For the second straight year, the Ohio State Buckeyes women's golf team is heading to the NCAA Championship tournament in Carlsbad, California—and they're bringing some serious momentum with them.
After a strong showing at the Ann Arbor Regional, the Buckeyes secured a second-place finish, trailing only national powerhouse USC. With four players finishing in the individual top 20 and shooting near even par for the entire regional, Ohio State proved they have the depth to compete at the highest level. Even a tough final round from sophomore Mandy Song didn't slow them down—since only the top four team scores count each round, the Buckeyes' balance kept them in control.
From the very first round, Ohio State jumped out to an early lead and never looked back. Sure, there were a few tense moments late in Rounds 1 and 2 that kept things from being a total blowout, but the team did exactly what was needed to punch their ticket to the national stage. Those hiccups might raise a small question mark heading into the championship, but overall, this was a confident, composed performance.
Joining the Buckeyes and USC from the Ann Arbor Regional are defending national champion Northwestern (the No. 32 overall seed), No. 10 Duke, and No. 48 Texas Tech—who barely held on to fifth place after a late scare. Meanwhile, No. 14 UCF finished sixth and will be watching from home, making them one of the highest-ranked teams to miss out on Carlsbad.
With regional action still wrapping up across the country, the field in Carlsbad is shaping up to be as stacked as ever. Most top-20 seeds look safe, but a few are sweating it out. No. 16 Tennessee is in trouble at the Waco Regional, sitting in eighth place well behind the cut line. No. 17 Mississippi State is out after a stunning collapse in the Chapel Hill Regional. And teams like No. 8 Oregon, No. 13 Vanderbilt, and No. 15 UCLA are all hovering dangerously close to the cut lines in their respective regionals—though they could still advance.
Last year, Ohio State finished 24th after three rounds in Carlsbad (only the top 15 advance to the final round, and then the top eight enter a match play bracket to crown a national champion). With Stanford holding the No. 1 overall seed, the competition will be fierce. But if the Buckeyes can carry their regional form into the championship, they have every chance to improve on last year's result and make some noise on the biggest stage in college golf.