Cats Within Striking Distance in California
Mar 09, 2026 | Women's Golf
LA QUINTA, Calif. – The 26th-ranked Kansas State women's golf team recorded a pair of under-par rounds on Monday and is within two shots of first place following the first 36 holes of the Yale Invitational West held at the par-72, 6,304-yard Nicklaus Course at PGA WEST.
K-State enters Tuesday's final round in third place at 6-under par 570, two shots back of 10th-ranked Pepperdine and a stroke behind No. 38 Kansas.
The Wildcats, who carded a 4-under par 284 in the morning before a round of 2-under par 286 in the afternoon, saw four different individuals record a round in red figures on Monday, and each of those four players enter the final 18 holes in the top 20.
"We had a little bit of everything today," said head coach Stew Burke, whose squad leads the 10-team field by going even par on the par 4s and ranks second with 35 total birdies. "The ladies all battled the tough conditions and took turns covering each other's errors. We really didn't have our best stuff with us on the 36-hole day, but most importantly, we hung in there and kept ourselves within striking distance going into the final round. We must be a lot sharper tomorrow and cut out the unforced errors that really hindered our progress today. We know this is a tough golf course that can penalize poor decision making. However, it is a perfect test for our players as this is the level of difficulty we are going to face in the coming weeks and throughout the postseason."
The Wildcats are led by sophomore Nanami Nakashima, who is tied for sixth place at 2-under par 142. The Kani, Japan, product produced a first-round score of 4-under par 68 with six birdies before battling through a 2-over par round in the afternoon.
Senior Noa van Been and sophomore Kesley Chen each recorded red-figure scores in the second round, leading the duo into a tie for 13th-place at even-par 144. A native of Oene, Netherlands, and the reigning Big 12 Women's Golfer of the Week, van Beek bounced back from a tough morning round with a score of 4-under par 68 in the afternoon thanks to eight birdies.
Chen went 1-over par 73 in the first round before producing a consistent round of 1-under par 71 in the afternoon with two birdies and a bogey.
The round of the day was put together by freshman Casey Kang, who held the 18-hole lead with a score of 5-under par 67. The Lanzhou, China, native recorded eight birdies during the morning 18, including a bogey-free and 5-under par back 9. It was tied for the third-lowest round by a freshman in school history behind the 65 put up by current freshman Stalee Fields in the second round of the Schooner Fall Classic on a par-70 course in September, while Ella Adams carded a 65 during the first round of the 2018 Westbrook Invitational.
"Casey and Noa both came up with huge rounds for the team in the first and second round to keep us in contention," Burke said.
Kang was unable to carry that momentum into the second 18 as she is tied for 20th place at 2-over par 146.
Freshman Keen Visavapattamawan is in 41st place at 12-over par 156. She was able to rebound from an 11-over par opening round to turn in a counting score of 1-over par 73 in the afternoon.
Kansas' Lyla Louderbaugh is atop the individual leaderboard by three shots at 3-under par 136.
The final round of the Yale Invitational West is slated for an 8:15 a.m. (PT) shotgun start on Tuesday. Live results can be followed on SCOREBOARD powered by Clippd.
K-State enters Tuesday's final round in third place at 6-under par 570, two shots back of 10th-ranked Pepperdine and a stroke behind No. 38 Kansas.
The Wildcats, who carded a 4-under par 284 in the morning before a round of 2-under par 286 in the afternoon, saw four different individuals record a round in red figures on Monday, and each of those four players enter the final 18 holes in the top 20.
"We had a little bit of everything today," said head coach Stew Burke, whose squad leads the 10-team field by going even par on the par 4s and ranks second with 35 total birdies. "The ladies all battled the tough conditions and took turns covering each other's errors. We really didn't have our best stuff with us on the 36-hole day, but most importantly, we hung in there and kept ourselves within striking distance going into the final round. We must be a lot sharper tomorrow and cut out the unforced errors that really hindered our progress today. We know this is a tough golf course that can penalize poor decision making. However, it is a perfect test for our players as this is the level of difficulty we are going to face in the coming weeks and throughout the postseason."
The Wildcats are led by sophomore Nanami Nakashima, who is tied for sixth place at 2-under par 142. The Kani, Japan, product produced a first-round score of 4-under par 68 with six birdies before battling through a 2-over par round in the afternoon.
Senior Noa van Been and sophomore Kesley Chen each recorded red-figure scores in the second round, leading the duo into a tie for 13th-place at even-par 144. A native of Oene, Netherlands, and the reigning Big 12 Women's Golfer of the Week, van Beek bounced back from a tough morning round with a score of 4-under par 68 in the afternoon thanks to eight birdies.
Chen went 1-over par 73 in the first round before producing a consistent round of 1-under par 71 in the afternoon with two birdies and a bogey.
The round of the day was put together by freshman Casey Kang, who held the 18-hole lead with a score of 5-under par 67. The Lanzhou, China, native recorded eight birdies during the morning 18, including a bogey-free and 5-under par back 9. It was tied for the third-lowest round by a freshman in school history behind the 65 put up by current freshman Stalee Fields in the second round of the Schooner Fall Classic on a par-70 course in September, while Ella Adams carded a 65 during the first round of the 2018 Westbrook Invitational.
"Casey and Noa both came up with huge rounds for the team in the first and second round to keep us in contention," Burke said.
Kang was unable to carry that momentum into the second 18 as she is tied for 20th place at 2-over par 146.
Freshman Keen Visavapattamawan is in 41st place at 12-over par 156. She was able to rebound from an 11-over par opening round to turn in a counting score of 1-over par 73 in the afternoon.
Kansas' Lyla Louderbaugh is atop the individual leaderboard by three shots at 3-under par 136.
The final round of the Yale Invitational West is slated for an 8:15 a.m. (PT) shotgun start on Tuesday. 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.
Players Mentioned
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