KANE'OHE — After 23 years it is very clear that the Donnis Thompson Invitational is not your brother's golf tournament.

Ninth-ranked Oklahoma State won the team title by overtaking seventh-ranked Arizona and holding third-ranked Arizona State at bay in yesterday's final round at Kane'ohe Klipper. University of Hawai'i coach Ashley Biffle, whose team took fourth, oversaw it all with her 4-month-old daughter in her arms. The young sons of UH Special Events Coordinator Joyce (Antonio) Kong and first-year Rainbow Wahine assistant Bobbi Arakawa slept stroller-to-stroller.

As Arizona's Alison Walshe closed out a five-shot individual victory over seemingly the entire Cowgirl roster, Betty Dowd, 83, brought out the congratulatory lei. Dowd, who has volunteered at all 23 invitationals, picked the flowers on the sixth and 11th holes. She knocked out the winner's lei in 20 minutes and talked about back in the day, when the tournament had a banquet where coaches were required to learn the hula and the pineapples that marked the tees were cut up on the final day and sent home with teams. One year a Marine who was volunteering for Dowd met a player from Washington State. They are now married and have a child.

Indeed. This is not your brother's golf tournament.

This year it belonged to Oklahoma State, which returned after a long absence — the Cowgirls won here in 2001 and 2002 — and finally chased down seven-time champion Arizona yesterday for its second win in a month. The winners closed with a 5-over-par 293 to finish at 16-over 880 — 101 shots better than 15th-place UH-Hilo. The NCAA Division II Vulcans beat out Montana State to stay out of last.

Oklahoma State junior Pernilla Lindberg, ranked eighth nationally, rode the day's best round — even-par 72 — to second place. Teammates Tamasin Clelland — the team's only senior — and Karin Kinnerud, Jaclyn Sweeney and Amanda Johnson all finished in the top 10.

This tournament also belonged to Walshe, the sixth-ranked senior who parlayed an opening-round 66 into her fifth collegiate victory and was the only golfer to finish under par. UH senior Lisa Kajihara shot 70 Tuesday, for the next-best score of the week.

No one broke par yesterday and there were only five sub-par scores in the tournament as winds up to 30 mph wreaked havoc on the relatively short Klipper course. Six golfers shot in the 90s yesterday.

"My coach asked me how many days a week it's windy here," said Gonzaga senior Sarah Sheffield, a Kea'au graduate. "I said seven."

It didn't seem to bother Oklahoma State. "We know about playing in the wind a little bit," said coach Laura Matthews.

And they know what they are getting into when they come to Hawai'i. Biffle tells teams flat out in her email invitation that this tournament will be more laid back than any other. Once Matthews was sure the Arizona schools would be here to strengthen the field, she was ready to give her team a spring break with a mission.

The Cowgirls' mission was accomplished yesterday. They will be on the beach until tomorrow.

The Rainbow Wahine, 31 shots behind the ranked teams yesterday but 22 in front of every other team, have work to do. They are ranked 75th this week and need to get into the top 53 to return to the NCAA regionals, or beat 38th-ranked San Jose State at next month's Western Athletic Conference Championship.

Kajihara (78—225) tied for ninth and Carolina Perez 84—234 shared 17th. Senior Xyra Suyetsugu (82—236) followed in 23rd and Corie Hou (79—239) was 33rd. Phyllis Lai (83—237), playing as an individual, tied for 24th.

NOTE

Donnis Thompson, who started the UH women's athletic program, will be honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Association of College Women Athletics Administrators in October at Atlanta.

Reach Ann Miller at amiller@honoluluadvertiser.com.