Cowgirls a four seed in San Antonio regional, Tulsa heads to Indy as six seed
INDIANAPOLIS – No. 22 Oklahoma State women’s golf is set for a trip back to Texas, where it will compete as the fourth-seed at the NCAA San Antonio Regional at TPC San Antonio from May 8-10, it was announced Wednesday.
In a change announced by the NCAA in January, the top five teams from each of the six regional sites will now qualify for the national championship, bumping the field up from 24 finalists to 30. In addition, the low individual not on an advancing team from each regional will also qualify, as 156 total student-athletes will move on to play in the national championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
With last season’s change to six regional sites from the previous four-site format, 72 teams still qualified for regional play, while 36 individuals not on advancing teams also joined the field.
The season marks Oklahoma State’s 29th NCAA Regional appearance, having qualified for regional play in 29 of the last 30 seasons, excluding the cancelled spring schedule in 2020. The Cowgirls will be competing for their consecutive trip to the NCAA Championship.
In 2022, Oklahoma State played host to the NCAA Stillwater Regional at Karsten Creek Golf Club, where the Cowgirls finished tied for third and Maddison Hinson-Tolchard earned medalist honors.
Oklahoma State enters San Antonio as one of just four teams ranked in the top-25 according to GolfStat. Top-seed Texas A&M is the field’s highest ranked squad at No. 6, with Auburn close behind at No. 7. Pepperdine ranks eighteenth, while SMU sits just outside the top-25 at No. 27.
The Cowgirls are coming off perhaps their biggest victory of the season, sweeping both the team and individual titles at the Big 12 Championship last weekend. OSU defeated runner-up Baylor by seven strokes through a 10-under 278 on Saturday and clutch play on the back nine to hold off a late surge from the Bears on Sunday. The win marked head coach Greg Robertson‘s second Big 12 title in the past three seasons.
Maddison Hinson-Tolchard was crowned individual champion at 4-under 212, while Clemence Martin’s third-place finish was key for the Cowgirls in the team race.
Throughout the season, Oklahoma State has compiled six top-5 finishes in its nine tournaments played, including wins at the Big 12 Championship and Jim West Challenge in October.
Tulsa Golfers Get No. 6 Seed at NCAA Indiana Regional
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. –– The University of Tulsa women’s golf team will return to the NCAA Championships with an invitation to the Indiana Regional, May 8-10, at The Club of Chatham Hills in Westfield, Indiana.
A total of 72 teams will compete at six regional sites, competing to advance to the NCAA Finals, May 19-24, at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Tulsa is the No. 6 seed at the Indiana Regional, which also includes No. 1 seed Mississippi State, Oregon, Vanderbilt, Iowa State and Virginia filling the top-5 seeds, followed by Tulsa, Tennessee, Michigan, Oregon State, Xavier, Lipscomb and Morehead State.
Thirty teams will advance to the championship in Scottsdale — five from each of the six regional sites. A total of 156 players will advance to the championship, with the top five teams and top individual (not on an advancing team) advancing from each regional.
“It was one of our goals at the start of the year to make regionals, obviously going to nationals is another one. I’m proud of these kids. It’s a young group. They work hard and they believe in themselves. It’s a fun group to be around,” said Tulsa head coach Annie Young.
“It’s nice to have celebration watch party knowing that you’re going to get into the tournament, it was just a matter of where we were headed.”
“I’m excited that we’re going to Indiana. It’s a Pete Dye design. We just came from a Pete Dye designed course at the conference championship. From what I know it’s a tough course and there’s a lot of good teams competing. I think these girls are hungry enough not just to be going but moving on,” Young added.
Tulsa, ranked 36th in the latest Golfstat ratings, has finished among the top-3 six times in 11 tournament events this season, while capturing tournament victories at the Barbara Nicklaus Cup and Dale McNamara Invitational. The Hurricane placed among the top-3 in its two April events, finishing in second place at The Bruzzy (April 1-2) and is coming off a third-place performance at the American Athletic Conference Championship (April 17-19).
Since starting the golf program in 1974-75, Tulsa will be making its 28th NCAA Tournament appearance in school history. Tulsa last made the NCAA field in 2021 but poor weather conditions forced cancellation of the regional event, thus ending Tulsa’s bid to reach the NCAA finals.
OU’s Fortuna to Compete in NCAA Athens Regional
NORMAN – Oklahoma women’s golfer Mikhaela Fortuna has been selected to participate as an individual in the NCAA Athens Regional May 8-10 at UGA Golf Course, as announced by the NCAA on Wednesday.
Fortuna last competed at the Big 12 Championship in Dallas and tied for third. She was one of four golfers to finish under par and fired a 1-under 215.
“Mikhaela had a solid year and deserved to be picked as an individual,” said Oklahoma head women’s golf coach Veronique Drouin-Luttrell. “Her finish at the Big 12 Championship significantly improved her individual rank. I am excited that we are able to go to a familiar course. It will be a huge advantage for her.”
Fortuna competed in all nine stroke play events this season and holds a team-best 73.0 stroke average. She has recorded two top-5 finishes, including a fourth-place finish at the Jim West Challenge and a third-place finish at the Big 12 Championship.
In addition to Fortuna, Carla Bernat (Tulane), Mathilde Delavallade (Penn State), Catie Craig (Western Kentucky), Christy Chen (Boston) and Isabella Gomez were also selected as individuals for the Athens Regional.
The field consists of South Carolina, San Jose State, Ole Miss, Ohio State, Georgia, Maryland, Kent State, Charleston, Kansas, Furman, Augusta and Sacred Heart.
The top five teams and the low individual not on an advancing team from each regional will advance to the NCAA Championships. Championship play will be held May 19-24 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.