Women's Golf Earns Second-Ever NCAA Championship Berth
5/13/2026 4:17:00 PM | Women's Golf
STANFORD, Calif. – No. 31 Mizzou women's golf punched its second-ever ticket to the NCAA Championships with a fifth-place finish at 8-over 860 at the NCAA Regional Championships on Wednesday.
With the result, Mizzou returns to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2005, the program's only other appearance.
The team's 810 stroke total is a new program best, as the mark topped 877 strokes at the 2018 Tallahassee regional.
The Tigers shot a 2-over par 282 on Wednesday to earn the last qualifying spot. The performance was the Tigers' lowest round at a postseason event in program history.
Senior Melanie Walker led Mizzou at 3-under (210) to finish ninth on the individual leaderboard. The 54-hole score matches a program best set by Jessica Yuen in 2018, while the finish is the second highest at a regional, trailing only Kristen Samp, who claimed 2nd in 1996.
Freshman Ebba Liljeberg finished tied for 18th at 2-over 215. The stroke total places the freshman fourth on the program's leaderboard for a total regional score. Liljeberg carded a 1-under 70 in the final round to leap 11 spots in the standings.
Walker and Liljeberg's final rounds are tied for fourth in Mizzou history for an 18-hole regional score.
Senior Jade Zamora earned a 38th-place result at 9-over 222.
With a 4-under performance in the final four holes, senior Addie Dobson concluded the regional in 42nd at 10-over. Dobson finished 2-over in the final round to move up three spots.
Subbing in for sophomore Alexandra Berglund in the final two rounds, Fleur van Beek claimed 62nd after a 2-over performance on Wednesday.
The Championship appearance continues the historic four-year rise for the program under head coach Caroline Westrup Geata who has improved the Tigers' national rank from No. 120 to No. 31.
2026 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
Mizzou will travel to the NCAA Championships from May 22-27 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
The players will complete 54 holes of stroke play. Then the top 15 teams, along with the top nine individuals not on an advancing team, will compete for one additional day of stroke play to determine the top eight teams for match play competition and the 72-hole stroke play individual champion. The top eight teams then compete in match play for the team national championship to be decided on May 27.
