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NCAA Championships History
CHAMPIONSHIPS
The NCAA Women's Golf Championship has shown the nation how good golf is at its highest level thanks to the addition of match play for nationally-televised coverage on The Golf Channel.
The format that is now the norm involves a cut after 54 holes to the top-15 teams and nine individuals not on those 15 teams. They play a final stroke play round to determine the national individual champion and the eight teams that will advance to match play.
To win the national championship, a team then has to win three best-of-five player matches over the course of two days.
For the third and final time, the 2023 NCAA championship will be held on the same course that the men’s championship will be contested on -- Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. The women’s championship will be contested May 19-24.
LSU has made the championships each of the last two seasons. In 2021, LSU finished 9th, just one shot out of match play qualification. In 2022, despite the team having to deal with a stomach virus that was prevalent at the tournament, LSU still made the first cut and finished 11th after 72 holes.
LSU had its best national championship finishes in 2011 and 2012 taking home third place both years. In 2012, the Tigers were just two shots out from bringing home the title.
Teams will qualify through six regional sites with four teams advancing from each. This is the second year that there will be six women's regionals and the chance to advance is given to more teams but making the top four after three rounds is a pressure-inducing situation for players and coaches.
The 2023 hosts (May 8-10); Athens, Georgia; Palm Beach Gardens, Florida; Pullman, Washington; Raleigh, North Carolina; San Antonio, Texas; Westfield, Indiana.
LSU has made 15 team appearances in the NCAA Championships since the program began in 1982. The Tigers were in that first event in Palo Alto, California, when LSU finished 16th.
The Tigers would return in 1986 when LSU was led by SEC Player of the Year Jenny Lidback. Lidback helped the Tigers to a ninth-place finish, and finished tied for 17th.
LSU’s longest championship run started in 1986, when the Three Amigas (Ashley Winn, Laura Moore and Michelle Louviere) took the Tigers to top 10-finishes in 1996 (8th) and 1998 (5th). Louviere finished tied for 19th in 1986 and Winn tied for 15th.
The Tigers posted 10th-place finishes in 1999 and 2000 and a 12th-place finish in 2001 on teams led by Katy Harris and Meredith Duncan. Duncan played the last 54 holes in 2-under par after opening with a 10-over 82 to finish in a tie for seventh place in 2000 and Harris shot a 1-under 287 to finish in a tie for third in LSU’s appearance in 2001.
Harris, Duncan and Megan McChrystal are the three LSU players who played in the championships all four years of their careers. Harris made it on four teams from 1998
LSU POSTED BACK-TO-BACK THIRD PLACE NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP FINISHES IN 2011 (TOP) AND 2012 (BOTTOM).
to 2001, while Duncan qualified on three teams and once individually from 1999-2002. McChrystal’s four years (2008-11) included three team appearances, assisting in the 2011 team’s first of back-to-back third-place finishes.
Tessa Teachman (2009, 2011, 2012), Jacqueline Hedwall (2009, 2011, 2012), Kristi Coats (1990, 1991, 1992), Caroline Martens (2006, 2008, 2009) and Amalie Valle (2008, 2009, 2011) are the golfers with three NCAA Championships appearances. Three LSU players could equal that in 2023 if LSU qualifies again.
The individual highlight came from freshman Austin Ernst in 2011 when she closed with a 6-under 66 that included a hole-in-one to win the NCAA title.
Since 1993, to get to the NCAA Division I Championships, teams and individuals must go through the NCAA Regional Tournaments. LSU hosted the regional on four occasions (1993, 2002, 2007, 2021).
As a team, LSU has advanced to the regional round of NCAA post-season play since that first tournament in 1993 in all but four seasons (1994, 2002, 2017 and 2018).
Regionals are make-or-break tournaments that reward the teams playing the best over those 54 holes. In 2009, LSU used a chip-in birdie by Alexis Rather on the first hole of sudden death to go to the Championships, but in 2010, one shot meant the difference between eighth and ninth place as LSU missed a chance to go back again.
LSU won its first regional title in 2012, capturing the West Regional in Erie, Colorado, en route to its second-consecutive third-place finish at the Championships.
