Breaking down the 2024 NCAA Division I women's golf regionals, including players to watch in each field

Anna Morgan of the United States celebrates after a putt on the practice putting green prior to the Augusta National Women's Amateur at Champions Retreat Golf Club, Monday, April 1, 2024. (Photo: Thomas Lovelock/Augusta National)

Site: Auburn University Club, Auburn, Alabama

Teams

1. South Carolina
2. Auburn
3. Oregon
4. Georgia
5. North Carolina
6. Michigan
7. Houston
8. Tulsa
9. Miami
10. Kennesaw State
11. East Tennessee State
12. Albany

Individuals

1. Anna Morgan, Furman
2. Isabella McCauley, Minnesota
3. Gabi Nicastro, Samford
4. Audrey Ryu, Furman
5. Lauren Thompson, Lipscomb
6. Viktoria Hund, Charleston

Individuals to watch

• Kiara Romero, Fr., Oregon: Romero, ranked sixth in the NCAA golf rankings, has two victories this year and placed third at the Pac-12 Championship.
• Louise Rydqvist, Jr., South Carolina: The winner of the Annika Intercollegiate back in the fall, Rydqvist is the top player on the top-seeded Gamecocks. She finished runner-up at the SEC Championship.
• Anna Morgan, Gr., Furman: Morgan has been one of the most successful college golfers this season, racking up four victories, including the Southern Conference title. She also has six top-three finishes.

Favorite to win? Auburn. The Tigers were on the verge of hosting the regional until USC's runner-up finish at the Pac-12 Championship knocked them out of a top-six spot. However, don't overlook the Tigers at home. With midseason enrollee Anna Davis, as well as reigning U.S. Women's Amateur champion Megan Schofill, Auburn should be able to take care of business on their home course.

Non top-5 seed most likely to steal a spot? Michigan. Monet Chun and Hailey Borja are names college golf fans should know. They've both had great runs at the past two U.S. Women's Amateurs, and they're plenty experienced playing college golf. If the Wolverines depth has a strong week, Michigan can be dancing into the NCAA Championship.

Wake Forest's Rachel Kuehn. (Photo: Wake Forest Athletics)

Site: Bermuda Run Country Club (East Course), Bermuda Run, North Carolina

Teams

1. Wake Forest
2. Texas
3. Ole Miss
4. Mississippi State
5. UCF
6. South Florida
7. Tennessee
8. Oregon State
9. North Texas
10. Delaware
11. Charleston Southern
12. Navy

Individuals

1. Lauren Olivares Leon, N.C. State
2. Louise Reau, Georgia Southern
3. Christin Eisenbeiss, North Florida
4. Kendall Turner, James Madison
5. Isabel Amezcua, N.C. State
6. Maria Beltran, Fairfield

Individuals to watch

• Julia Lopez Ramirez, Jr., Mississippi State: Ranked second in the NCAA golf rankings, Lopez Ramirez is well in contention for the Annika Award. The two-time SEC individual medalist has won her last two stroke-play starts, including the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate.
• Rachel Kuehn, Gr., Wake Forest: The four-time All-American had somewhat of a down season until she won the ACC individual championship. That coming off a top-10 finish in the Augusta National Women's Amateur, Kuehn seems to have found her form at the right time.
• Farah O'Keefe, Fr., Texas: O'Keefe also tied for medalist honors at the Darius Rucker, and she followed it up with a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championship.

Favorite to win? Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons are the defending national champions, but most importantly, they are finally healthy. Carolina Chacarra dealt with injuries for most of the spring, but with her and others over the injury bug, Wake Forest won the ACC Championship and seems primed to defend its title.

Non top-5 seed most likely to steal a spot? South Florida. Melanie Green leads the Bulls, as she has picked up two individual victories this year. Florida counterpart UCF has had some ups and downs in the spring while also dealing with injuries, so it's possible the Tampa teams could steal a spot from its I-4 rival.

LSU's Ingrid Lindblad with coach Garrett Runion. (Photo: LSU Athletics)

Site: Traditions Club, Bryan, Texas

Teams

1. LSU
2. Texas A&M
3. Clemson
4. Vanderbilt
5. SMU
6. Ohio State
7. Maryland
8. Iowa State
9. Texas State
10. Sam Houston
11. Sacred Heart
12. Little Rock

Individuals

1. Carla Bernat, Kansas State
2. Camryn Carreon, UTSA
3. Louis Lau, TCU
4. Sofia Barroso Sa, TCU
5. Daniela Abonce, UTSA
6. Ryann Honea, Abilene Christian

Individuals to watch

• Ingrid Lindblad, Gr., LSU: The top-ranked female amateur in the world has that title for a reason. She has three wins this season and has lost to only 14 golfers all year. She returned to LSU for one more shot at postseason glory, and it begins at regional play.
• Adela Cernousek, Jr., Texas A&M: Cernousek is a big reason why the Aggies made it to the final match of the SEC Championship. Her worst stroke-play finish this fall is T-11, and she won the Jackson T. Stephens Cup in the fall.
• Carla Bernat, Jr., Kansas State: Bernat has finished in the top three in three of her past four starts, including a win at the Liz Murphey Collegiate Classic. Playing as an individual, she could challenge for a spot at nationals with a good showing.

Favorite to win? Texas A&M. Although the Aggies are the second seed behind LSU, playing close to home at a course they're familiar with will be beneficial. Texas A&M also beat the Tigers by 18 shots in stroke play at the SEC Championship.

Non top-5 seed most likely to steal a spot? Iowa State. Although Ohio State is a team well capable of being in the top five when the regional is finish, the Cyclones have played progressively better as the season has gone on. Who's to say that won't continue in the postseason?

