April 29, 2025 • by Mikkel Bjerch-Andresen
The much anticipated NCAA Regionals are almost upon us. Which teams could pull an upset and earn an unexpected ticket to La Costa? Let’s look at the underlying numbers for the DI women's teams that have made it through.
As anticipated in my previous column, the conference leaderboard which drew the longest looks for me on the women’s side was the ACC Championship. This was, of course, mainly due to the (until that point) video game-like unbeaten season of the Stanford Cardinal.
Stanford cruised to a scripted 15-shot victory during the stroke play portion of the championship. However, their no-hitter season was broken by Wake Forest during the semifinals of the matchplay portion. Stanford is most definitely still on a golden run, but the upset prompted me to dive into what other upsets might loom in women’s golf.
South Carolina (#4), Virginia (#11), Ole Miss (#16), Florida (#21) UCLA (#27)
UCF (#33), Charleston (#42), NC State (#45), BYU (#55), Princeton (#68), Richmond (#161), Radford (#169)
South Carolina (above) and Virginia
is a #1 seed for a reason. They have remained in the top-5 national rankings all year and currently have five players ranked in the individual top-100 – including three players in the top-20 (Hannah Darling, Louise Rydqvist, and Ella Galitsky). The Gamecocks are in incredible form, coming off their SEC title where they won both the #1 seed after stroke play, as well as the match play title. Kalen Anderson’s team ranks 3rd in par 5 scoring, and 15th in bogey or worse percentage.
, ranked 11th nationally, is in form and will have the advantage of home soil. The Cavaliers were likely disappointed by their result at ACCs, as they suffered an early exit from the match play portion of the championship. However, Coach Ria Scott’s team still showed great form by finishing second in the stroke play portion – only defeated by (then) the unbeaten Stanford Cardinal. Although Virginia doesn’t have the underlying numbers that jump off the page (they are 28th in bogey or worse percentage while only posting eight team rounds under par this year), they do have a top-tier player in form, Amanda Sambach (ranked 12th individually).
College of Charleston (SC) and NC State.
Despite somehow averaging over par on par 5s this season, has made the sixth most birdies in women’s DI this year (508). Further, their 41 individual rounds under par this season rank top-20 nationally as well. The Cougars are in form – they just won their conference championship (CAA) where four players placed in the top-10 individually.
Finally, there was a regular-season tournament played on Birdwood Golf Course back in the Fall. and are the only teams in this Regional field which played in the Cavalier Regional Preview back in September (in addition to Virginia). Word on the street is the course has changed significantly since then due to extreme weather in the Fall, but the Wolfpack played solid here last time as they finished fourth. That certainly can’t be a disadvantage.
South Carolina, Virginia, Ole Miss, College of Charleston, NC State
Arkansas (#2), Louisiana State (#10), Ohio State (#14), Kansas (#23), Houston (#26)
SMU (#35), UNLV (#39), Illinois (#47), Kent State (#52), Illinois State (#77), Xavier (#79), Oakland (#202)
Arkansas (above), LSU, and Ohio State
is the “best of the rest” so far this season with their national #2 ranking. The Razorbacks have all the firepower you want. is a really good team on home soil where the hosting advantage will be significant. The Scarlet course will play tough. That kind of separation favors both of these teams — expect them to cruise through.
has had a wonderful last couple of months. It seemed for a while The Tigers were struggling a bit with replacing recent LPGA Tour-winner and last year’s Annika award winner, Ingrid Lindblad. Garrett Runion’s team had dropped all the way to #23 in the team rankings early this Spring. However, the team title at the Darius Rucker in early March has kicked off some serious form for the Tigers.
UNLV (above), Illinois, Kent State
are in the top-20 in bogey or worse percentage as well as birdies. They also tie for fourth in team rounds under par this year (14). The Rebels probably could have played better at the Mountain West Conference Championship, but they came away with the title after beating San Jose in a playoff. That type of boost could spark a run from a team with strong underlying numbers.
is coming off a strong performance at the Big Ten Championship in Maryland where they finished third. Coach Renee Slone’s team has only posted 6 under-par team rounds this year, but that won’t matter at the Scarlet course. The tough Big Ten-style setup of the Scarlet course and Illinois' (#39) form could be a dangerous combination.
played solid on the Scarlet course during the Therese Hession Buckeye Invitational a couple of weeks ago where they finished third. From there, the Golden Flashes rolled to a 28 shot win in the MAC Championship.
Kansas is a very solid team and notably leads the country in individual rounds under par this year (61). They also rank 2nd in par-4 scoring.
Arkansas, LSU, Ohio State, Kansas, Illinois
Oregon (#5), Arizona State (#8), Auburn (#17), Mississippi State (#20), Oklahoma State (#29)
University of California, Berkeley (#32), Virginia Tech (#44), San Jose State (#48), CSU, Sacramento (#53), CSU, Fullerton (#74), US Naval Academy (#146), Quinnipiac (#189)
Oregon, Arizona State
won their first Big Ten Championship by a massive 14 strokes. The Ducks are stacked and have got the taste of winning. Derek Radley’s team has three players ranked in the top-30 individually, including #3 ranked Kiara Romero who won the individual conference title.
(above) travelled well to Texas for the Big 12 Championship where they played their way to a playoff for the conference title with Oklahoma State and in-state rival Arizona (who won the playoff). The Sun Devils remarkably carry just five players on their roster. However, last time I checked, that’s all Missy Farr-Kaye’s team needs to make a run at NCAA’s. All five players are ranked in the top-200 individually with four of them in the top-60. As hosts, they’re a lock to advance.
