Sometimes you just need to go do the damn thing. That’s my challenge to Nelly Korda heading into Sunday’s final round of the Chevron Championship, the LPGA’s first major of the season. 

If you want to be a generational golfer (and Nelly, to her credit, has publicly stated as much), it’s impossible not to view this opportunity as a golden one in her chase for major title number two. She sits two behind leaders Allisen Corpuz and Angel Yin heading into the final round.

Viewed through any lens, Nelly Korda has had a wonderful career up to this point. She won her first career start on the then-Symetra Tour as an 18-year-old. She won for the first time on the LPGA tour as a 20-year-old in 2018, quickly chasing that with two more wins the next season. She really broke out in 2021, winning five times, including her first major championship at the KPMG Women’s PGA. Turning 25 years of age this July, she’s won eight times in total on the LPGA, including the aforementioned major. She’s been ranked inside the top five in the world since late 2019. She won an Olympic gold medal in 2020 at the Tokyo Games, and has two wins on the Ladies European Tour. Like I said, a fantastic career.

 far ahead of us is a fork in the path of Nelly Korda’s career. Down one track – maybe we call it the goat track – lies a Hall-of-Fame induction, a cache of major titles, and a place alongside somebody like Annika Sörenstam in the fore of modern golf history. Down the other track, the technician’s track, is a career most known for an impossibly beautiful, proficient golf swing, though not necessarily responsible for producing as many majors as we’d all believe such a masterpiece should yield.

Jordan Spieth, at last December’s PNC Championship, said of playing with Nelly Korda, “It’s like playing with Adam Scott. She swings it so sweet.” High praise from one of the best in the world, though a bit damning when we consider Scott’s accomplishments (one major title) relative those of his peers. Earlier this week, Nelly revealed to reporters that she has upwards of 6,000 videos of her swing on her phone. She has an obsessive passion for perfecting the aesthetic of her swing, but we know majors are won with any number of different looking swings, sometimes not nearly the prettiest.

Annika won her second major title (of 10 total) when she was 25 years old, a bit older than Nelly today. And though she would rattle off her final eight majors after the age of 30, that type of success in one's thirties has proven to be extremely fleeting in the women’s game. The larger point is, if Nelly is going to get to four majors, or seven majors, or perhaps beyond, she must have the ability to go take titles like today when they’re there for the taking. Wield that painstakingly perfect swing, those enormous talents and show us you’re a killer.

Nelly, for her part, has been very clear about which path she’s chasing. 

She told GOLF.com’s Dylan Dethier in a May 2022 cover piece

, “I want to be the best golfer in the world. I want to be the World Number 1, and I want to have the Grand Slam, and I want to work toward something no one’s ever done before.” Put simply, she yearns to be among the best of all time to tee it up on the LPGA tour. If that’s her goal, I believe it’s fair for us to want something similar.

This January, Nelly signed an endorsement deal with Nike. This was significant for the simple fact that Nike hasn’t really invested heavily in women’s golf since their big splash on teenage phenom Michelle Wie nearly two decades ago. That Nike believes enough in Nelly to sign her to what surely is a very lucrative deal speaks volumes to what Nelly Korda has achieved up to this point, but critically, also to what Nike expects Nelly to accomplish in the years to come. They’re famously in the business of peak athletic achievement, from Michael Jordan to Tiger Woods, Roger Federer to Serena Williams. Nike’s searching for generational greatness, and it’s impossible not to connect the dots to what Nelly is searching for herself.

Nelly will begin the final round at 8 under par. In the two strokes she needs to make up, there are five women ahead of her. They possess four tour wins between them and zero major championships. Corpuz, one of two women at 10-under, has never placed inside the top 20 at a major in her young career. Yin, also at 10-under, is wildly talented but also incredibly volatile. She’s banked exactly one tour top-10 since mid-July 2021.

The group of three women at 9 under includes Amy Yang, Megan Khang, and Albane Valenzuela. Yang is easily the most decorated amongst them, having won four times on the LPGA tour alongside a gaggle of top-10 finishes in majors, but at 33, she hasn’t exactly been relevant on the biggest stages since 2017. Khang is an absolute pitbull, to be sure, but finds herself still in search for a maiden tour victory since earning her card way back in 2016. Finally, Valenzuela is in uncharted territory, never finishing inside the top-20 at a major.

Taking nothing away from any of these women, all of whom have played phenomenal golf across three rounds at the Carlton Woods’ Nicklaus Course, none should strike an ounce of fear or trepidation within Korda.