Stanford Women's Golf won the Pac-12 title. (Photo: Stanford Athletics)

Site: Tumblecreek Club, Cle Elum, Washington

Teams

1. Stanford
2. Duke
3. Arizona State
4. Virginia
5. San Jose State
6. Washington
7. Alabama
8. Virginia Tech
9. Kansas
10. Long Beach State
11. Sacramento State
12. Seattle

Individuals

1. Emma Bunch, New Mexico State
2. Riana Mission, San Francisco
3. Kelli Ann Strand, Nebraska
4. Morgan Miller, Colorado
5. Sabrina Iqbal, Colorado
6. Madelyn Gamble, Washington State

Individuals to watch

• Megha Ganne, So., Stanford: Arguably the top player in the deep Cardinal lineup, Ganne has a victory in the fall at the Carmel Cup but also has two top-five finishes in her past three starts, including a T-4 at the Pac-12 Championship.
• Amanda Sambach, Jr., Virginia: Year after year, Sambach has continued to make her mark as one of the best players in the college game. She has one win this year and is coming into regionals off a T-2 at the ACC Championship.
• Emma Bunch, So., New Mexico State: No player has been better this spring (and arguably this year) than Bunch. She has won five consecutive starts, including the Conference USA title. No. 6 would be her biggest yet.

Favorite to win? Stanford. The Cardinal, even after losing Zhang, have remained one of, if not the, top teams in the country. Stanford has a balanced lineup and is no stranger to postseason pressure, and that won't hamper them this year, either.

Non top-5 seed most likely to steal a spot? Washington. As the regional host, it's safe to say the Huskies will have some home-field advantage. Will it be enough to knock out mid-major power San Jose State or possibly one of the two teams traveling from the East Coast in Duke or Virginia? Time will tell.

Catherine Park of the United States plays her stroke from the No. 3 tee during round one of the Augusta National Women's Amateur at Champions Retreat Golf Club, Wednesday, April 3, 2024.

Site: Forest Acres Golf Course, East Lansing, Michigan

Teams

1. USC
2. Northwestern
3. Florida
4. Pepperdine
5. Michigan State
6. Kentucky
7. Denver
8. Oklahoma State
9. Indiana
10. Augusta
11. Illinois State
12. Oakland

Individuals

1. Isabel Sy, Illinois
2. Catie Craig, Western Kentucky
3. Lauren Beaudreau, Notre Dame
4. Carmen Griffiths, Louisville
5. Hana Ryskova, Louisville
6. Kate Petrova, Evansville

Individuals to watch

• Maisie Filler, Sr., Florida: Filler has been one of the best players in the country all season long. Although she has cooled off as of late, she has three wins under her belt and could easily add another win a strong week.
• Catherine Park, So., USC: Another player in the conversation for the Annika Award, Park has won her last two stroke-play starts, including the Pac-12 Championship. She also has a third victory this year and is one of the stars for the 2023 runner-up Trojans.
• Catie Craig, Jr., Western Kentucky: Craig has picked up two victories this year, and in 10 stroke-play starts, she has lost to only 23 golfers all season. Her worst finish is T-9 in the season-opening event.

Favorite to win? USC. While Michigan State is likely to make a strong run for a title at its home course, USC has finished in the top four in four of its past five events, including a runner-up showing at the Pac-12 Championship. With Park, Amari Avery and ANWA runner-up Bailey Shoemaker in the lineup, among others, the Trojans are more than capable of making another deep postseason run.

Non top-5 seed most likely to steal a spot? Kentucky. While this is a regional that features arguably the most depth outside of the top five, the Wildcats have an advantage with Jensen Castle and Laney Frye as their star players. If those two perform, Kentucky can compete with most.

UCLA's Zoe Campos won the 2024 Pac-12 Preview. (Photo: UCLA Golf)

Site: Spanish Trail Country Club, Las Vegas, Nevada

Teams

1. UCLA
2. Arkansas
3. Arizona
4. Florida State
5. California
6. Purdue
7. Baylor
8. Oklahoma
9. Colorado State
10. Kent State
11. Xavier
12. Dartmouth

Individuals

1. Toa Yokoyama, UNLV
2. Lauren Lehigh, New Mexico
3. Lauren Zaretsky, Texas Tech
4. Myah McDonald, New Mexico
5. Victoria Liu, Princeton
6. Lizzie Neal, Northern Arizona

Individuals to watch

• Zoe Campos, Jr., UCLA: Campos has been a star for the Bruins this year, picking up three victories, including at the Ping/ASU Invitational. She has seven finishes inside the top seven in her last eight events. It shouldn't be a surprise to see her name near the top of the leaderboard.
• Lottie Woad, So., Florida State: Woad won the Augusta National Women's Amateur in April, and that shouldn't be a shock to those who follow college golf. This year, in six stroke-play starts, her worst finish is T-8 and she has one victory.
• Maria Jose Marin, Fr., Arkansas: A standout freshman for the Razorbacks, Marin picked up a victory at the Blessings Collegiate on the heels of a runner-up finish at the Carmel Cup in her first college start.

Favorite to win? UCLA. The Bruins have four victories this year, and although they haven't captured a trophy since early March, it shouldn't make anyone shy away from the depth they have. With Campos as the leader, UCLA can compete with anyone.

Non top-5 seed most likely to steal a spot? Colorado State. The Rams are seeded ninth, but they have three victories this year and have a strong resume playing in a majority of Power 5 events. Don't overlook Colorado State as a team to nab one of the top-five spots.