Cats Kick Off New Season at Sam Golden Invitational

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Coming off the first NCAA Championship appearance in program history, the Kansas State women's golf team begins its quest to return to the national championship with the Sam Golden Invitational, Monday and Tuesday, at the par-72, 6,343-yard Oakmont Country Club in Corinth, Texas.

The Wildcats are coming off a season in which they set the school record with a 288.13 team scoring average, while they ranked first in wins (tied with 2), top-three finishes (7) and top-five finishes (tied with 9).

"We are really looking forward to getting our season started in Texas," said head coach Stew Burke, who enters his third year at the helm. "It has been a long wait for us as coaches since the NCAA Championship in May, especially since we are incredibly excited about the talented group of players that we brought in and the improvements that we have seen in our returners, not only through their play this summer, but over the first few weeks of practice."

Kansas State will be joined at Oakmont CC by host-school North Texas along with Central Arkansas, Louisville, Middle Tennessee, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico State, Texas State, Texas Tech, Tulane, Tulsa and UTSA.

This is the second time ever that the Wildcats will compete in North Texas' home fall event as they finished in 13th place at 9-over par 873 in September 2021.

The Wildcats will utilize the lineup of sophomore Nanami Nakashima, junior Alenka Navarro, freshman Stalee Fields, sophomore transfer Kelsey Chen and senior Noa van Beek. Freshman Keen Visavapattamawan will play as an individual.

"We had one of the most intense qualifiers I've ever watched as a coach where all eight players had a chance to travel right up until the final round," Burke said. "This will be a good test to start the year and build some momentum. As a coach, you can't ask for more at K-State – a competitive, hard-working group that is determined to better the results of last season."

A native of Kani, Japan, Nakashima had a solid freshman campaign in 2024-25 as she put together a 73.95 scoring average, which ranked ninth in program history and tops among freshmen. She posted three top-20 finishes, including a second-place finish at the season-opening Powercat Invitational. Nakashima put together a season-low round of 67 in the final round of the NCAA Lexington Regional to help the Wildcats advance to the NCAA Championship.

Navarro, a product of Mexico City, Mexico, enters her junior season ranked second in program history with a 73.68 career scoring average. She produced a 73.58 scoring average last season to rank sixth in school history with one top-five placing and six top-20 showings. One of her top-20 finishes was a tie for 14th place at the NCAA Championship.

Fields, who hails from Fort Worth, Texas, was ranked 71st nationally in the American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) rankings at the time of her signing last November. She was the 2023-24 Texas 6A Regional Champion and 2022-23 District Champion at Hebron High School.

A native of Dalian, China, Chen produced a 74.88 scoring average last year during her freshman season at Georgia Southern, helping the Eagles earn an appearance in the NCAA Championship. She had six top-20 finishes, including a sixth-place showing at the Puerto Rico Classic, while she tied for 16th place at the Sun Belt Championship.

A native of Oene, Netherlands, van Beek enters her senior season ranked fourth in school history with a career scoring average of 74.47. She was a member of the scoring lineup in all 13 events last season as she produced a 74.29 scoring average with one top-10 and three top-20 finishes. Her best finish of the season was a career-best showing of seventh place at the MountainView Collegiate with a score of 3-over par 219.

Visavapattamawan, a product of Bangkok, Thailand, comes to K-State with an impressive resume, which includes a victory at the TKG IPGA Championship in May 2024 with a score of 215 before claiming the TJGGA Open Championship with a 54-hole score of 213.

The Sam Golden Invitational begins Monday morning with an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start for the first 36 holes, while Tuesday's final round also carries an 8:30 a.m. shotgun start. Live results can be followed on SCOREBOARD powered by Clippd.

– k-statesports.com –

How to follow the Cats: For complete information on K-State Women's Golf, visit www.kstatesports.com and follow the team's social media channels on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Facebook.

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Players Mentioned

Kelsey Chen

Stalee Fields

Nanami Nakashima

Alenka Navarro

Noa van Beek

Keen Visavapattamawan

Kansas State University Athletics