This is her tournament to win or lose, and over the course of these eighteen holes today we’ll get to learn a lot about what Nelly Korda, the golfer, is all about. Will she take a significant step toward becoming the once-a-generation type player she craves to be? Can she show us she’s capable of being the world-beater Nike has bet on her to be, that American women’s golf craves? Or will it be a close call, an opportunity lost, for her and her picturesque swing? We shall find out.

Randy: A golden day for Nelly's second major

It’s that time again! You may be absorbed in the PGA Championship this weekend but I’d argue it’s absolutely not the most fun tournament being contested. That distinction goes to NCAA Division-I Women’s Golf championship, which kicks off Friday, May 17th. While television coverage won’t come until Monday, May 20th, you can follow along with the action thanks to 

. I said the exact same thing last year but it bears repeating—the women’s championship is the opening act of a two-part drama (the men begin their championship the week after the women) which is genuinely one of my favorite stretches within the golf calendar each and every year. It’s a perfect recipe of individual stroke play, passion-filled, team-based match play, and life-altering, yet wholly-intrinsic stakes. I urge you to check it out.

Friday, May 17th, through Wednesday, May 22rd, at Blessings Golf Club in Fayetteville, Arkansas.

Blessings celebrates its 15thyear of existence by playing host to the 2019 NCAA Championships. The home course of the Arkansas Razorbacks, it’s a Robert Trent Jones, Jr. design touched up more recently by Kyle Phillips. The private course was the brainchild of Tyson Foods chairman, John H. Tyson (if you want to enjoy some chicken nuggets while watching coverage be sure to also check out some of the warm, fuzzy press around Tyson’s practices. Yum!) Anyway, the course is par 72 (37-35) that can be stretched out to a comfy 7,900+ yards with a 79.1 rating and 153 slope. Exactly my type of track!

Two NCAA national championships will be awarded: one for the team champion and one for the individual champion.

The team format consists of 72 holes of stroke play to whittle the field from twenty-four programs to eight. The eight best teams are seeded 1 through 8 and square off in match play involving five duels. The team tournament from the quarterfinals through the finals is single elimination with individual matches consisting of 18 holes.

The individual format consists of the aforementioned 72 holes of stroke play. The low competitor from the competing twenty-four programs, plus an additional twelve individual qualifiers, is crowned the individual NCAA national champion.

: 4:00pm to 8:00pm EST (Final round of stroke play–individual champion crowned, plus match-play brackets finalized)

: 11:00am to 1:30pm EST (Team Quarterfinal Matches) AND 4:00pm to 8:00pm EST (Team Semifinal Matches)

: 4:00pm to 8:00pm (Team National Championship Matches)

As always, I couldn’t possibly tell you where to place your allegiance. Like last year, though, I’ve broken the field out in my own way which I hope will serve to help inform a rooting interest should you be searching (number in parenthesis next to each team is their 

There have been 36 NCAA D-I Women’s Golf Team national championships awarded throughout history. The following schools have won a combined 23 of them:

 –the Trojans have three team titles in their history. This year’s squad is led by sophomore Jennifer Chang, 3rd-ranked nationally. They’re young and deep, five players within the top-29, all sophomores or freshmen.

 –highest ranked player is sophomore Jaravee Boonchant (4th). Squad also features senior Virginia Elana-Carta, NCAA champion four years ago as a freshman, who comes in ranked 50th.

 –last year’s team champs will look to run it back with a very experienced squad. Haley Moore, who clinched the winning point last year on the 19th hole, is back. 

I urge you to read this piece on her by Golf Channel’s Ryan Lavner.

 –have won 8 team titles, most in NCAA history. This year’s team is led by junior Olivia Mehaffey, ranked 7th nationally.

 –led by sophomore Patty Tavatanakit who comes in ranked 8th this year and was low amateur at the 2018 US Women’s Open.

These programs have a team title to their name, all in this decade. Another title would catapult them up a level:

won their sole team title in 2010; highest ranked player is senior Melati Putri (91st). Will be a tall feat to make the knockout stage.

Andrea Lee, ranked 2nd nationally, leads the Cardinal. They captured the team title in 2015.

won the team title in 2016; an experienced group which is fronted by their youngest member, Rino Sasaki, ranked 60th nationally.

Between 1985 and 1992 these two programs won a combined 5 team titles, none since, however. They’d obviously love to change that:

 –great depth on this Gators team with five players ranked between 41st (Sierra Brooks) and 94th (Addison Baggarly). My opinion is completely uninformed but I look for them to make serious noise.

