Stanford and Southern California will play for the 2026 NCAA Division I Women’s Golf national championship Wednesday afternoon at Omni La Costa, after the top-seeded Cardinal swept Eastern Michigan 5–0 in the semifinals and No. 2 USC outlasted Arkansas 4–1. For Stanford, it is a third straight appearance in the championship match — and another chance at redemption a year after losing the 2025 final 3–2 to Northwestern on the same course. For USC, it is a first national-title shot since 2023.

Stanford has not lost a match all week. The top seed went 10–0 across the quarterfinals and semifinals — dispatching No. 8 Pepperdine 5–0 in the morning and then sweeping Cinderella Eastern Michigan 5–0 in the afternoon. USC handled No. 7 Duke in the quarters and ground out a tense 4–1 over No. 3 Arkansas in the semis, powered by Catherine Park’s perfect 2–0 day and a clinching point from Elise Lee — the same player who won a national championship with Northwestern at this course a year ago.

The two programs share more than a final. Stanford and USC have each won three national championships in their history; the winner Wednesday moves into third place all-time in women’s college golf, trailing only Arizona State (8) and Duke (7).

🏆 National Championship Match · Wednesday, May 27

No. 1 seedStanford

vs.

No. 2 seedSouthern California

First tee 2:05 p.m. PT · GOLF Channel coverage 3–7 p.m. PT

Final Pairings: Stanford vs. Southern California

The Path to the Final

Semifinal Recap: Cardinal Cruise, Trojans Grind

Stanford’s afternoon was a clinic. The Cardinal won all five points against Eastern Michigan, but the day’s most telling sequence belonged to Meja Örtengren in the lead match: down three holes early to Erina Tan, Örtengren rallied to win 4&3 and give Stanford its first point. Andrea Revuelta added a 2&1 win, Paula Martín Sampedro edged Janae Leovao 1 up, Kelly Xu beat Savannah de Bock 2 up, and Megha Ganne polished things off 4&3 over Baiyok Sukterm.

USC’s semifinal was a tighter affair. Jasmine Koo and Catherine Park each delivered 3-up wins over Arkansas’s Reagan Zibilski and Abbey Schutte, but Maria Jose Marin (4 up over Kylie Chong) and Sara Brentcheneff (1 up over Bailey Shoemaker) kept the Razorbacks alive. Elise Lee closed the door with a 5-up dismantling of Natalie Blonien — Lee, a year removed from clinching a national title with Northwestern, this time clinching a final-round trip for the Trojans.

“I’m actually excited for the championship to have both of our teams in the final tomorrow. I think it’ll be great TV. It’ll be must-watch TV. … I am certain it’ll go down to the wire.” — Stanford head coach Anne Walker

Stanford’s Case — and Its Ghost

The Cardinal’s 2026 résumé is staggering: 17 wins in their last 18 stroke-play events, a 13-shot win in stroke play at this championship, and now 10 straight individual match-play wins to reach the final. Stanford has won three national titles in the match-play era (2015, 2022, 2024) and been runner-up twice. The most recent of those runner-up finishes was last May on this very course — a 3–2 loss to Northwestern. That match is the unspoken context for everything Stanford does Wednesday. Senior Kelly Xu enters the final tied for the record for most career NCAA match-play wins (7–1–0).

USC’s Case — Depth, and a Familiar Stage

Southern California’s last trip to the championship match came in 2023, when they lost to Wake Forest. They are back in part because Catherine Park has been the steadiest player in the bracket — she went 2–0 in match play Tuesday and her stroke-play 65 on Sunday lifted USC’s entire week — and in part because USC’s lineup has had different heroes on different days. “What got us through the day was what has led to our success this season: our depth,” head coach Justin Silverstein said. “We have been led by Catherine Park and Jasmine Koo for most of the season, but the rest of the team has stepped up.”

Eastern Michigan’s Cinderella Run Ends in the Semis

The week’s best story finished on Tuesday afternoon, but it finished with a place in the history books. Eastern Michigan, making its first NCAA Championship appearance, won its first NCAA Championship match (3–1 over host Texas in the quarterfinals) before falling to Stanford in the semifinals. The Eagles became the first regional No. 5 seed to advance past the quarterfinals at the NCAA Championship, and their tied-for-third finish is the best by a team in its tournament debut since 2000. “Twenty years from now, when you walk through the university and there’s a picture of us up there holding a semifinal trophy in women’s golf, you know it’s pretty special,” head coach Josh Brewer said.

Individual Champion: Farah O’Keefe (Texas)

The medal was already in hand before match play began. Texas junior Farah O’Keefe finished stroke play at 12 under — rounds of 69-69-68-70 — to win the individual national title by two over Stanford’s Megha Ganne, with Duke freshman Rianne Malixi third at 9 under and USC senior Catherine Park fourth at 8 under. O’Keefe led the field in birdies and birdied her final two holes Monday to seal the medal.

2026 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship Schedule & Results

2026 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship FAQ