshman Rubrong is the exception. The college experience has been eye opening.
“In Thailand, it’s not common to go to college golf,” Rubrong said. “It’s a great experience to come to college golf here. I feel like I can know more about how college golf is working and how the team is going to be in the future.”
Farr-Kaye said current players play a role in the scouting process, sometimes becoming a deciding factor in whom the team decides to scout.
“Everybody on our roster is a big part of the future,” Farr-Kaye said. “Oftentimes when they’re here, I make sure they’re connected to our former players; really trying to make sure those connections are in place, and then they do a great job by the time they’re seniors to look out for the freshman.”
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