 –led by the dynamic duo of freshman Natasha Andrea Oon (31st ranked) and senior Abegail Arevalo (36th ranked). No other Spartans rank in the top-250. Can the rest of the squad step up?

Deep in the heart of SEC country in Fayetteville there are four tried-and-true SEC programs to pick from. Each is seeking their first team title:

–host squad should be at an advantage. 5th-ranked Maria Fassi leads the group.

 –10th-ranked Julie McCarthy leads War Eagle.

 –Julia Johnson, ranked 57th, leads Ole Miss. They have an uphill climb facing them this week.

 –95th-ranked Micheala Williams leads the Lady Vols. Like Ole Miss, I don’t foresee a long week but of course I could be wrong!

These schools have ALL THE MONEY so you shouldn’t casually root for either of them, unless you enjoy playing the Don’t Pass line at the craps table:

–led by top-ranked freshman, Frida Kinhult. She is super decorated and if that last name sounds familiar, her brother, Marcus, just won the British Masters on the Euro Tour. Excited to see her play!

–Agathe Laisne (11th) and Kaitlyn Papp (12th) lead the Longhorns, and they’re peaking at the right time. Are seeking the program’s first team title.

Great schools, so I’m told, zero team titles to their name:

 –this is a deep team capable of winning their first title. They’re led by Jennifer Kupcho, who among other things won the 2018 individual NCAA title as well as the inaugural Augusta National Women’s Amateur earlier this year.

 –does Vandy like being separated from the rest of the SEC? I don’t know, but it feels right. Auston Kim (37th) and Abbey Carlson (40th) offer a solid one-two punch.

 –Stephanie Lau (35th) and Brooke Riley (47th) lead this iteration of the Wildcats. They were runners-up in 2017.

 –no school has ever pulled off the men’s basketball/women’s golf double in the same year! That’s a completely arbitrary nugget I like with UVA having the opportunity this year. 39th-ranked senior, Anna Redding, leads the Cavs.

 –competing in the NCAA championships for the first time since 2007, the Hoosiers have battled back from a February swoon. Senior Erin Harper (137th) is the highest-ranked individual for IU. A berth in the knockout bracket would be a huge success.

Ranking-wise, Kent State is *not* an underdog, which makes their resource disadvantage more interesting:

 –The Flashes are experienced and looking to make serious noise this week. Led by Karoline Stormo (34th), Kent State will look to make the quarterfinals after just missing last year. As a Mid-American Conference honk I will always pull for Kent State.

 –freshman Elizabeth Moon (83rd) leads the squad. By virtue of being non-Power 5 I hope UCF makes a run this week.

–I couldn’t find a good spot for the Illini so here they are! This is their first NCAA championships, so anything past qualifying for knockouts would be a huge bonus.

As noted earlier, the field for the individual national championship consists of all the members of the twenty-four qualifying teams, along with twelve additional individual qualifiers. Those twelve qualifiers, with 

 –freshman has burst onto the scene this year. Ranks 5thin scoring average. Won the 2017 North & South Championship, finished second in 2018.

 –sophomore, native Oregonian set the school scoring average mark this year while ranking 10th nationally. Fun fact from her bio– she won every single league tournament in high school as a sophomore, junior and senior. Bet there were some coaches glad to see her graduate.

 –the pride of Norman, Oklahoma is 16th in scoring average nationally, having improved 2.5 strokes from her freshman year.

 –sophomore from Italy is currently 86thin scoring average. She captured the bronze medal at last summer’s European Ladies’ Amateur Championship, and we also share an October 10th birthday!

 –senior is peaking at the right time. Truthfully, I couldn’t find much else so apologies, Kathleen.

 –junior Michigan native is 59th in scoring average. A former Big10 Freshman of the Year, she has competed via sponsors exemption in the Meijer LPGA Classic on multiple occasions.

 –the redshirt senior from South Africa ranks 12th in scoring average and is back as an individual qualifier after doing so as a freshman in 2015.

 –sophomore from Thailand is 46th in scoring average. That $2 will get you a coffee tomorrow morning.

 –the Dane is 55th in scoring average across D1. She’s a senior so this is it.

 –junior from Arizona attended Xavier College Prep in Phoenix, which might have contractually obligated her to attend Xavier University (that’s a joke). All-Big East performer is a bit of a darkhorse nationally. No doubt my brother-in-law and the Maketewah faithful will be cheering her on from Cincinnati.

