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USA Today
22-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Northwestern shocks Stanford, earns first title in school history at NCAA Women's Championship
Northwestern shocks Stanford, earns first title in school history at NCAA Women's Championship Show Caption Hide Caption Drone flyover video of Omni La Costa North Course par-3 16th hole Omni La Costa is hosting the NCAA mens and womens golf championships for a second year in a row. The North Course's 16th hole is the final par-3. CARLSBAD, Calif. — With a win in the national championship match, Stanford had an argument to be considered the greatest women's college golf team ever. The top-ranked team in the nation didn't lose in stroke play this season, matching a mark accomplished only once by Arizona State three decades ago. On Monday at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, site of the 2025 NCAA Women's Golf Championship, Stanford completed the best 72-hole performance in the history of the NCAA Championship, finishing at 27-under par and essentially stamping its claim as the best team in college golf. But in match play, the team that was best in stroke play, more often than not, doesn't win the NCAA Championship. Enter Northwestern. The Wildcats won one tournament this year, lost by 29 strokes to Stanford at NCAAs and finished nine shots behind the Cardinal at the NCAA Norman Regional two weeks ago. But none of that matters in match play, and Northwestern is leaving Carlsbad with its first national title. Northwestern claimed the NCAA Women's Championship on Wednesday, topping Stanford 3-2 in the match-play final on a sunny afternoon north of San Diego. It's one of the biggest upsets in the history of NCAAs, with the Wildcats preventing Stanford from winning its second consecutive championship and third in four years. A relentless team that took full advantage of the reset match play provides, and the Wildcats are headed back to campus with extra hardware. 'It's surreal,' Northwestern coach Emily Fletcher said. 'Honestly, things are moving really slow right now. I don't think it's really hit any of us. 'It's about doing what this group thought they could do, and that's all they did. They didn't go out to try to prove anybody wrong. They just went out to just be themselves and to just compete as hard as they could. And that was going to be enough.' Freshman Dianna Lee, who went to high school about 25 miles from Omni La Costa, buried a 5 footer for par on the 18th to beat Andrea Revuelta and give Northwestern the distinction of arguably the biggest upset in women's college golf history. Lee was 3 up with five to play but lost Nos. 14-15, and Revuelta had a 4-foot par putt on the par-3 16th to tie the match but missed. Then on 17, Lee had a 15 footer to win the match but powered it past the hole. She took deep breaths and reminded herself of what Northwestern's sports psychologist taught her about controlling emotions. Drained the comebacker. 1 up heading to the 18th tee. Revuelta hit her approach first into the par 5, finding the back of the green. Lee's shot came up short of the pin and somehow stayed on the green. She hit the first putt and drilled the hole, but the ball was traveling too fast and lipped out about 5 feet to her right. Then Revuelta had a chance to tie the match, but her putt didn't have enough pace and missed low. Lee once again collected herself, stepped over the putt and knocked it in. She proceeded to sprint into her teammates arms, and the celebration was on. 'I'm on such a high right now, especially the championship being at my hometown, it means absolutely everything to me,' Lee said. 'It's so incredibly special. It's like no other. You can't even explain what it means to win a championship in your hometown. It's like you're the main character. That's what I feel like right now.' Freshman Hsin Tai Lin got the first Northwestern point on the board, topping Stanford freshman Meja Ortengren 3 and 2. But the bigger victory that truly turned the tides was Lauryn Nguyen, the senior from Seattle who was 2 up with three holes to play but watched as her opponent, Paula Martin Sampedro, won Nos. 16-17 to tie the match and take control on the 18th tee box. However, when Sampedro missed a birdie putt on the par 5, Nguyen buried hers from beneath the hole, and the ensuing fist pump and scream sent rumbles throughout the golf course. Stanford wasn't done, punching back Kelly Xu battled to win her match 1 up on the 18th green. Megha Ganne, in the first match, had a dominating 5-and-4 win over Ashley Yun, but the rest of the scores were purple for a majority of the afternoon. Northwestern prevented Stanford from winning its second consecutive title and becoming the first team since Duke in 2006-07 to win back-to-back (Duke won in 2005, as well). 'I just know that there's going to be some learnings from this,' Stanford coach Anne Walker said. 'You learn the most when you lose, right? And we haven't lost very much. So a great opportunity to go through that and grow from this moment.' All five of Stanford's starters in match play will return next season. They'll have a chance to build on what they started but were unable to finish. Coming into the national championship, the Wildcats competed in match play only once this year, and it happened on a different continent. Northwestern went 0-3-3 in medal match play at the St. Andrews Links Collegiate in Scotland. 'We haven't had a ton of experience in match play,' Fletcher said. 'Maybe it worked a little bit in our favor and that they didn't really know what they were getting into. They knew what they needed to do to take care of their own business, and they did that.' And the image of Lee's putt and celebration will be remembered as when David defeated Goliath.
