Monday, March 9
La Quinta, Calif.
Kansas State University
vs
Yale Invitational West
Wildcats Set for Yale Invitational West
Mar 06, 2026 | Women's Golf
MANHATTAN, Kan. – Coming off a school-record 54-hole score of 27-under par 837 to finish in third place two weeks ago, the 29th-ranked Kansas State women's golf team is set to face a tough test as the Wildcats compete in the Yale Invitational West, Monday and Tuesday, held at the par-72, 6,304-yard Nicklaus Course at PGA WEST in La Quinta, California.
The Wildcats are looking to improve off an eighth-place finish in this event a year ago, the first time ever K-State competed on the course known as The Western Home of Golf.
"We are looking forward to getting right back to competition at PGA WEST," head coach Stew Burke said. "The Nicklaus Course hosted the PGA Tour American Express Championship, so we know it is going to be a tough test of golf. We will see a number of top teams in a tough field, which gives us the opportunity to test where we are nationally at the midway point of the spring. The ladies have played some nice golf individually – and in spells as a team – but we have not managed to put it all together as a group. It will be our job to put together a strategic plan of how to tackle each hole in the practice round and make sure that the ladies are ready to go and play freely from their first hole."
Kansas State is one of five programs in the 10-team field that ranks in the top 50 of the National Collegiate Golf Rankings along with No. 10 Pepperdine, No. 36 Cal State Fullerton, No. 37 Virginia Tech and No. 38 Kansas. The rest of the field includes Colorado State, Gonzaga, Princeton, San Diego State and Yale.
The Wildcats will utilize a younger lineup in this event with two sophomores and two freshmen making the trip west. Senior Noa van Beek leads the way, followed by sophomores Nanami Nakashima and Kelsey Chen, along with freshmen Keen Visavapattamawan and Casey Kang.
A native of Oene, Netherlands, van Beek is coming off her first collegiate victory at the Westbrook Invitational when she set a school record with a 54-hole score of 14-under par 202 en route to Big 12 Golfer of the Week honors. van Beek recorded a first-round total of 8-under par 64, which tied for the second-lowest round in school history and was her third round in the 60s this season before a final-round total of 5-under par 67 that guided her to a one-shot victory. The senior leads the Wildcats with a 71.20 scoring average this season, while her career average of 73.82 ranks third in program history.
Along with van Beek, Chen and Nakashima also hold sub-72.00 scoring averages at 71.90 and 71.96, respectively. Each of those three players have won individual titles in K-State's last three events, the first time in program history the Wildcats have accomplished that feat.
Chen, a native of Dalian, China, has a pair of top-five finishes this year, highlighted by her win at the Puerto Rico Classic at 10-under par 206. She is coming off a 3-under par 213 performance at the Westbrook Invitational as she tied for 28th place.
A product of Kani, Japan, Nakashima tied for 11th at the Westbrook Invitational at 7-under par 209. It was the fourth time this season she finished a three-round event under par, and it was her fifth top-20 finish in seven starts this season. She enters her 21st-career event ranked second in school history with a 73.26 career scoring average.
Visavapattamawan, a native of Bangkok, Thailand, is part of the scoring lineup for her seventh-straight event and holds a scoring average of 73.60. After finishing the fall with four top-20 finishes, she is looking to crack the top 20 for the first time this spring.
Kang is in the scoring lineup for the fourth time this season and first since the Powercat Invitational to close out the fall when the Lanzhou, China, native tied for 16th place.
The first two rounds of the Yale Invitational West will be contested on Monday with a shotgun start at 8:15 a.m. (PT), while Tuesday's final round will also carry an 8:15 a.m. start. Live results can be followed on SCOREBOARD powered by Clippd.
The Wildcats are looking to improve off an eighth-place finish in this event a year ago, the first time ever K-State competed on the course known as The Western Home of Golf.
"We are looking forward to getting right back to competition at PGA WEST," head coach Stew Burke said. "The Nicklaus Course hosted the PGA Tour American Express Championship, so we know it is going to be a tough test of golf. We will see a number of top teams in a tough field, which gives us the opportunity to test where we are nationally at the midway point of the spring. The ladies have played some nice golf individually – and in spells as a team – but we have not managed to put it all together as a group. It will be our job to put together a strategic plan of how to tackle each hole in the practice round and make sure that the ladies are ready to go and play freely from their first hole."
Kansas State is one of five programs in the 10-team field that ranks in the top 50 of the National Collegiate Golf Rankings along with No. 10 Pepperdine, No. 36 Cal State Fullerton, No. 37 Virginia Tech and No. 38 Kansas. The rest of the field includes Colorado State, Gonzaga, Princeton, San Diego State and Yale.
The Wildcats will utilize a younger lineup in this event with two sophomores and two freshmen making the trip west. Senior Noa van Beek leads the way, followed by sophomores Nanami Nakashima and Kelsey Chen, along with freshmen Keen Visavapattamawan and Casey Kang.
A native of Oene, Netherlands, van Beek is coming off her first collegiate victory at the Westbrook Invitational when she set a school record with a 54-hole score of 14-under par 202 en route to Big 12 Golfer of the Week honors. van Beek recorded a first-round total of 8-under par 64, which tied for the second-lowest round in school history and was her third round in the 60s this season before a final-round total of 5-under par 67 that guided her to a one-shot victory. The senior leads the Wildcats with a 71.20 scoring average this season, while her career average of 73.82 ranks third in program history.
Along with van Beek, Chen and Nakashima also hold sub-72.00 scoring averages at 71.90 and 71.96, respectively. Each of those three players have won individual titles in K-State's last three events, the first time in program history the Wildcats have accomplished that feat.
Chen, a native of Dalian, China, has a pair of top-five finishes this year, highlighted by her win at the Puerto Rico Classic at 10-under par 206. She is coming off a 3-under par 213 performance at the Westbrook Invitational as she tied for 28th place.
A product of Kani, Japan, Nakashima tied for 11th at the Westbrook Invitational at 7-under par 209. It was the fourth time this season she finished a three-round event under par, and it was her fifth top-20 finish in seven starts this season. She enters her 21st-career event ranked second in school history with a 73.26 career scoring average.
Visavapattamawan, a native of Bangkok, Thailand, is part of the scoring lineup for her seventh-straight event and holds a scoring average of 73.60. After finishing the fall with four top-20 finishes, she is looking to crack the top 20 for the first time this spring.
Kang is in the scoring lineup for the fourth time this season and first since the Powercat Invitational to close out the fall when the Lanzhou, China, native tied for 16th place.
The first two rounds of the Yale Invitational West will be contested on Monday with a shotgun start at 8:15 a.m. (PT), while Tuesday's final round will also carry an 8:15 a.m. 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.
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
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
K-State Women's Golf | Carla Bernat ANWA Recognition
Tuesday, November 11
K-State Women's Golf | Behind The Scenes Photoshoot
Tuesday, November 11
K-State Men's Golf | Wildcat Invitational
Tuesday, November 11
K-State WGOLF | Carla Bernat Augusta National Women's Amateur Recognition
Saturday, November 01