Amanda Hollandsworth, Virginia Tech (182nd)

 –cool tidbit here, the Virginia native was the first ever commit to the Va Tech women’s golf program back in 2013. A graduate student, she is also the first woman from the Hokie’s program to qualify for the US Open which she’ll compete in later this month.

 –a bit of a surprise qualifier perhaps as she’s not ranked in the top-250, but she was a very-highly touted freshman (3rd in 2018 class per Golfweek). Beware the streaky golfer!

-Used this tidbit last year but it holds–there’s never been a two-time NCAA individual champion. Jennifer Kupcho can change that this year, but so can Virginia Elena Carter! Something to keep an eye on.

-South Carolina is the highest ranked team (12th) to not make the championships. Similarly, Jiwon Jeon, ranked 9th for Alabama, the best player not competing this week.

-Since changing formats in 2015, the Pac-12 has won all four team titles, passing it around the league. If the trend holds look for one of the So Cal schools to win it.

-Very cool incentive starting this year as the 

individual champion will receive an exemption

 into the LPGA’s #NWAChampionship (that’s really the tourney name, I think) later this June in Rogers, Arkansas.

-San Jose State enters the week with all kinds of good karma as 

reports breaks that their athletic department has allegedly mishandled over $6 million in funds which were intended to fund athletic scholarships.

 This is the type of story I live for, and I hope the top gets blown off! Stay tuned, and as always, athletic administrators (and definitely revenue sport coaches) salaries are bloated, and athletes should be able to market their names and likenesses. And it’s all at the feet of the NCAA.

-Speaking of the NCAA, Melissa Luellen, head coach at Auburn, has her Tigers in this year’s championship. Last year I passed along the nuggets about the vacated 1988 women’s championship (team and individual titles). If you missed it, 

Jacob Bogage of the Chicago Tribune, details why Tulsa’s championships were revoked by the NCAA

. Apparently, though, the rules infractions didn’t have anything to do with the women’s golf team; instead, the NCAA vacated wins across the athletic department “after track and field coaches let athletes run under assumed names to bolster roster size.” Melissa Luellen won the individual title that year and still has the ring as nobody ever asked for it back. Tulsa still displays the championship banner and notes the titles in their media guides too. Hooray for the NCAA and I’m rooting for Luellen and her squad.

-In case you were curious about the volunteer setup, for $45 you too could volunteer. The details of what you receive are 

. On paper, begrudgingly, I understand it’s a ‘good’ deal. But I also am categorically opposed to having volunteers pay money on top of their unpaid labor, flimsy reasons be damned!

-Last thing, this is in all likelihood the last time the NCAA Championships will be held outside of Greyhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, AZ. I think it’s a mistake to tether them to one spot, as I’ve greatly enjoyed the unique flair and character of each course and venue.

2019 NCAA Women's Championship Preview

It’s my maiden voyage at an LPGA event, let alone one of their majors. I’ve been excited for this week ever since the rest of the NLU crew came home from the Kia Classic earlier this year raving about the atmosphere and environment out there. Like always, my goals when attending a tournament are two-fold: 1) see and experience as much of the course, grounds, and scenery as possible; and 2) get out and follow players with whom I am relatively unfamiliar. On both those points I think the first two days of action from Kemper Lakes has been a success. Here are some notes from my time spent out around the course:

Right after lunch on Thursday I went out to walk with the group of Giulia Molinaro, Amelia Lewis and Sophia Popov. Caught them going off 10 tee to start their round. To say they were playing deliberate would be an understatement (they completed three holes of play in 52 minutes). A rules official was pushing them to get in position after completing their second hole (not sure if they were ever officially placed on the clock or not). I think the pace was frustrating Popov as she was trying to push things by teeing off early on the next tee before Lewis and Molinaro arrived sometimes. I’ll say this too, the glacial pace was pretty much all on the greens. Lots of time spent looking at and studying putts.

Popov (L) and Molinaro (R) getting some shade. When will PGA players use umbrellas for shade?

Was privy to an amusing interaction between, I believe, Amelia Lewis’s mother and the wife of her caddie. After Lewis had come up short with approach shots two holes in a row, Mrs. Lewis informed the caddie’s wife that her husband was on the bag to avoid play like that. Something to the effect that if they wanted to come up short she would’ve had George on the bag this week. Anyway, the caddie’s wife muttered something about the compensation package after Mrs. Lewis had walked away. Was a bit tense, and if I’m being honest, exactly the type of situation I’m out in the nether-reaches of the action hoping to witness.

