The NCAA Division I National Championships are ongoing, with the field being cut to eight last night. The teams will be narrowed to two after the rounds of match play today. These school’s all have a rich golf history, so let’s take a look at each one’s best player in the professional ranks right now.
STANFORD – ROSE ZHANG
Stanford is a pretty crowded field, with players like Andrea Lee and Albane Valenzuela playing strong golf, but it is hard not to pick the modern face of the program. In just two full years on tour, Zhang has already won twice, played in two Solheim Cups and represented the United States at the 2024 Olympics. When healthy, Zhang is among the best American players in the world.
OREGON – CAROLINE INGLIS
It is interesting, with how good Oregon women’s golf has been in the last 10 years, that it hasn’t produced more LPGA players. Inglis, a Eugene native is the easy selection here. Inglis has been consistently on the LPGA Tour since 2018, and has three top-10 finishes, including in the 2024 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship.
VIRGINIA – LAUREN COUGHLIN
Coughlin isn’t just the best active player from Virginia, she’s arguably a top three American player in the world at the moment, coming off her incredible breakout 2024. Coughlin won twice on the LPGA Tour in 2024 and finished top five in majors two additional times. She was also a star on the winning Solheim Cup team winning three points.
FLORIDA STATE – MATILDA CASTREN
Frida Kinhult was tempting, but I selected Castren, who probably has the strongest active resumé of the available players. Castren has won on the LPGA Tour, the Ladies European Tour and the Epson Tour. She also hit the winning putt for Europe in the 2021 Solheim Cup.
TEXAS – SOPHIA SCHUBERT
For the superstars that Texas has produced as of late in men’s golf, you would think more active LPGA players would have tee’d it up in Austin. Sophia Schubert is probably the best pick, who in 2022 finished in the top 40 of the LPGA money list and had a runner-up finish at Evian. She also has a win on the Epson Tour.
USC – ALLISEN CORPUZ
One of the toughest ones here, but I give Corpuz the edge because she is a major champion, winning the 2023 U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach. Corpuz has also been a bright spot of the current crop of American Solheim Cup players, building a 5-2-1 record across two playings, and forming an immediately iconic pairing with Nelly Korda.
NORTHWESTERN – ELIZABETH SZOKOL
Szokol actually finished her career at Virginia, but for the purposes of this list, she counts for her home town Wildcats. Szokol has one win on the LPGA Tour and one win on the Epson Tour. Just a couple weeks ago at Mizuho, Szokol had one of the highlights of the week with a hole-in-one on the famous 14th hole at Liberty National.
ARKANSAS – STACY LEWIS
While there are great alums from Arkansas, Stacy Lewis is the only real option here. Arguably the greatest American women’s golfer of the 2010’s, Lewis is a 13-time winner on the LPGA Tour including two majors. She was also a terrific Solheim Cup captain, leading the United States to a dominant victory in 2024.
