Stanford has turned the 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship into a statement. Back-to-back rounds of 6-under par carried the top-ranked Cardinal to 12 under and a commanding three-shot lead through 36 holes at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California. Round 3 tees off this morning, Sunday, May 24 — and by day’s end, the 30-team field will be cut to the 15 squads that play on for a national title.
How to Watch — Quick Guide
- Event
- 2026 NCAA DI Women’s Golf Championship
- Round 3
- Today, Sunday, May 24 — first tee 6:30 a.m. PT
- Location
- Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, Carlsbad, Calif.
- TV / Stream
- GOLF Channel and Babygrandegolf.com (free livestream)
- Live scoring
- NCAA.com
- Title decided
- Wednesday, May 27
Round 2 Recap: Stanford Pulls Clear
Stanford was the only team to break par in both of the first two rounds, and Anne Walker’s group did it the hard way Saturday. “We thought the front nine was playing pretty tough,” Walker said. “Turning onto the back nine, there were some opportunities that opened up, and we were fortunate enough to be in the right spot to make those putts.” The Cardinal are one of just three teams under par at the halfway point — Southern California sits second at 9 under and Oklahoma State third at 7 under — and the gap behind them is stark: seven shots separate third place from a logjam at even par.
| Pos | Team | Rank | To Par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Stanford | No. 1 | −12 |
| 2 | Southern California | No. 2 | −9 |
| 3 | Oklahoma State | No. 21 | −7 |
| T4 | Iowa State | No. 17 | E |
| T4 | Arkansas | No. 7 | E |
| T6 | Duke | No. 10 | +1 |
| T6 | SMU | No. 16 | +1 |
| 8 | Texas | No. 5 | +2 |
| T9 | Arizona State | No. 23 | +5 |
| T9 | Eastern Michigan | No. 27 | +5 |
Team leaderboard after Round 2, top 10. Full standings and live scoring at NCAA.com.
The Cut: Round 3’s Second Tournament
After Sunday’s third round, the field of 30 is trimmed to the top 15 teams for Monday’s fourth round. That math has turned the middle of the leaderboard into its own tournament. Three teams — Tennessee, Florida State and No. 4-ranked Texas A&M — share 15th place at 10 over, squarely on the projected cut line. Pepperdine (+9) holds the final comfortable spot, while North Carolina and Wake Forest sit one shot the wrong side of the number at 11 over, with Baylor, Auburn and Virginia another stroke back. For a handful of highly ranked programs, Sunday is less about the trophy than about staying alive.
| Pos | Team | Rank | To Par |
|---|---|---|---|
| 13 | Missouri | No. 32 | +7 |
| 14 | Pepperdine | No. 11 | +9 |
| T15 | Tennessee | No. 18 | +10 |
| T15 | Texas A&M | No. 4 | +10 |
| T15 | Florida State | No. 22 | +10 |
| T18 | North Carolina | No. 12 | +11 |
| T18 | Wake Forest | No. 8 | +11 |
- - - projected cut line - - - Top 15 teams advance to Round 4. Positions shown around the cut after 36 holes.
Round 3 Preview: A Head-to-Head Up Top
The third round sets up a true head-to-head at the top: Stanford, USC and Oklahoma State are grouped together in the morning wave, teeing off between 6:30 and 7:25 a.m. PT. The group to watch goes off at 7:14 a.m., when Stanford’s Meja Örtengren — a co-leader of the individual race — plays alongside USC’s Catherine Park and Oklahoma State’s Marta Silchenko. Texas, Duke and Eastern Michigan follow in the next wave.
“We are not close to being done. Just back to staying in the moment.” — Oklahoma State head coach Annie Young
How the Championship Format Works
All 30 teams play 54 holes of stroke play through Sunday before the field is cut to the top 15 squads and the top nine individuals not on an advancing team. Monday’s fourth round crowns the 72-hole individual champion and narrows the team race to eight. The national champion is then decided by match play — quarterfinals and semifinals on Tuesday, May 26, followed by the final on Wednesday, May 27.
Stanford Is Built to Finish the Job
A year ago, Stanford walked off the closing holes at La Costa one match short of a national championship. This time the Cardinal arrive at the weekend in front, powered by the depth that has defined their season. Sophomore Meja Örtengren followed an opening 70 with a 4-under 68 to share the individual lead, and Megha Ganne sits just behind inside the top five. “Making the turn and seeing the leaderboard, I thought I could make some birdies and climb the leaderboard and help my team,” Örtengren said. With six wins this season and an ACC Championship already in hand, Stanford has the look of a team ready to finish what last May’s 3–2 final-match loss left undone.
Texas in the Mix; Texas A&M Sweating the Cut
Host Texas sits eighth at 2 over — not yet in the lead picture, but safely inside the cut and carrying the championship’s hottest individual. Farah O’Keefe shares the 36-hole lead at 6 under after rounds of 69-69 and leads the field in birdies. “My putter has been doing great so far,” O’Keefe said. “Any putt I miss is only a foot by.” Texas A&M faces a far nervier Sunday: the No. 4-ranked Aggies must climb out of the cut zone just to keep their title hopes alive.
The Individual Race After Round 2
Three players share the individual lead at 6 under — O’Keefe, Örtengren and Ole Miss’s Kajsalotta Svarvar — with 15 players within three shots. The round of the championship belonged to Florida sophomore Siuue Wu, whose 8-under 64 tied the lowest round to par in NCAA Championship history and set a Florida program record. Oklahoma State freshman Yu-Chu Chen supplied the week’s signature moment, acing the 130-yard par-3 16th — the first hole-in-one in the championship’s three years at Omni La Costa. “Getting my third hole-in-one still feels unreal,” Chen said.
| Pos | Player | Team | To Par |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | Farah O’Keefe | Texas | −6 |
| T1 | Meja Örtengren | Stanford | −6 |
| T1 | Kajsalotta Svarvar | Ole Miss | −6 |
| T4 | Megha Ganne | Stanford | −5 |
| T4 | Kirstin Angosta | TCU (Ind.) | −5 |
| T4 | Beth Coulter | Arizona State | −5 |
Individual leaderboard after Round 2, top six. The top nine individuals not on an advancing team play on into Round 4.
Six Regions, Six Champions
2026 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship Schedule
| Date | Round |
|---|---|
| May 22 | Round 1 stroke play — Complete |
| May 23 | Round 2 stroke play — Complete: Stanford leads at 12 under |
| May 24 | Round 3 stroke play — Today; field cut to the top 15 teams |
| May 25 | Round 4 stroke play — 72-hole individual champion crowned; cut to the top eight teams |
| May 26 | Match play — quarterfinals and semifinals |
| May 27 | Match play final — national champion crowned |