Had a random lawn equipment flare up on #13 right in the midst of Sophia Popov’s putt for par. She missed it, a three-putt bogey, and was rather pissed.

On the 15th tee, Giulia Molinaro backed off her tee shot because of a slamming port-o-john door. There’s a whole cluster of them placed precariously close to the teebox. I legitimately think a mistimed entrance/exit could impact scorecards. Also, I’m available to consult on optimal toilet positioning…

The toilets in question. Picture is taken with my back to the rope by the teebox.

I said goodbye to this trio as they made the turn on to the front-nine. I am worried I was a black cloud on their play, as I witnessed just one birdie from the group–Popov made three on the 18th hole. It didn’t get too much better for them on the front side, with just three combined birdies and scores of 74 for Molinaro, 77 for Lewis (will George be on the bag next week?), and 75 for Popov.

I wanted to see the front nine at Kemper Lakes, so after a quick cold water in the media center I latched on with the trio of Mel Reid, Jin Young Ko, and Peiyun Chien making the turn off the back nine onto the front side. I was keen to see Mel Reid specifically as her ballstriking reputation preceded her, and I’m happy to report, it did not disappoint. She immediately stuck it close at #1 and #2 for birdie and really deserved a couple more on her nine but the putter let her down a bit. After a disappointing bogey on her last hole it was a closing 35 and an overall 71 to put her firmly in the mix after the first day. Below is Mel hitting her tee shot on the par-3 6th hole.

As impressed as I was with Mel Reid’s irons, I may have been even more taken by Jin Young Ko’s overall game. Her rhythm is impeccable, she always appears to be in complete control, and never changed demeanor once. Extremely steady. This is actually her rookie year on the LPGA but she has extensive experience in Korea, having won 10 times on the KLPGA. Won earlier this year on the LPGA in Australia and is currently 5th in Race to the CME. Overall was a situation where it was, ‘come for Mel Reid’s iron game and stay for Jin Young Ko’s complete arsenal.’

On the other end of the spectrum, Peiyun Chien was fighting her swing the entire time I was with the group. She must have set a world record for number of TourSauce-esque rehearsals after shots. She was visibly upset and was not playing well, though, like most of these women, I really enjoyed her rhythm and swing.

Kemper Lakes is kind of an odd place. Built in 1979 by the Kemper Insurance Company, it is the design of Ken Killian and Dick Nugent. It hosted the 1989 PGA Championship (won by Payne Stewart), as well as the 1992 US Women’s Amatuer (Vicki Goetze defeated somebody named Annika Sorenstam). After my first spin around the course during Tuesday’s Pro-Am where I watched Soly and Michelle Wie dig trenches, I was telling Soly in the car afterward that I couldn’t really remember more than three green complexes. None of the holes really stood out. Well, after walking it again, Kemper Lakes is growing on me. In my mind it’s like a Nicklaus-Lite type course, with some funky features tee to green and then awkwardly positioned greens which have some natural quadrants in them. I think it will show out really well on TV as there are a number of interesting bunkers, water cut-ins, etc. I’m confident it will produce good drama down the stretch Sunday too.

Now to the odd part. I mentioned it was built by the Kemper Insurance Company. Well, it’s situated smack dab in the middle of their former world headquarters, which as I understand it now, is an office park for multiple companies. And having been built in the 1970’s, there’s not much of an aesthetic as you can see below.

The office park surrounding Kemper Lakes. It’s kind of a Soviet chic look, which was par for the course in the 70s.

Kemper Lakes is littered with plaques commemorating various things specific to the course and the hole in question. Makes for some interesting reading while walking around the course. One plaque I stumbled upon was this one:

The first thing which struck me about this particular plaque was the nickname of Mike Reid (“Radar”–that’s so good). I also really enjoyed his quote about tackling the giant (“

“). Anyway, it caused me to dig into the 1989 PGA Championship, and oh boy, am I glad I did! I had no idea the story of Mike Reid! Radar held the 18, 36, and 54 hole leads that week. In fact, he had a three shot advantage with three holes to play (entering the Kemper self-glossed, “Gauntlet”). Things obviously went sideways for Radar as he bogeyed 16, doubled 17, and then could only make par on 18 to lose by a stroke to Payne Stewart.