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NCAA Women's Golf Championship live updates: Scores, championship tee times, highlights
NCAA Women's Golf Championship live updates: Scores, championship tee times, highlights Show Caption Hide Caption Drone flyover video of Omni La Costa North Course par-4 15th hole Omni La Costa is hosting the NCAA mens and womens golf championships for a second year in a row. The North Course's 15th hole is a challenging par 4. CARLSBAD, Calif. — A national champion will be crowned this evening. The final match of the 2025 NCAA Women's Golf Championship is set between top-ranked Stanford and No. 11 Northwestern, with the first match going off at 5:15 p.m. ET Wednesday at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa's North Course. Stanford is looking for its fourth championship while Northwestern is in search of its first. Follow along below for live updates from the championship match at the NCAA Women's Championship: NCAA Women's Golf Championship championship pairings All times ET, first tee start No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 3 Northwestern Championship matches Megha Ganne vs. Ashley Yun, 5:15 p.m., 1st tee Paula Martin Sampedro vs. Lauryn Nguyen, 5:25 p.m. Meja Ortengren vs. Hsin Tai Lin, 5:35 p.m. Kelly Xu vs. Elise Lee, 5:45 p.m. Andrea Revuelta vs. Dianna Lee, 5:55 p.m. NCAA Women's Golf Championship predictions, expert picks Golfweek's college golf expert Cameron Jourdan and senior writer Beth Ann Nichols made predictions for the championship. You can see their entire selections here. How many teams made match play at NCAA Women's Golf Championship? Eight. After Monday's final round of stroke play, the top eight teams advance to match play, which begins Tuesday morning with the quarterfinals. NCAA Women's Golf Championship format Finals play for both championships consists of three days of stroke play on Friday through Sunday (54 holes), after which the top-15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play (Monday) to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, followed by the finals on Wednesday. NCAA Women's Golf Championship TV information Golf Channel is the TV home for the NCAA Championships. All times ET Wednesday, May 21 Live coverage - 6-10 p.m. NCAA Women's Golf Championship tickets Fans must have tickets to attend this year's NCAA Golf Championships. Here's how to buy them.
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NCAA Women's Golf Championship live updates: Scores, semifinal tee times, highlights
NCAA Women's Golf Championship live updates: Scores, semifinal tee times, highlights Show Caption Hide Caption Drone flyover video of Omni La Costa North Course par-4 15th hole Omni La Costa is hosting the NCAA mens and womens golf championships for a second year in a row. The North Course's 15th hole is a challenging par 4. CARLSBAD, Calif. — And then there were four. Match play began Tuesday morning at the 2025 NCAA Women's Golf Championship, and after the morning matches, only four teams remain vying to win a national title. By Tuesday night, there will be only two teams alive with a chance to win it all. No. 1 Stanford will face No. 4 Florida State, and No. 2 Oregon will take on No. 3 Northwestern Follow along below for live updates from the match play semifinals at the NCAA Women's Championship: NCAA Women's Golf Championship live leaderboard Follow along here for live scores from the 2025 NCAA Women's Golf Championship. NCAA Women's Golf Championship semifinal pairings All times ET, first tee start No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 4 Florida State Semifinal matches Paula Martin Sampedro vs. Kaylah Williams, 4:15 p.m. Megha Ganne vs. Lottie Woad, 4:25 p.m. Kelly Xu vs. Sophia Fullbrook, 4:35 p.m. Andrea Revuelta vs. Mirabel Ting, 4:45 p.m. Meja Ortengren vs. Alexandra Gazzoli, 4:55 p.m. No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 3 Northwestern Semifinal matches Suvichaya Vinijchaitham vs. Ashley Yun, 5:05 p.m. Tong An vs. Hsin Tai Lin, 5:15 p.m. Ting-Hsuan Huang vs. Elise Lee, 5:25 p.m. Karen Tsuru vs. Lauryn Nguyen, 5:35 p.m. Kiara Romero vs. Dianna Lee, 5:45 p.m. NCAA Women's Golf Championship predictions, expert picks Golfweek's college golf expert Cameron Jourdan and senior writer Beth Ann Nichols made predictions for the championship. You can see their entire selections here. How many teams made match play at NCAA Women's Golf Championship? Eight. After Monday's final round of stroke play, the top eight teams advance to match play, which begins Tuesday morning with the quarterfinals. NCAA Women's Golf Championship format Finals play for both championships consists of three days of stroke play on Friday through Sunday (54 holes), after which the top-15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play (Monday) to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, followed by the finals on Wednesday. NCAA Women's Golf Championship TV information Golf Channel is the TV home for the NCAA Championships. All times ET Tuesday, May 21 Live coverage - 1-3:30 p.m. Live coverage - 6-10 p.m. Wednesday, May 21 Live coverage - 6-10 p.m. NCAA Women's Golf Championship tickets Fans must have tickets to attend this year's NCAA Golf Championships. Here's how to buy them.
