K-State Tied for Sixth in Puerto Rico
Feb 01, 2026 | Women's Golf
RIO GRANDE, Puerto Rico – The Kansas State women's golf team posted a 36-hole score of 9-under par 567 on Sunday, as the Wildcats are tied for sixth place in the Puerto Rico Classic held at the par-72, 6,305-yard Grand Reserve Golf Club.
No. 26 K-State recorded a first-round total of 5-under par 283 before nearly equaling that mark in the afternoon at 4-under par 284. The Wildcats are tied with Michigan State and are only one shy back of No. 15 Ole Miss for fifth place, two shots away from No. 20 Northwestern for fourth place and five shots back of No. 33 LSU for third place.
"The ladies did a nice job today," head coach Stew Burke said. "Playing 36 holes in one day is not easy, especially on a course this challenging. They did a good job of getting off to a good start and hung in there through a few wobbles during the day. We did make some unforced errors, however that is to be expected early in the season. I know that they are looking forward to getting a chance to play tomorrow and potentially move up the leaderboard. Ultimately, I am really pleased with how they battled, and they kept themselves in it with five scores right up until the end."
Sophomore Kelsey Chen leads the Wildcats, as she is in seventh place with a two-round total of 6-under par 138. The Dalian, China, product tallied a first-round total of 4-under par 68, matching her previous career best in the final round of the 2025 NCAA Lexington Regional while playing for Georgia Southern. Chen came back with another red number in the afternoon at 2-under par 70. She will be looking for her second-straight top-10 showing after setting a career best with a third-place finish to wrap up the fall in the Powercat Invitational.
Another sophomore, Nanami Nakashima, is tied for 19th place at 3-under par 141. After recording an even-par score in the first round, the Kani, Japan, native came back with five birdies and an eagle on the par-5 18th hole to aid in a 3-under par 69 second-round total. It was her fifth round in the 60s this season after five in her entire freshman campaign.
Senior Noa van Beek is at 1-under par 143 and tied for 34th place thanks to a 71 in the second round that included two birdies and only one bogey. The Oene, Netherlands, product matched two bogeys with two birdies in an even-par round to open the spring.
Julia Ballester Barrio, who is making her scoring lineup debut in 2025-26, is tied for 47th place at 1-over par 145. She began her spring season with a score of 1-under par 71 in the first round, the first under-par round of her junior campaign.
Freshman Keen Visavapattamawan is tied for 81st place with a two-round total of 6-over par 150.
Fourth-ranked Arkansas holds a one-shot lead over No. 14 North Carolina at 22-under par 554. That mirrors the individual leaderboard where the Razorbacks' Abbey Schutte leads by one shot over the Tar Heels' Reagan Southerland at 12-under par 132.
The final round of the Puerto Rico Classic begins Monday morning with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. AT (5:30 a.m. CT). Live results can be followed on SCOREBOARD powered by Clippd.
No. 26 K-State recorded a first-round total of 5-under par 283 before nearly equaling that mark in the afternoon at 4-under par 284. The Wildcats are tied with Michigan State and are only one shy back of No. 15 Ole Miss for fifth place, two shots away from No. 20 Northwestern for fourth place and five shots back of No. 33 LSU for third place.
"The ladies did a nice job today," head coach Stew Burke said. "Playing 36 holes in one day is not easy, especially on a course this challenging. They did a good job of getting off to a good start and hung in there through a few wobbles during the day. We did make some unforced errors, however that is to be expected early in the season. I know that they are looking forward to getting a chance to play tomorrow and potentially move up the leaderboard. Ultimately, I am really pleased with how they battled, and they kept themselves in it with five scores right up until the end."
Sophomore Kelsey Chen leads the Wildcats, as she is in seventh place with a two-round total of 6-under par 138. The Dalian, China, product tallied a first-round total of 4-under par 68, matching her previous career best in the final round of the 2025 NCAA Lexington Regional while playing for Georgia Southern. Chen came back with another red number in the afternoon at 2-under par 70. She will be looking for her second-straight top-10 showing after setting a career best with a third-place finish to wrap up the fall in the Powercat Invitational.
Another sophomore, Nanami Nakashima, is tied for 19th place at 3-under par 141. After recording an even-par score in the first round, the Kani, Japan, native came back with five birdies and an eagle on the par-5 18th hole to aid in a 3-under par 69 second-round total. It was her fifth round in the 60s this season after five in her entire freshman campaign.
Senior Noa van Beek is at 1-under par 143 and tied for 34th place thanks to a 71 in the second round that included two birdies and only one bogey. The Oene, Netherlands, product matched two bogeys with two birdies in an even-par round to open the spring.
Julia Ballester Barrio, who is making her scoring lineup debut in 2025-26, is tied for 47th place at 1-over par 145. She began her spring season with a score of 1-under par 71 in the first round, the first under-par round of her junior campaign.
Freshman Keen Visavapattamawan is tied for 81st place with a two-round total of 6-over par 150.
Fourth-ranked Arkansas holds a one-shot lead over No. 14 North Carolina at 22-under par 554. That mirrors the individual leaderboard where the Razorbacks' Abbey Schutte leads by one shot over the Tar Heels' Reagan Southerland at 12-under par 132.
The final round of the Puerto Rico Classic begins Monday morning with a shotgun start at 7:30 a.m. AT (5:30 a.m. CT). 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.
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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