Completed Event: Women's Golf at Rainbow Wahine Invitational on October 20, 2025 , , 12th of 19
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at Rainbow Wahine Invitational
12th of 19
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Vakasiuola keeps in striking distance of individual title
5/12/2026 2:45:00 PM | Women's Golf
GCU freshman leads Ann Arbor Regional in birdies after 2 rounds
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – It wasn't about the start of Grand Canyon freshman Alexis Vakasiuola's second round at the NCAA Ann Arbor Regional, but rather the finish.
In Day 2 at University of Michigan Golf Course, the golfer aspiring to be the first Lope to compete at an NCAA Division I National Championship, bogeyed her first three holes and four of her first five Tuesday.
Yet, Vakasiuola leads the 66-player field in birdies with 10 through two rounds, tallying three in a row between holes 6-8 and adding one more for good measure on No. 17 to leave the course 1 over par through 36 holes.
That score is tied for 11th among the entire field and is just two shots back of UCF's One Kashima and Minnesota's Isabella McCauley, who share the individual lead entering Wednesday's final round.
The individual title goes to the low 54-hole score from a player who is not a part of the five advancing teams. After two rounds, Vakasiuola is right in the mix to keep her season going May 22-27 in Carlsbad, California, at NCAAs.
Like Monday's first round, Vakasiuola's opening hole started with a bogey and she proceeded with bogeys on Holes 2 and 3. After four bogeys through her first five holes, all the San Tan Valley native needed was one birdie to fight off the nerves and get her rhythm back.
She chipped to about 5 feet on the par-4 sixth hole and sank a birdie putt. She did the exact same thing on the par-4 seventh and put a tee shot within 8 feet on the par-3 eighth, drilling both birdie putts to flip her scorecard from 4 over to 1 over on the round.
From there, Vakasiuola played par golf. Over her last 10 holes, she notched eight pars with one bogey and a birdie. She was paired with Michigan's Lauren Sung for the second consecutive day and McCauley from Minnesota, who had the best second-round score of all golfers at 4 under. Vakasiuola started to match McCauley's scores on the back nine, leading her to a confidence-building finish.
Vakasiuola has a tournament-best 10 birdies, one more than overall leader Ashley Yun of Northwestern. While she struggled on par-5 holes Tuesday, she is tied for first in par-3 scoring average at 2.88.
One last round remains in Ann Arbor on Wednesday morning, with weather high winds and light rain looming in the forecast. Vakasiuola will start at 6:50 a.m. (Phoenix time) on the first hole with McCauley and her Minnesota teammate Mariana Mesones.
In Day 2 at University of Michigan Golf Course, the golfer aspiring to be the first Lope to compete at an NCAA Division I National Championship, bogeyed her first three holes and four of her first five Tuesday.
Yet, Vakasiuola leads the 66-player field in birdies with 10 through two rounds, tallying three in a row between holes 6-8 and adding one more for good measure on No. 17 to leave the course 1 over par through 36 holes.
That score is tied for 11th among the entire field and is just two shots back of UCF's One Kashima and Minnesota's Isabella McCauley, who share the individual lead entering Wednesday's final round.
The individual title goes to the low 54-hole score from a player who is not a part of the five advancing teams. After two rounds, Vakasiuola is right in the mix to keep her season going May 22-27 in Carlsbad, California, at NCAAs.
Like Monday's first round, Vakasiuola's opening hole started with a bogey and she proceeded with bogeys on Holes 2 and 3. After four bogeys through her first five holes, all the San Tan Valley native needed was one birdie to fight off the nerves and get her rhythm back.
She chipped to about 5 feet on the par-4 sixth hole and sank a birdie putt. She did the exact same thing on the par-4 seventh and put a tee shot within 8 feet on the par-3 eighth, drilling both birdie putts to flip her scorecard from 4 over to 1 over on the round.
From there, Vakasiuola played par golf. Over her last 10 holes, she notched eight pars with one bogey and a birdie. She was paired with Michigan's Lauren Sung for the second consecutive day and McCauley from Minnesota, who had the best second-round score of all golfers at 4 under. Vakasiuola started to match McCauley's scores on the back nine, leading her to a confidence-building finish.
Vakasiuola has a tournament-best 10 birdies, one more than overall leader Ashley Yun of Northwestern. While she struggled on par-5 holes Tuesday, she is tied for first in par-3 scoring average at 2.88.
One last round remains in Ann Arbor on Wednesday morning, with weather high winds and light rain looming in the forecast. Vakasiuola will start at 6:50 a.m. (Phoenix time) on the first hole with McCauley and her Minnesota teammate Mariana Mesones.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
Friday, February 07