UCLA wins Therese Hession Challenge as O’Keefe takes playoff medalist
February 3, 2026 | by Amit Pandey of AmateurGolf.com
see also: Farah O'Keefe, Therese Hession Regional Challenge, Palos Verdes Golf Club
Bruins win by 11 at Palos Verdes; Texas’ Farah O’Keefe beats Jenny Lee in a playoff
No. 23 UCLA claimed its first team title of the season with an eight-under 844 victory at the Therese Hession Regional Challenge at Palos Verdes Golf Club.
The Bruins sealed the win in style, posting the lowest round of the week — a six-under 278 — to finish 11 shots clear of No. 11 Texas. UCLA’s three rounds read 282-284-278.
Farah O’Keefe claimed medalist honours in a playoff after closing the gap on the final day. The Texas junior began the round one shot behind Jenny Lee at 3-under, then carded a 69 to Lee’s 70 to force extra holes. O’Keefe won it with a chip-in on the first playoff hole to secure her second collegiate title, while Lee finished runner-up at 5-under 208 (69-69-70).
UCLA freshman Kacey Ly produced one of the rounds of the tournament, closing with a four-under 67 to climb to fourth at 3-under (74-69-67). Ly made five birdies against just one bogey on the final day.
Texas also placed two more players inside the top five, with senior Cindy Hsu finishing at 4-under (71-71-67) and junior Lauren Kim at 2-under (72-71-68), underlining the Longhorns’ depth in a runner-up finish at three-over.
UCLA placed four players inside the top 15, with Angela Liu T-12th at 2-over and Meghan Royal T-15th at 3-over.
Defending champions USC finished T-6th at 17-over alongside 2024 winners South Carolina, as UCLA capped a wire-to-wire week at the top of the leaderboard.
| Pos | +/- | Player | School | Rank | Total | Thru | R1 | R2 | R3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | — | Jeonghyun Lee | UCLA | #66 | -5 | F | -2 | -2 | -1 |
| T1 | 1 ▲ | Farah O'Keefe | Texas | #5 | -5 | F | E | -3 | -2 |
| 3 | 4 ▲ | Cindy Hsu | Texas | #25 | -4 | F | E | E | -4 |
| 4 | 4 ▲ | Kacey Ly | UCLA | — | -3 | F | +3 | -2 | -4 |
| 5 | 3 ▲ | Lauren Kim | Texas | #42 | -2 | F | +1 | E | -3 |
Round 2 Summary -
| Pos | +/- | Player | School | Rank | Total | Thru | R1 | R2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 ▲ | Jeonghyun Lee | UCLA | #66 | -4 | F | -2 | -2 |
| 2 | 5 ▲ | Farah O'Keefe | Texas | #5 | -3 | F | E | -3 |
| 3 | 4 ▲ | Angela Liu | UCLA | — | -2 | F | E | -2 |
| T4 | 3 ▼ | Kinslea Jones | Kansas (IND) | — | -1 | F | -4 | +3 |
| T4 | 1 ▲ | Lyla Louderbaugh | Kansas | — | -1 | F | -1 | E |
| T4 | 20 ▲ | Bailey Shoemaker | Southern California | — | -1 | F | +2 | -3 |
Round 1 Summary -
No. 23 UCLA set the early pace at the 2026 Therese Hession Regional Challenge, opening with a two-under 282 at Palos Verdes Golf Club to lead No. 7 Texas A&M by four shots. UCLA were the only team under par in the 16-school field, while defending champions USC struggled to 19-over (T-14) and 2024 winners South Carolina sat 10th at 12-over. Individually, Kansas freshman Kinslea Jones led at four-under 67, one ahead of Texas A&M’s Brynn Kort (68), as UCLA placed four players inside the top 10, led by Jeonghyun Lee’s 69.
This unique collegiate tournament was founded by Cathy (Hanlon) Marino, a member of the PVGC Hall of Fame, Therese Hession, Ohio State University Women's Golf Coach, and Sid Croft, a longtime PVGC member.
Marino and Hession were both former members of the Southern Methodist women's golf team and competitors on the LPGA Tour. In 1995, while Marino was the head coach at SMU and Hession was in her third year at Ohio State, they developed the idea of having a ladies collegiate event in Southern California early in the year to kick off the Spring season.
Marino had been a high school star at Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates, and she approached her good friend, Sid Croft, PVGC Board Counsel, about the possibility. Croft took the idea to the PVGC Board of Directors, which unanimously approved the idea, and the first tournament was held in February 1996.
| Pos | Player | School | Rank | Total | Thru | R1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kinslea Jones | Kansas (IND) | — | -4 | F | -4 |
| 2 | Brynn Kort | Texas A&M | #75 | -3 | F | -3 |
| T3 | Jeonghyun Lee | UCLA | #66 | -2 | F | -2 |
| T3 | Vanessa Borovilos | Texas A&M | #28 | -2 | F | -2 |
| T5 | Lyla Louderbaugh | Kansas | — | -1 | F | -1 |
| T5 | Kleopatra Kozakiewicz | San Jose State | — | -1 | F | -1 |
About the Northrop Grumman Challenge
Women's college tournament started in 1996 as a way to kick off the Spring season. Team (best four scores out of five players) and individual competitions.
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