NCAA Finals Team Appearances 2022
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE SITE LSU-11th (1187) Grayhawk Golf Club-Scottsdale, Ariz. T3. Ingrid Lindblad 74-70-73-70 -- 287 T21. Carla Tejedo 76-72-75-71 -- 294 69. Elsa Svensson 80-74-76-77 -- 307 76. Alden Wallace 73-78-78-82 -- 311 --- Latanna Stone 73-75-77 --- Jessica Bailey 81
2021
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE SITE LSU-9th (1174) Grayhawk Golf Club-Scottsdale, Ariz. T20. Carla Tejedo Mulet 73-71-76-71 -- 293 T44. Ingrid Linblad 74-76-75-70 -- 295 T49. Latanna Stone 77-71-73-75 -- 296 T53. Alden Wallace 73-78-72-75 -- 298 T62. Kendall Griffin 76-74-76-74 -- 300
2015
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE SITE LSU-20th (938) Concession Golf Club-Brandenton, Fla. T12. Caroline Nistrup 72-74-76-74--296 T53. Madelene Sagstrom 76-79-77--232 T89. Elise Bradley 82-82-75--239 T114. Nadine Dreher 80-81-85--246 T130. Carly Goldstein 91-93-85--269
2012
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE SITE LSU-3rd (1173) Vanderbilt Legends Club-Franklin, Tenn. T3. Tessa Teachman 69-74-70-74 -- 287 T29. Austin Ernst 78-75-74-68 -- 295 T51. Madelene Sagstrom 70-72-83-74 -- 299 T59. Lindsay Gahm 76-73-77-74 -- 300 T93. Jacqueline Hedwall 83-75-76-73 -- 307
2011
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE LSU-3rd (1181) 1. Austin Ernst
T26. Jacqueline Hedwall T43. Megan McChrystal T80. Tessa Teachman T102. Amalie Valle
SITE Traditions Club-Bryan, Texas 72-66-77-66 -- 281
2009
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE SITE LSU-12th (1219) Caves Valley Golf Club-Owings Mills, Md T25. Caroline Martens 78-74-74-74 -- 300 T32. Megan McChrystal 74-77-77-74 -- 302 T75. Jacqueline Hedwall 74-80-83-75 -- 312 T86. Tessa Teachman 78-73-79-84 -- 314 T96. Amalie Valle 76-80-79-81 -- 316
2008
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE SITE LSU-15th (1222) UNM Golf Course-Albuquerque, N.M. T55. Megan McChrystal 73-78-83-70 -- 304 T55. Amalie Valle 74-79-75-76 -- 304 T63. Rebecca Kuhn 76-75-80-74 -- 305 T93. Alexis Rather 77-83-79-75 -- 314 T118. Caroline Martens 81-85-78-80 -- 324
2006
T53. Melissa Eaton 75-78-76-73 -- 302 T64. Kim Meck 75-75-78-78 -- 306 T66. Rebecca Kuhn 73-76-81-77 -- 307 T98. Caroline Martens 75-78-84-78 -- 315 --- Alexis Rather 78-81-WD-78 -- WD
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE LSU-12th (1210)
T3. Katy Harris T44. Meredith Duncan T60. Isabel Dornellas T98. Lesley McClurg T106. Lindy Hitdlebaugh
2000
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE SITE LSU-10th (1216) Crosswater Country Club-Sunriver, Or. T7. Meredith Duncan 82-72-70-72 - 296 T54. Lisette Lee 77-75-79-75 - 306 T59. Tina Howard 78-76-77-76 - 307 T87. Katy Wilkinson 78-79-76-81 - 314 T94. Lindy Hitdlebaugh 80-75-81-80 - 316
1999
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE LSU-10th (923)
T24. Meredith Duncan T35. Lisette Lee T43. Katy Wilkinson T57. Lesley McClurg T63. Tina Howard
SITE Tulsa Country Club-Tulsa, Okla.
1998
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE LSU-5th (1187)
T15. Ashley Winn T23. Michelle Louviere T34. Laura Moore T67. Lisette Lee T71. Katy Wilkinson
SITE University Ridge-Madison, Wis.
