Summer is in the rearview mirror, and college golf's 2026-27 season is here. That means it's time to rank the teams heading into the season.
The chase to win the NCAA Women's Golf Championship is on. Next spring, the championships will again be held at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, the fourth year of what is a five-year contract.
Last year, Stanford captured its fourth national championship in school history, knocking off USC in the match-play final to win the title. It was the third title for Stanford in the past five years.
Here's a look at Golfweek's 2026-27 women's college golf preseason rankings.
Golfweek's 2026-27 women's college golf preseason rankings
1. Stanford
Stanford has won stroke play at NCAAs six years running, going on one of the best runs the women's game has ever seen. This
year, the Cardinal return three players in the top six of WAGR, including Nos. 1-2 in Paula Martin Sampedro and Andrea Revuelta. But, for the first time in some time, the question with the Cardinal is depth, which comes into the season with not a lot of experience and plenty of opportunities for the remainder of the lineup to step into the No. 4 and No. 5 spots.
2. USC
The Trojans have plenty of experience returning from last year's national runner-up squad. Jasmine Koo, Bailey Shoemaker, Kylie Chong and Elise Lee are all back, giving USC one of the country's deepest lineups. Replacing Cathy Park may prove difficult, but there are a couple of options for coach Justin Silverstein to choose from and a big opportunity for someone looking to be the final piece to the puzzle.
3. Texas
Texas is in great hands now and moving forward. Not only does NCAA individual champion Farah O'Keefe return for her senior year, there's also returners Lauren Kim and transfer Isla McDonald-O'Brien in the fold, too. Add in incoming freshman Charlotte Naughton, and the Longhorns have a team that has plenty of experience and talented youth in search of its first win at match play come the NCAA Women's Golf Championship.
4. Arkansas
Another stout senior returns, this time Maria Jose Marin, who won the 2025 NCAA individual title and the 2026 Augusta National Women's Amateur. Also returning are sophomore Sara Brencheneff, Natalie Blonien and Abbey Schutte. Missouri transfer Ebba Liljeberg looks to provide depth after a stellar freshman season for the Tigers. With Marin leading the way, hopes are high in Fayetteville.
5. Texas A&M
Texas A&M is perhaps one of the deepest teams in the country. It returns arguably the most experience of anyone in the country, and that begins with Vanessa Borovilos and Cayetana Fernandez Garcia-Poggio. Add in names like Brynn Kort, Sky Sudberry, Louise Reau and Avery Zweig, and there's going to be a ton of competition to make the lineup, and that's not even including the two incoming freshmen, who could qualify from day one.
6. Wake Forest
Macy Pate and Chloe Kovelesky will do a lot of the heavy lifting for the Demon Deacons, which have plenty of star power at the top of the lineup but will need to develop depth as the season goes on. Pate is the lone senior on the roster, and five underclassmen will battle it out to complete the lineup, but the talent is there for Wake Forest to compete at La Costa.
7. Florida
Paula Francisco broke out last spring as one of college golf's best players, and that should continue this fall for the Gators. The senior from Spain is likely to be in the conversation for Player of the Year honors and could dominate Florida's schedule. With some new faces in the lineup, there will be many opportunities for the Gators to shine as a whole, too.
8. Auburn
It's the final ride for Anna Davis, who broke onto the scene nearly five years ago with her win at Augusta National and is now a senior for the Tigers. She had a strong spring and will look to carry that into this year. As the only senior on a roster that features six underclassmen, her leadership – in addition to on-course performance – will determine how far Auburn can go.
9. Vanderbilt
Experience is pivotal in college golf, and Vanderbilt returns eight players from last year's team, including significant contributors Elizabeth Rudisill, Ava Merrill, Angelina Tolentino, Sara Im and Kathryn Ha. The Vanderbilt women have never made match play at NCAAs since the new format was adopted in 2015, and there's a good chance that changes this year with its depth.
10. Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State played its best golf of the season last year toward the end, making match play at NCAAs for the first time since finishing runner-up in 2021. A big reason why was Marta Silchenko, a second-team All-America selection and winner of a regional title. Ellie Bushnell, Yu-Chu Chen and Tarapath Panya also return, meaning the four best scorers from last season are back.
Nos. 11-30
- 11. UCLA
- 12. Oregon
- 13. Duke
- 14. Pepperdine
- 15. South Carolina
- 16. LSU
- 17. Iowa State
- 18. Arizona State
- 19. Virginia
- 20. Eastern Michigan
- 21. Florida State
- 22. Mississippi State
- 23. Tennessee
- 24. Ole Miss
- 25. Northwestern
- 26. North Carolina
- 27. TCU
- 28. Kent State
- 29. UCF
- 30. Arizona
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Golfweek's 2026-27 women's college golf preseason team rankings