CSU Sacramento
David Sutherland’s team is in form as they just won the Big Sky Conference Championship by 15 strokes. In addition to having a shorter trip than many of their competitors this week, the Hornets have made more eagles than any other team in DI (18), which could be a good omen.
Oregon, ASU, Auburn, Cal, Sacramento
Florida State (#3), Southern California (#9), TCU (#15), Vanderbilt (#22), Kansas State (#28)
Georgia Southern (#34), Pepperdine (#40), Louisville (#46), University of Miami (Florida) (#54), Western Kentucky (#60), Morehead State (#163), Fairleigh Dickinson (#223).
FSU (above), USC, TCU
won the ACCs and will show up in Kentucky with ball control and confidence. Winning the match play portion was not a fluke. The Semonoles finished tied for second in the stroke play portion of the championship with Lottie Woad and Mirabel Ting tying for third individually. Their form will travel nicely and I see them as a lock to advance.
Although stumbled at the Big Ten Championship last week, I think their 9th place finish is just an anomaly. Despite Bailey Shoemaker (#122) battling injury, Justin Silverstein’s lineup is stacked and unafraid. I expect the Trojans to bounce back this week despite the many miles they have to cover on their journey to Kentucky.
(above) won the Bettie Lou Evans Invitational here in the Fall. They have also finished outside the top-5 twice just this year — at Pebble Beach to begin the year, and surprisingly in their home tournament at Colonial this Spring. The Horned Frogs are 17th in bogey avoidance, 13th in birdies, and are a balanced team with four players ranked in the top-100 individually. Their balance and course familiarity bode well here.
Louisville and Western Kentucky
With the host school (Kentucky) not making the field, my warning goes to their Bluegrass state foe, . In addition to the short travel and familiarity to the grasses, the Cardinals have found stability this Spring as they have climbed 14 spots in the team rankings over the past ten weeks. This is admittedly a hometown-leaning pick as the Cardinals don’t have the most impressive underlying numbers — 79th in bogey avoidance in addition to having a cumulative par-5 scoring average above par, to name a couple. However, their steady form should open some eyes.
is another in-state team that should garner some attention. What piqued my interest was their showing at Louisville’s tournament in the Fall, finishing second to Middle Tennessee, ahead of the host Cardinals. WKU can definitely play great golf in this region and will have low shoulders this week.
I think this is the toughest Regional to call. I can see every team through Western Kentucky qualify. However, my picks are: FSU, USC, TCU, Louisville, WKU
Texas (#6), Wake Forest (#7), Arizona (#18), Texas A&M (#19), Iowa State (#30)
Tennessee (#31), Purdue (#43), Campbell (#49), California, Davis (#57), Florida Gulf Coast (#73), Tarleton State (#118), Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (#227).
Texas (above), Wake Forest, Arizona
With no host school in this Regional either, the top three teams advancing here feels straightforward — these three teams are brimming with confidence. is undoubtedly one of the top teams in the nation, (below) just defeated unbeaten Stanford in match play, and captured the Big 12 title.
Purdue. Although the Boilermakers haven't played particularly well over the last two events, they have a connection to Lubbock–through the previous Purdue Coach, now TTU Head Coach Jojo Robertson. Any course knowledge will be an advantage here, and maybe Purdue has the inside track on some things. Any team seeded outside the top-5 needs things to go their way to earn a spot. The omen for Purdue? They lead DI in holes-in-one this year (5).
As a Red Raider myself, it’s sad to see the Texas Tech team not making this Regional. Despite making the most number of birdies so far this year (536), Coach Jojo Robertson’s team unfortunately stumbled during the Big 12 Championship where they finished 12th out of 14 teams. The only representative from TTU will be individual Klara Hurtova. The Rawls Course is long with tricky greens — and in Lubbock, home-course advantage matters.
Texas, Wake Forest, Arizona, Texas A&M, Purdue
Stanford (#1), Northwestern (#12), North Carolina (#13), Michigan State (#24), Duke (#25)
Oklahoma (#36), Baylor (#37), Oregon State (#51), Tulsa (#56), Denver (#66), Furman (#82), Southern Mississippi (#97)
Stanford (above), Northwestern, UNC
In my previous column, I wrote I might have wagered the mortgage on winning the ACCs if it were purely stroke play. As expected, the Cardinal won the stroke play portion of the championship in convincing fashion. However, Anne Walker’s team surprisingly lost in the first round of match play to Wake Forest. That loss might be the reset Stanford needed — I expect them to run the table from here. They’re simply that good. Therefore, I'm moving the Cardinal from “wager the mortgage” to “take it to the bank” this week.
and have some similarities and it feels like they’ll be comfortably through. The Wildcats and Tar Heels are both ranked in the top 20 in bogey avoidance (UNC #18 and Northwestern #9). They have a combined 9 players ranked in the top-150 individually (UNC 4, Northwestern 5). Finally, they’re both playing solid golf, finishing fifth in their respective conference championships.
Oklahoma
Being assigned to a Regional with a host school seeded outside the top 5 is not ideal. Hosting is a great advantage, especially for teams around the bubble. Yes, the Sooners played poorly in their last outing at SECs where they finished 14th. However, I’m going against my principles of taking the hot hand here and putting a finger on Veronique Drouin-Luttrell’s team as hosting at Jimmie Austin will create massive levels of comfort for the Sooners.
has a knack for finding form in the postseason. Although Jay Goble’s team hasn’t had the tidiest of seasons, don’t sleep on the Bears during NCAA play.
Stanford, Northwestern, UNC, Oklahoma, Baylor