1996
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE SITE LSU-8th (1262) LaQuinta Resort-Palm Springs, Ca.
T19. Michelle Louviere 75-78-83-77 - 313 24. Laura Moore 83-76-75-80 - 314 T36. Shannon Hanson 83-82-74-80 - 319 T39. Ashley Winn 80-79-80-81 - 320 T86. Casey Scott 82-88-81-79 - 340
1986
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE SITE LSU-9th (1217) The Scarlet Course-Columbus, Ohio T17. Jenny Lidback 75-73-74-77 - 299 T38. Wendy Lawson 76-77-78-74 - 305 T38. Cissye Meeks 80-74-74-77 - 305 T53. Barbara Van Strien 69-79-80-80 - 308 T94. Lisa Breaux 81-80-81-81 - 323
1982
TEAM-FINISH/SCORE LSU-16th (1276)
LSU AIAW Appearances
1981 LSU Team 1982 Karen Mayson (Ind.)
SITE Stanford Palo Alto, California
21st N/A
Most Individual NCAA Championships Appearances
4 - Katy Wilkinson Harris (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001) 4 - Meredith Duncan (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002) 4 - Megan McChrystal (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011) 3 - Kristi Coats (1990, 1991, 1992) 3 - Caroline Martens (2006, 2008, 2009) 3 - Amalie Valle (2008, 2009, 2011) 3 - Tessa Teachman (2009, 2011, 2012) 3 - Jacqueline Hedwall (2009, 2011, 2012) 2017 Caroline Nistrup 2018 Claudia De Antonio t41st/224 t46/221
Individual NCAA Finals Qualifiers
2016 Elise Bradley
2010 Megan McChrystal 2005 Brooke Shelton
2002 Meredith Duncan 1995 Ashley Winn 1992 Kristi Coats
1991 Kristi Coats
1990 Kristi Coats Jackie Gallagher 1989 Jackie Gallagher 1988 Cissye Meeks
85th/226 5th/213 t8th/291 t19th/292 t38th/304 t29th/299 t3rd/293 t20/306 t48th/315 t22nd/305 t23rd/298
NCAA Regional Appearances (Bold = Qualified)
2022 LSU-T2 (845) Stanford Golf Course
Stanford USC (837)
Stanford, California 2021 Cancelled University Club BR Weather/Course Conditions Baton Rouge, La. 2019 LSU-10th (898) Forest Akers West Golf Course EL Kent State (860) East Lansing, Mich. 2016 LSU-11th (905) University Club BR UF, S. Carolina tie (857) Baton Rouge, La. 2015 LSU-T4th (888) Lonnie Pool Golf Course Raleigh South Carolina (877) Raleigh, N.C. 2014 LSU-20th (936) Karsten Creek Central UCLA (875) Stillwater, Okla. 2013 LSU-t12th (897) Stanford Golf Course West Southern California (859) Palo Alto, Calif. 2012 LSU-t1st (873) Colorado National West LSU, UCLA-t1st (873) Erie, Colo. 2011 LSU - 2nd (894) Warren Golf Course Central UCLA - 1st (890) South Bend, Ind. 2010 LSU - 9th (903) Stanford Golf Course West Arizona - 1st (876) Palo Alto, Cal. 2009 LSU - 3rd (868) ASU Karsten Course West Arizona State - 1st (842) Tempe, Ariz. 2008 LSU - 8th (902) wins playoff UT Golf Central UCLA - 1st (861) Austin, Texas 2007 LSU - 14th (881) University Club East Duke - 1st (844) Baton Rouge, La. 2006 LSU - 2nd (870) Bryan National East Tennessee - 1st (864) Browns Summitt, N.C. 2005 LSU - 10th (917) Rawls Course Central Auburn - 1st (896) Lubbock, Texas 2004 LSU - 12th (930) El Campeon Course East Duke - 1st (869) Howey-In-The-Hills, Fla. 2002 LSU - 12th (898) University Club East Duke - 1st (859) Baton Rouge, La. 2001 LSU - 6th (928) Birch Boilermaker Central Tulsa - 1st (904) West Lafayette, Ind. 2000 LSU - 5th (903) Scarlet Course East Duke - 1st (897) Columbus, Ohio 1999 LSU - 3rd (893) University Club East Georgia - 1st (884) Columbia, S.C. 1998 LSU - 3rd (904) Duke Golf Club East Georgia - 1st (882) Durham, N.C. 1997 LSU - 12th (967) Prairie Vista East Ohio St. - 1st (937) Bloomington, Ill. 1996 LSU - 7th (925) Grand National Lakes East Duke - 1st (905) Opelika, Ala. 1995 LSU - 17th (938) Quail Ridge East Wake Forest -1st (890) Bartlett, Tenn. 1993 LSU - 15th (946) Santa Maria East Georgia - 1st (897) Baton Rouge, La.
