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AIPROPX ReportYahoo Sports · 23m ago
NCAA women's golf preseason rankings: Top teams, players for 2026-27
Death, taxes and Stanford ranked No. 1 in women's college golf.
We know how fickle match play can be as an NCAA champion decider, but will the Cardinal at least dominate the season up until that point? It's certainly possible, maybe even likely, though the gap has arguably shrunk.
USC, Texas and Arkansas all possess strong teams heading into the fall, while Texas A&M should be considered in that upper echelon despite not getting out of regionals last season.
Golf Channel’s Brentley Romine ranks his top 30 teams, projects this year’s All-Americans and top freshmen, highlights the best tournaments on the schedule and provides in-depth analysis heading into the 2026-27 season:
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 27: Meja Örtengren of the Stanford Cardinal drives against the USC Trojans during the Division I Women’s Golf Championship held at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa on May 27, 2026 in Carlsbad, California. (Photo by C. Morgan Engel/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
NCAA Photos via Getty Images
1. Stanford
Final 2025-26 rank: 1
2026 NCAA Championship finish: Won (1st in stroke play)
Returning: Paula Martin Sampedro (Sr.), Andrea Revuelta (Jr.), Meja Ortengren (Jr.), Anna Song (Soph.), Nora Sundberg (Jr.), Leigh Chien (Jr.), Kaila Elsayegh (Soph.)
Scouting report: How do you follow what was arguably the best NCAA team of all-time? Returning three of the top-6 amateurs in the world is a start. Ganne, last year’s NCAA runner-up, and Xu were massive leaders for the Cardinal, so that will be felt. But as far as scores – Sampedro, Revuelta and Ortengren combined for five wins among 19 top-10s last season – there is more than enough firepower to keep Stanford atop the sport. Sampedro is coming off low-amateur honors at the AIG Women’s Open for the second straight summer while Revuelta was runner-up at the Women’s British Amateur and Ortengren was second at the European Ladies. Behind the Big 3, head coach Anne Walker will have more uncertainty than she’s used to. Song saw the most action of the returners with six tournaments and posted three top-16s. Sundberg was once ranked as high as 35th in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, though she will finally have opportunity to grab a full-time role. The two freshmen will have their say as well, with Oh make the semifinals of the SCGA Women’s Amateur this summer and Lee making match play at both the U.S. Women’s Amateur and U.S. Girls’ Junior. Stanford has won each of the past six stroke-play portions of the NCAA Championship, though seven in a row isn’t a guarantee.
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 27: Jasmine Koo of the USC Trojans plays her shot from the fifth tee during the final round of the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championships at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa on May 27, 2026 in Carlsbad, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Getty Images
2. USC
Final 2025-26 rank: 2
2026 NCAA Championship finish: Runner-up (second in stroke play)
Returning: Jasmine Koo (Jr.), Bailey Shoemaker (Sr.), Elise Lee (Jr.), Kylie Chong (Jr.), Sarah Hammett (Soph.), Chloe Kim (Soph.)
Departed: Catherine Park
Arriving: Kaili Xiao (Fr.), Angela Zhang (Fr.), Sophia Lin (Fr.)
Scouting report: The Trojans might not be over last year’s loss to Stanford in the NCAA final, but as head coach Justin Silverstein said, “If we need extra motivation, we’re failing them.” Added Silverstein: “It didn’t go our way, but we were in a very good position for things to go our way, and it just didn’t happen. We lost to what a lot of people consider to be the best team of all-time, and I wouldn’t even argue that.” One could also argue that USC, despite losing the heart of its roster in Park, has closed the gap on the top-ranked Cardinal. Koo plans to go to Q-School this fall to get Epson status, but she’s committed for one more full season. She’s already won a program-record eight times, and the goal this season is to raise her floor, which has been shockingly low for a player and putter of her caliber. Shoemaker posted seven top-12s last spring in her return from major arm surgery, and after a nice summer that included a Round of 16 showing at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, Shoemaker is excited to enter her last season fully healthy. Lee and Chong continue to be workhorses; Lee picked up about 7 mph in swing speed this summer while Chong is coming off a sophomore year that featured two wins. Hammett was lost in the shuffle as a freshman, and she might again get pushed for playing time. Xiao is a tall lefty who hits it far and high, much like former Trojan Gabi Ruffels, and could be a surprise All-American. Zhang is a U.S. National Development Program product, though she’s struggled with the driver, and Lin might need a season or two to develop into a consistent starter.
CARLSBAD, CALIFORNIA - MAY 26: Farah O’Keefe of the Texas Longhorns walks from the sixth tee at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa on May 26, 2026 in Carlsbad, California. (Photo by Luke Hales/Getty Images)
Getty Images
3. Texas
Final 2025-26 rank: 3
2026 NCAA Championship finish: Quarterfinalist (T-3 in stroke play)
Returning: Farah O’Keefe (Sr.), Lauren Kim (Sr.), Selina Liao (Sr.), Vivian Lu (Sr.), Shyla Brown (Fr.)
Departed: Cindy Hsu, Angela Heo, Alisa Inprasit, Emma von Hoffmann
Arriving: Charlotte Naughton (Fr.), Amy Lee (Fr.), Isla McDonald-O’Brien (Jr.; transferred from Arizona State), Anastasia Hekkonen (Jr.; transferred from Kentucky)
Projected starting lineup: O’Keefe, Kim, Naughton, McDonald-O’Brien, Hekkonen
Scouting report: Losing Hsu and to a lesser extent Heo leaves a void in the starting lineup, but head coach Laura Ianello has done more than fill it. Initially Lee, who qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open and made match play at the U.S. Girls’ Junior, was going to be the only inco...
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