May 21, 2026 • by Josh Coles
The culmination of the women's college golf season is here. After six hard-fought regionals that finalized the field from 72 teams down to 30, the 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship gets underway tomorrow at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California — and it has all the makings of a classic.
Our partners at have teamed up with to deliver unprecedented live coverage of the entire event across multiple platforms. You can watch live coverage of the opening three rounds of stroke play HERE
Regional play wrapped up on May 13 across the six sites, and here's who punched their ticket:
Ann Arbor Regional: Southern California / Ohio State / Duke / Northwestern / Texas Tech / Individual: Isabella McCauley (Minnesota)
Chapel Hill Regional: Texas / North Carolina / Oklahoma State / Michigan State / Virginia / Individual: Thanana Kotchasanmanee (Princeton)
Louisville Regional: Auburn / Houston / Arkansas / Iowa State / Ole Miss / Individual: Sheridan Clancy (Indiana)
Stanford Regional: Stanford / Pepperdine / Oregon State / Arizona State / Missouri / Individual: Emma Bunch (New Mexico State)
Tallahassee Regional: Wake Forest / Florida State / Florida / Eastern Michigan / Kentucky / Individual: Johanna Sjursen (ULM)
Waco Regional: SMU / Texas A&M / Baylor / LSU / Tennessee / Individual: Kirstin Angosta (TCU)
Stanford (#1) arrive as the team to beat. The Cardinal had a dominant regular season — six wins including the conference championship — and three players ranked inside the top 10 in the National Collegiate Golf Rankings: Paula Martin Sampedro, Andrea Revuelta and Megha Ganne. They topped their regional at the Stanford Golf Course by 38 shots and will be looking to go one step further this year after losing last years championship match to Northwestern.
USC (#2) have been right on Stanford's heels all season. Seven wins, including the Pac-12 Championship, and a No. 2 national ranking make them a genuine title contender. The Trojans won their Ann Arbor regional and will be eager to become National Champions.
Northwestern (#31) are the defending team champions, having beaten Stanford 3-2 in last year's final at this very venue. The Wildcats have won two events this year, and with the familiarity of La Costa from their 2025 triumph, who's to say they won't make that three.
Texas (#5) come in as the tournament hosts and topped the Chapel Hill Regional, while Auburn (#6) took the Louisville Regional ahead of a deep field that included Arkansas (#7) and Iowa State (#17). SMU (#16) are another team in form after coming out on top in the Waco Regional by six shots.
Defending individual champion Maria Jose Marin from Arkansas (#3) returns to La Costa looking to become the first back-to-back individual winner since the current match-play format was introduced. The Arkansas junior won the Louisville Regional individual title on her way to Carlsbad and is in excellent form.
The Stanford trio of Martin Sampedro, Revuelta and Ganne will be among the frontrunners alongside Marin, while Paula Francisco (#11) — who won the SEC Individual Conference Championship by two shots — enters the week with momentum at her back.
Omni La Costa Resort and Spa is familiar territory for the field's top contenders. This is the third consecutive year the Women's Championship has been held here, meaning many players already know the 6,297-yard, par-72 layout intimately. That experience will count for something when the pressure builds in match play. After the women's championship wraps on May 27, the Men's Championship takes over at La Costa from May 29 — June 3.
You can watch more about the vision to bring the National Championship to Omni La Costa HERE