Tim Rosaforte’s story about Mike Reid and what he feels 29 years later

On Friday I walked nine holes with the group of Daniela Iacobelli, Lisa Grimes and Dani Holmqvist. I’d heard Iacobelli was a free spirit, and holy shit, she certainly was. Was walking to the first tee alongside her when somebody asked her how she was doing. “Pretty shitty” was her immediate response (she shot 78-80, so it was a truthful reply). I think she ripped three heaters the first two holes I followed her, which, I don’t know, there’s something about cigarettes on the golf course which I really like. Very old school. Feels right.

Dani Holmqvist had a tidy game, never getting herself into bad positions en route to rounds of 70-71 and most likely a top-10 spot heading into the weekend.

The third member of the group, Lisa Grimes, is a teaching pro. Speaking of teaching pros, another lady by the name of Jean Bartholomew had an amazing two-shot sequence I witnessed on Thursday. On the 7th hole, a par-5, she was playing her third shot from the middle of the fairway. About 100 yards away or so, short iron in her hand. Jean hit the coldest of cold shanks out to the right into the trees. The kind you can’t un-see. Well, what does she do on her fourth shot? She hits this little thin, de-lofted wedge to literally two inches! An amazing par. Blessed I was there to witness.

If you’re so inclined, television coverage this weekend will be 3pm to 6pm EST on Saturday and Sunday on NBC. As I type this, the leaderboard contains So Yeon Ryu, Brooke Henderson, Sung Hyun Park, Jessica Korda, Lydia Ko, Moriya Jutanugarn, and Danielle Kang. In other words, it’s shaping up to be a good one.

Observations from the First Two Days of the Women's PGA

The 2018 NCAA Division-1 Women’s Golf championship kicks off later this week. It’s the opening act of a two-part drama (the men begin their championship next week) which is genuinely one of my favorite stretches of the golf calendar each and every year. In all seriousness, if I only had five golf telecasts to watch in any season, the NCAA championships, collectively, would be an easy pick for me. It’s richly compelling drama showcasing the very best of individual stroke play and team-based match play.

It wasn’t always like this though. Beginning with the first women’s championship in 1982 and up through 2014, the finals were strictly a 72-hole format, with the low team and low individual claiming respective national championships. In a rare moment of wisdom and progress the NCAA tweaked the format starting in 2015. An individual champion is still crowned after 72 holes, but now the low eight teams after stroke play enter a single-elimination match play tournament to decide the team national champion. Sprinkle in Golf Channel’s stripped-down, tightly-focused coverage of the event and what we have is a wonderfully tasty recipe combining high-level golf with notes of drama, unpredictability and raw emotion. In this the #YearofRejoicing, it’s important to highlight that which is righteous and good. Well, the NCAA Championships are awesome. If you’ve missed out the past few years don’t let it happen again. Tune in. You won’t be disappointed.

Friday, May 18th, through Wednesday, May 23rd, at 

Twenty-four years ago Karsten Creek opened up as the home course for the Oklahoma State men’s and women’s golf teams. A Tom Fazio design, the course was the culmination of the multi-pronged efforts of former coach (and current AD) Mike Holder. Karsten Creek consistently rates in the upper echelon of public courses across the country and should provide a good backdrop for the action over the next couple weeks. As their write-up says, “the zoysia fairways were cut from a forest of oaks and black jacks, complemented by an undulating terrain that flows throughout the course. The back nine cascades around the 110 acre Lake Louise that is featured on the finishing holes.” I’m excited to see it for myself on TV! Until then, here’s the scenic video tour:


The team format consists of 72 holes of stroke play to whittle the field from twenty-four programs to eight. The eight remaining teams are then seeded accordingly and square off in five individual match play competitions, with the winning team winning at least three of the matches. The team tournament from the quarterfinals through the finals is single elimination with individual matches consisting of 18 holes.

The individual format consists of the aforementioned 72 holes of stroke play. The low competitor from the competing twenty-four programs, plus an additional twelve individual qualifiers, will be crowned the individual NCAA national champion.