2011 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
LSU BEST-EVER THIRD AS A TEAM; AUSTIN ERNST WINS TITLE
BRYAN, Texas - Freshman Austin Ernst became the first LSU women’s golfer in the 32-year history of the program to win the NCAA Women’s Championship, firing a final round of 6-under 66 to win the championship by three shots at The Traditions Club.
Ernst, from Seneca, S.C., becomes the first freshman to win the women’s national championship since Jennifer Rosales of USC in 1998.
It was also a historic day for the LSU women’s program as they rallied in the final round to easily finish the highest they have ever finished in their 11 Championship appearances, taking third behind champion UCLA and runnerup Purdue. The best previous finish for a women’s team was in 1998 in Madison, Wisc., when LSU finished fifth.
After losing the lead in the third round, Ernst came right back on the second hole of the day with a hole-in-one and then a 60-foot birdie on the next hole put her in the lead to stay.
“I had 162 (yards). It was a solid eight iron and it was going right at the pin,” Ernst told the media afterwards. “I looked down and looked back up and begin to hear the roar because it got really, really loud and I looked up and the ball was gone. Everyone was going crazy. I don’t remember exactly what I did, but I went crazy. It was my first hole-in-one ever.”
Ernst, showing maturity beyond her freshman status, won by three shots over Arkansas’ Kelli Shean. Ernst posted rounds of 72-66-77-66 for a 72-hole score of seven-under 281, the lowest score ever shot for 72 holes by an LSU women’s golfer.
In fact, Ernst told Bahnsen on the seventh hole she didn’t want to know her place in the standings during the round and the scoreboards on the course were only showing team results.
Ernst played the par 3s in two-under, the par fours in two-under and the par fives in threeunder. She tied with runnerup Shean with 19 birdies and her hole-in-one was one of an amazing five over the last two rounds of the event.
The Tiger team played the final 10 combined holes of the third round early Saturday in oneover par to fall to a tie for fourth and Bahnsen knew her team had one final kick left.
“When we got done we talked about how the girls are the tops in the country in final round average and that’s a fact,” she said. “I told them they just have to play like that and be confident. I’m proud of them. It was a total team effort. I said it was going to take that. Finishing third is tremendous. They fought really hard. It feels awesome. I’ve been doing this a long time and I’m so proud of the girls. They tried so hard the entire week.”
Besides Ernst’s 66, junior Tessa Teachman came out big for the team with a one-over 73, senior Megan McChrystal closed her record-breaking career at LSU before turning pro with a 75, Jacqueline Hedwall had a 76 and LSU’s other senior in the lineup, Amalie Valle, posted 80. Hedwall (who led the team in pars with 50) finished in a tie for 26th place, while McChrystal finished in a tie for 43rd.
LSU finished with a school record 72-hole total of 1,181 (292-296-303-290), topping the 1,187 total they recorded in 1998.