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
NCAA Women's Golf Championship live updates: Scores, quarterfinal tee times, highlights
NCAA Women's Golf Championship live updates: Scores, quarterfinal tee times, highlights Show Caption Hide Caption Drone flyover video of Omni La Costa North Course par-4 15th hole Omni La Costa is hosting the NCAA mens and womens golf championships for a second year in a row. The North Course's 15th hole is a challenging par 4. CARLSBAD, Calif. — It's time for match play at the 2025 NCAA Women's Golf Championship. The eight teams who made match play punched their tickets Monday after the conclusion of stroke play. Stanford had a record victory, finishing at 27 under, and Arkansas' Maria Jose Marin became the third Razorback to win an NCAA title. Stroke play is in the rearview, and now it's time to crown a national champion. Follow along below for live updates from the match play quarterfinals at the NCAA Women's Championship: NCAA Women's Golf Championship live leaderboard Follow along here for live scores from the 2025 NCAA Women's Golf Championship. NCAA Women's Golf Championship quarterfinal pairings No. 1 Stanford vs. No. 8 Virginia Quarterfinal matches Paula Martin Sampedro vs. Kennedy Swedick, 9:50 a.m., 1st tee Meja Ortengren vs. Megan Propeck, 10 a.m. Kelly Xu vs. Jaclyn LaHa, 10:10 a.m. Megha Ganne vs. Amanda Sambach, 10:20 a.m. Andrea Revuelta vs. Rebecca Skoler, 10:30 a.m. No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 5 USC Quarterfinal matches Lottie Woad vs. Jasmine Koo, 9:50 a.m., 10th tee Kaylah Williams vs. Cindy Kou, 10 a.m. Mirabel Ting vs. Bailey Shoemaker, 10:10 a.m. Sophia Fullbrook vs. Kylie Chong, 10:20 a.m. Alexandra Gazzoli vs. Catherine Park, 10:30 a.m. No. 3 Northwestern vs. No. 6 Arkansas Quarterfinal matches Dianna Lee vs. Kendall Todd, 10:40 a.m., 10th tee Elise Lee vs. Reagan Zibilski, 10:50 a.m. Ashley Yun vs. Abbey Schutte, 11 a.m. Lauryn Nguyen vs. Clarisa Temelo, 11:10 a.m. Hsin Tai Lin vs. Maria Jose Marin, 11:20 a.m. No. 2 Oregon vs. No. 7 Texas Quarterfinal matches Kiara Romero vs. Bohyun Park, 10:40 a.m., 1st tee Tong An vs. Lauren Kim, 10:50 a.m. Suvichaya Vinijchaitham vs. Cindy Hsu, 11 a.m. Karen Tsuru vs. Farah O'Keefe, 11:10 a.m. Ting-Hsuan Huang vs. Angela Heo, 11:20 a.m. NCAA Women's Golf Championship predictions, expert picks Golfweek's college golf expert Cameron Jourdan and senior writer Beth Ann Nichols made predictions for the championship. You can see their entire selections here. How many teams make match play at NCAA Women's Golf Championship? Eight. After Monday's final round of stroke play, the top eight teams advance to match play, which begins Tuesday morning with the quarterfinals. NCAA Women's Golf Championship format Finals play for both championships consists of three days of stroke play on Friday through Sunday (54 holes), after which the top-15 teams and nine individuals not on an advancing team will be determined. That is followed by a final day of 18 holes of stroke play (Monday) to determine the top eight teams that will advance to match play as well as the 72-hole individual champion. The team national champion will be determined by a match-play format that will consist of quarterfinals and semifinals conducted on Tuesday, followed by the finals on Wednesday. NCAA Women's Golf Championship TV information Golf Channel is the TV home for the NCAA Championships. All times ET Monday, May 20 Live coverage - 6-10 p.m. Tuesday, May 21 Live coverage - 1-3:30 p.m. Live coverage - 6-10 p.m. Wednesday, May 21 Live coverage - 6-10 p.m. NCAA Women's Golf Championship tickets Fans must have tickets to attend this year's NCAA Golf Championships. Here's how to buy them.