: 4:00pm to 8:00pm EST (Final round of stroke play–individual champion crowned, plus team match play brackets finalized)

I’d never tell you who to root for, that’s a very personal decision. But what I will do, for my own edification (and maybe yours) is break out the 24-team field into different categories which might help inform your rooting interests (number in parenthesis next to each team is their 

There have been 35 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf team champions. The following schools (along with San Jose State!!!) are the only programs to win three or more:

Arizona State (14) – 8 national championships, most in NCAA D-1. Will be looking to repeat after their title last year

Duke (4) – 6 national championships are second most ever. Last team title came in 2014

UCLA (3) – 3 team titles, their last occurring in 2011

USC (5) – 3 team titles just like their crosstown rival, their last one coming in 2013

Have all won their first team national championship within the last six years and by adding a second can join the titans of the sport:

Alabama (1) – won their team title in 2012

Stanford (6) – won the team national championship in 2015

Washington (17) – won the title in 2016, part of a current three-year string of championships out of the Pac-12


These two programs both have two team championships to their name, though the last one for either was Arizona’s title in 2000:


You SEC honks know who you are. There’s a trio to choose from this year and a title for any would be the first in school history:


These schools may or may not have ALL THE MONEY (but none have a women’s golf championship!):


Great schools, so I’m told, but zero team titles to their name:


At least as far as resources among this group. If you want to know who I’ll be pulling for, look no further than the Kent State Golden Flashes. My love for the Mid-American Conference trumps all!!

Oklahoma (19) – would be some first-class irony for the Sooners to win their first title at OSU’s Karsten Creek

, this team overcame some serious obstacles (i.e. sickness) to just get here

Colorado (21) – gotta be honest, I don’t really have a great angle here

As I noted earlier, the field for the individual national championship consists of all the members of the twenty-four qualifying teams, along with twelve additional individual qualifiers. Those twelve qualifiers are:

Jillian Hollis, Georgia –ranked 5th individually. Also just 

Maddie Szeryk, Texas A&M –ranked 23rd individually. Also Canada’s top female amateur. Was a First-Team All American last season.

Leonie Harm, Houston –ranked 37th individually. 

Shot a school-record 65 en route to getting back to the NCAA’s.

Emma Broze, Oklahoma State –ranked 64th individually and will bear the full weight of hosting duties on her shoulders (not really).

Jess Yuen, Missouri –67th ranked individual. This will be first time competing at the NCAA Championships.

Hira Naveed, Pepperdine –84th ranked individual. The New Zealand native, a junior, will be making second trip to NCAA finals.

Rose Huang, BYU –100th ranked individual. Survived a five-hole playoff to make it through to the finals.

Gabby Curtis, Wisconsin –107th ranked individual. The Senior is playing very good golf, 

Erin Harper, Indiana –ranked 134th individually. Gives the tournament a bit more of some much-needed Midwest representation.

Micheala Williams, Tennessee –139th ranked individual. Honestly couldn’t find much about her. These S.I.D.’s need to step their game up!

Marthe Wold, Cal –173th ranked individual. Fun fact: the senior is from Norway. Also, case where SID needs to step up!

Nicole Schroeder, Oregon State –234th ranked individual but is in awesome form winning the Madison Regional. Can she keep it up?

-By my research there has never been a two-time NCAA individual champion. And while last year’s champion, Monica Vaughn of Arizona State, graduated and thus can’t accomplish the feat there is one person who can. Duke junior Virginia Elena Carta won the title her freshman year at Eugene CC and looks to add a second this year.

-The 1988 women’s championship (team and individual titles) is officially listed as vacated, which naturally caught my eye. After a bit of research, and according to 

Jacob Bogage of the Chicago Tribune, Tulsa’s championships were revoked by the NCAA

. But get this, apparently the rules infractions didn’t have anything to do with the women’s golf team; instead, the NCAA vacated wins across the athletic department “after track and field coaches let athletes run under assumed names to bolster roster size.” Melissa Luellen, now head women’s coach at Auburn, won the individual title that year, and apparently still has the ring as nobody ever asked for it back. Tulsa still displays the championship banner and notes the titles in their media guides too. Hooray for the NCAA!

-Annika Sorenstam won the 1991 individual championship for Arizona. She’s the only LPGA hall of famer (remember, the first NCAA title was awarded in 1982) to do that. The next woman with a look at this honor is Stacy Lewis, who won the 2007 title while competing for Arkansas.

-Since the format moved from strictly stroke play after 2014 to a blend of stroke and match play, the Pac-12 conference has had carte blanche on the team competition. Stanford won in 2015 (defeated Baylor 3 to 2), Washington won in 2016 (defeated Stanford 3 to 2), and Arizona State won last year (defeated Northwestern 3.5 to 1.5). Can the Pac-12 make it four in row? Who knows! But it’ll be fun to watch.