NCAA DIVISION I WOMEN’S GOLF CHAMPIONSHIP The Traditions Club - Bryan, Texas
Final Team Top 5 (Par 288-1152)
3. LSU 292-296-303-290 - 1181 +29
LSU Scores 1. Austin Ernst 72-66-77-66 - 281 -7
T26. Jacqueline Hedwall 72-76-73-76 - 297 +9 T43. Megan McChrystal 72-77-76-75 - 300 +12 T80. Tessa Teachman 81-77-77-73 - 308 +20 T102. Amalie Valle 76-77-80-80 - 313 +25
2012 NCAA 3RD PLACE TEAM 2012 NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS
LSU EQUALS THIRD-PLACE FINISH
FRANKLIN, Tenn. - Coach Karen Bahnsen said it all season long and emphasized it all week at the Vanderbilt Legends Club and the NCAA Women’s Championships about how her Tigers “were such fighters.”
Struggling a bit at 26-over par and about to fall out of the top 10 for the first time all week, the Tigers fight showed on the final three holes in Thursday’s third round, as the team counted six birdies on the 7th, 8th and 9th holes to suddenly move to 20-over par and in fifth place entering Friday’s final round of the 72-hole marathon.
The Tigers took the Legends Club and its sun-baked double rolled greens to its knees with a 1-over par round of 289, its best of the tournament, as LSU finished a program-best third place for the second-consecutive year.
LSU played the last 21 holes of the tournament in 5-under par and posted a number at 21-over par 1,173 (293-294-297-289) that was almost good enough to win the title. After finishing eight shots behind UCLA last year, the Tigers watched the final wave and top two, Alabama and Southern California, come in with Southern Cal on two occasions dropping back to 21-over to give LSU a potential second-place tie before a late birdie set up even more drama.
With USC in the clubhouse at plus-20 and its last player not counting, it was up to Alabama’s Brooke Pancake to two putt to win the title by a shot. Pancake closed out the Tide’s first NCAA title at 19-over par 1,171. USC finished at 20-over 1,172, one shot ahead of LSU.
LSU’s 1,173 marks the lowest 72-hole score in school history, eight shots better than the third-place score of a season ago.
“They came in here and really wanted to get in a position to win it,” said Bahnsen. “They did and went out and posted a great number and it was just a couple short. We felt like we were good enough to compete and we showed we were. They did it as a total team. I’m very proud of them. Yea, they are a little disappointed but I’m so proud of them.”
The repeat of the third-place finish came on the heels of four team wins, the most team wins since the 1985-86 season. Senior Tessa Teachman, in her final collegiate tournament, finished with a birdie to tie for third at 1-under 287 (69-74-70-74). Chirapat Jao-Javanil of Oklahoma was the individual winner at 6-under 282 (69-73-70-70).
Teachman is the fourth LSU golfer to finish in the top three in the history of the NCAA Championships joining Austin Ernst, who won last year. Katy Harris in 2001 and Kristi Coats in 1991 who both finished third.
“It is bittersweet,” said Teachman after the verdict was sealed and LSU had finished third. “It is also my last year to give it a try. I know we can all think of shots we left here and there. It’s a four-day tournament. It’s how they declare the champion whoever plays best over four days. So it is bittersweet and frustrating but in retrospect you have to say third means not what we wanted but it’s not bad when you look at the great competition that’s out there.”
In posting its 1-over par round, LSU really took advantage of the par-5 ninth on the front side and the more difficult back nine that had caused teams problems all week. All five players birdied the ninth, giving LSU a counting four total of 2-over after struggling early before a ninebirdie surge on holes 5-9. On the final nine holes, LSU would card a 1-under side, again getting three birdies and an Ernst eagle on the more difficult par-5 18th hole.
NCAA Women’s Championship Vanderbilt Legends Club-Franklin, Tenn. Final Team Top 5 (Par 288-1152)
1. Alabama 286-285-306-294 - 1171 +19 2. Southern Cal 297-288-294-293 -1172 +20 3. LSU 293-294-297-289 - 1173 +21 4. Virginia 288-294-301-292 - 1175 +23 5. South Carolina 302-281-300-293 - 1176 +24
LSU Scores
T3. Tessa Teachman 69-74-70-74 - 287 -1 T29. Austin Ernst 78-75-74-68 - 295 +7 T51. Madelene Sagstrom 70-72-83-74 - 299 +11 T59. Lindsay Gahm 76-73-77-74 - 300 +12 T93. Jacqueline Hedwall 83-75-76-73 - 307 +19
TESSA TEACHMAN