USA Today
20-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Stanford made NCAA history at Omni La Costa — and it meant nothing. That's a problem
Stanford made NCAA history at Omni La Costa — and it meant nothing. That's a problem Show Caption Hide Caption Drone flyover video of Omni La Costa North Course par-3 16th hole Omni La Costa is hosting the NCAA mens and womens golf championships for a second year in a row. The North Course's 16th hole is the final par-3. CARLSBAD, Calif. — Stanford just completed one of the greatest performances in NCAA Women's Golf Championship history, and in another 12 hours, it won't mean a thing. That's a problem. The Cardinal shot 27-under 1,125 for 72 holes of stroke play at the 2025 NCAA Women's Golf Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa's North Course, putting the finishing touches Monday on an NCAA record. Stanford's 27-under mark is the lowest 72-hole score in NCAA Women's Golf Championship history. USC held the previous record of 19 under, set in 2013. On Sunday in the third round, Stanford shot 18-under 270, besting the previous low single round at the NCAA Championship by three shots. The previous record was Stanford's second round from 2023 when the Cardinal got in the house at 15 under. Even more impressive, this Stanford team just completed an undefeated season in stroke play. in nine stroke-play events, not a single team beat the Cardinal, making Stanford the second team to go undefeated in a single season in stroke-play events after Arizona State accomplished the feat in the 1994-95 season. Stanford does have one blemish on its resume, though, after losing to Wake Forest in the semifinals of ACC Championship match play. Stanford beat Wake Forest by 28 shots in three rounds leading into the bracket. Ultimately, a dominant performance at the NCAA Championship in stroke play — rewriting the record books and running away from the field — doesn't matter because no trophy is awarded after stroke play. That happens Wednesday after match play. The national-championship format was altered to include match play at the 2009 NCAA Championship and 2015 NCAA Women's Championship in an effort to make the championships more interesting for television. Now, in addition to 72 holes of stroke play, the top-eight teams advance to match play, where they battle it out to determine a champion. Former Oklahoma State men's coach Mike Holder was among the catalysts behind the movement, which began in the mid-2000s. Not everyone was in favor of the switch then, and after Stanford's dominance in 2025, its fifth consecutive year finishing on top of the leaderboard after 72 holes of stroke play, it begs the question: is match play truly the best way to determine the NCAA champion? College golf is the only NCAA sport that changes its regular-season format to determine a national champion. Some conferences have started using match play in tournaments, and some teams build match-play events into their regular-season schedules, but stroke play is used for more than 90 percent of of the season. When the biggest title of the year is on the line, the format switches to match play. More: Maria Jose Marin follows in footsteps of Arkansas legends to win NCAA individual title Why? A big reason is television. One argument for switching from stroke play to match play was the latter is more compelling on TV, and it could be hard to make a stroke-play blowout interesting to viewers. However, blowouts still happen in match play, like last year when Stanford won 3-2 but none of the matches were competitive, and that argument goes out the window. Stroke play brought its share of snoozefests, including in 2013 when USC won the national title in Athens, Georgia. A Stanford blowout this year might could have joined the club. It was also easier for TV commentators to explain head-to-head match play to audiences as opposed to the 5-count-4 scoring system college golf uses most of the year. College golf coaches wanted the sport to get more exposure on television, and 20 years ago, match play was considered the best way to do that. Ironically, Oklahoma State's men have finished first in national championship stroke play four times since the switch to match play. Only once, in 2018, has the team gone on to win – becoming the only men's team to do so as the top seed. On the women's side, Stanford got over the hump in 2022 and then again last year. Otherwise, top seeds have struggled to transition their success to match play. On Tuesday, Stanford will head to the first tee as the No. 1 seed in match play, and nothing the team did the four days prior means anything. The other seven teams didn't stand a chance against the Cardinal in stroke play but effectively get a reset in match play, where anything can happen. "No matter what happens the next two days, you know, match play, there's some trickery to it," Stanford coach Anne Walker said, "and so no matter what happens, we're not going to lose sight of all these stroke-play events this year that we came out on top. I think that speaks volumes to the quality of the team." Mistakes are glorified in match play, with a couple of bad shots or unlucky bounces being the difference between winning and losing a match. Four days of dominance, as Stanford has just put together, might end up meaning nothing by Wednesday night. And that's a problem. Perhaps it's time to revisit whether match play is truly the best way to determine a champion, not just what's best for television.