-Last summer, Golf Channel inked an agreement to continue hosting the Men’s and Women’s NCAA Championships through at least 2029. That’s the good news. The maybe-not-so-good-news comes from the 

, and specifically information about future host sites for the Championships. After the Blessings Golf Club (Fayetteville, Arkansas) in 2019, the next three tournaments are slated to be held at the Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona (only venues through 2022 are listed). My disappointment isn’t with the Grayhawk Club, per se, it’s that it appears it may become the permanent host for the NCAA Championships. I think that’d be a terrible mistake. Some of my fondest memories of the past three years are directly related to the courses and locations of the tournament (the cook on the clubhouse roof in Eugene, the inexplicable row of hedges last year at Rich Harvest Farms). Please, NCAA, ignore your every instinct and keep rotating the host venue!

2018 NCAA D-1 Women's Golf Championship Preview

Matt Fitzpatrick and Charley Hull were already well known among British golf fans long before the biggest wins of their career last Sunday.

However, while both players were already firmly established on their tours, respective victories at the DP World Championship and CME World Tour Championship represent a ‘changing of the guard’ for English golf – a change that has been coming for a while.

In men’s golf, the likes of Lee Westwood, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter and Luke Donald have been household names for over a decade.

While these guys will no doubt still have ambitions to challenge for major championships in the future, Fitzpatrick could become England’s answer to Rory McIlroy.

The 22-year-old from Sheffield was always one to watch following his impressive performance as an amateur at the 2013 Open Championship – where he won the Silver Medal. However, it wasn’t until his breakthrough at the British Masters in October 2015 that he really started turning heads.

2016 had already been a relatively successful one for Fitzpatrick before last weekend – picking up a top ten at the Masters, a win at the Nordea Masters in June and qualifying for his first Ryder Cup. His one-shot win at the DP World Championship, though, had similarities to McIlroy’s first professional victory.

Not only was the Northern Irishman’s win also in Dubai, but he also got up and down from a bunker on the 72nd hole to beat an English golfer, Justin Rose, by one shot.

That was back in 2009. McIlroy went on to pick up his first win in the U.S. one year later at Quail Hollow and his first major at the U.S. Open in 2011. Since Congressional, he has since won a further 19 times worldwide at the age of 27 – not a bad benchmark for the likes of Fitzpatrick to chase.

It is always easy to heap praise on the winner of an event, but Tyrrell Hatton did everything but win in Dubai last weekend – leading for most of the back nine on Sunday before a final-hole bogey.

I first saw Tyrrell play in person at the 2010 Open Championship. Then an amateur, he missed the cut by nine shots in testing conditions at St. Andrews. Six years later, it seemed fitting that he got his revenge on the Old Course by picking up his first European Tour win at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.

Hatton finished four strokes ahead of Ross Fisher and Richard Sterne (Credit: Ian Walton/Getty Images)

The 25-year-old is one of eight English golfers in the world’s top 50, and England is now by far the second-best represented country in the rankings behind the USA.

Excellent representation in the men’s professional game is never likely to be replicated in the women’s, however, given the dominance of Asian and American players. But what England may lack in quantity, has certainly been made up in quality in the form of Charley Hull.

The Englishwoman was probably best known for taking down Paula Creamer 5&4 in the 2013 Solheim Cup singles; until she sprung back into the frame at the ANA Inspiration in April – finishing just one shot behind the eventual winner Lydia Ko.

Hull’s bogey-free final round of 66 at the CME Group Tour Championship last Sunday gave her a first LPGA Tour win and ended a 12-year wait for an English winner on the circuit. She also became the first British LPGA Tour winner since Scotland’s Catriona Matthew won the Lorena Ochoa Invitational in 2011.

It’s easy to forget that Hull is only 20 years old. In a sport where the world number one is just 19 and seven of the world’s top ten are under the age of 25, it has become the norm for LPGA players to win young.

With that being said, Charley has an ever-growing fan base in the U.K. and it is unlikely to be long until she secures her first major.

As an Englishman I will be the first to admit that we don’t have the best golfing weather, however, we are blessed with an excellent amateur and coaching set up that keeps churning out world class players.

It’s an exciting time to be a golf fan that’s for sure. Bring on 2017.

LPGA

Writing

Randy: A golden day for Nelly's second major

2019 NCAA Women's Championship Preview

Observations from the First Two Days of the Women's PGA

2018 NCAA D-1 Women's Golf Championship Preview

Fitzpatrick and Hull Prove English Golf is in Safe Hands