Women’s Golf: Back-to-back thrilling victories send Northwestern to the NCAA Championship final

The Wildcats delivered a phenomenal day of golf, taking down No. 2 Arkansas and No. 5 Oregon to secure a spot in the national championship match.

The Northwestern women’s golf team advanced to the NCAA Championship final after earning a pair of dramatic 3–2 victories over No. 2 Arkansas and No. 5 Oregon in match play, setting up a 5:00 p.m. CT battle with No. 1 Stanford to win the first national title in program history.

The Wildcats, seeded third after finishing third in stroke play, were led by clutch performances from senior Lauryn Nguyen and junior Dianna Lee to secure their spot in the title match.

Quarterfinals vs. Arkansas

Dianna Lee (NU) vs. Kendall Todd (ARK)

Lee came out steady, halving her first few holes with Arkansas’ Kendall Todd. The two remained even through nine holes, but Todd found her rhythm early on the front side, playing a clean stretch with birdie and par on holes 3 and 4 to build a 3UP lead. Despite Lee’s solid ball-striking and attempts to fight back, Todd remained in control and closed out the match 3&2. Arkansas struck first to take a 1–0 lead.

Elise Lee (NU) vs. Reagan Zibilski (ARK)

Elise Lee started strong, winning the first hole with a par, but Zibilski responded by taking three straight holes to go 2UP. After a win on 18, the Razorback player held a 3UP advantage through nine. Yet Lee regrouped and mounted one of the most impressive comebacks of the day. She won three consecutive holes — capping the run with a birdie on the par-5 2nd — to square the match. A win on the 7th gave her the edge, and she held steady on the final two holes to secure a gritty 1UP victory, evening the overall score at 1–1.

Ashley Yun (NU) vs. Abbey Schutte (ARK)

Yun got off to a solid start, winning the first hole, but Schutte quickly caught fire. The Arkansas player shot an astonishing 6-under over her next nine holes, taking a commanding 4UP lead. Despite Yun’s consistent play and efforts to chip away at the deficit, Schutte remained steady with pars and ultimately closed out the match 4&3. The Razorbacks went back in front 2–1.

Hsin Tai Lin (NU) vs. Maria José Marin (ARK)

Tai Lin faced a tough challenge in her must-win matchup against Marin, who had just secured the individual national title two days prior. She responded with calm and confidence. Tai Lin won the 13th, then picked up two more holes with birdies to go 2UP through nine. Marin fought back with a win on the 1st, but Tai Lin answered with a win on the 5th and then drained a 20-foot birdie on the 7th to secure a 3&2 victory — tying the team score at 2–2.

Lauryn Nguyen (NU) vs. Clarisa Temelo (ARK)

Nguyen’s match became the decider. After going 3UP through 11 holes, she saw her lead narrow as Temelo battled back with wins on holes 3 and 4. After exchanging wins again on 5 and 7, Nguyen stood 1UP heading to the final hole, but missed five-footer on the 9th sent the match to a playoff. On the first playoff hole — the par-4 7th — Nguyen buried a five-foot par putt to win the match and clinch Northwestern’s third and deciding point. Her clutch finish sealed a dramatic 3–2 win and sent the Wildcats to the NCAA semifinals.

Semifinals vs. Oregon

Northwestern faced another tough test in the NCAA semifinals, taking on No. 5 Oregon — a team that had just defeated No. 6 Texas earlier in the day. Once again, the Wildcats delivered in the biggest moments, edging out a thrilling 3–2 victory behind a composed, clutch finish from junior Dianna Lee.

Ashley Yun (NU) vs. Suvichaya Vinijchaitham (ORE)

In the first group out, Ashley Yun battled Oregon’s Suvichaya Vinijchaitham in a tightly contested showdown. After falling 1DOWN through two, Yun responded with three straight birdies to grab a 2UP lead through five. The match seesawed from there, and the players were tied heading to the 15th. Yun regained control with a par on 16, then sealed the first point for Northwestern with a long birdie putt on 17 for a 2&1 win.

Hsin Tai Lin (NU) vs. Tong An (ORE)

Match two featured a duel between Tai Lin and Oregon’s Tong An. Both players opened with birdies, and Lin took an early lead with another birdie on the 4th. An answered with a birdie on 6 to tie it. The rest of the match remained close, but An found her rhythm down the stretch, stringing together key birdies to earn a 2&1 victory and level the team score at 1–1.

Elise Lee (NU) vs. Ting-Hsuan Huang (ORE)

Elise Lee came out strong, winning the opening hole, but found herself trailing after Huang took three of the next four to go 2UP through five. Huang maintained that lead through 12 holes, but Lee saved her best golf for last. She closed with five straight 3s — a stretch that included four birdies and a par — to flip the match and pull off a stunning 2&1 comeback victory. Her electric finish gave Northwestern its second point of the semifinal.

Lauryn Nguyen (NU) vs. Karen Tsuru (ORE)

Nguyen, who delivered the winning putt in the quarterfinals, faced a tough challenge in Karen Tsuru. Tsuru jumped ahead early, going 3UP through five. Nguyen fought back with wins on holes 6, 8 and 9 to tie the match. But Tsuru responded with an impressive closing stretch, winning holes 14, 15 and 16 to take a 3&2 victory and tie the match 2–2.

Dianna Lee (NU) vs. Kiara Romero (ORE)

With the match knotted at two apiece, it all came down to Northwestern’s Dianna Lee and Oregon’s Kiara Romero, ranked No. 2 in the nation by Clippd. Lee started strong, going 2UP through three, but Romero answered quickly to tie it through six. The two traded blows for the next three holes, with Lee holding a 1UP advantage into the back nine.

Lee extended her lead to 2UP with two to play but missed a seven-foot par putt on 17 that would’ve ended the match. The pressure shifted to 18, where Lee needed to halve the hole to send Northwestern to the national championship.

She delivered. With the fairway narrowing to just 25 yards at the landing zone, Lee just found the right rough off the tee. Her second shot left her short of the green, forcing a delicate chip that she executed well, leaving herself a 15-foot birdie putt. Meanwhile, Romero found the green-side bunker and struggled to recover, leaving two shots in the sand. With that, Lee made her par — and set up a date with No. 1 Stanford in the NCAA championship match.

The Cardinal enter as the favorites with all five players ranked inside the top 19 in college golf, according to Clippd. Northwestern’s highest ranked golfer, Ashley Yun, is ranked 29. Tee times for tomorrow’s title showdown are listed below.

Northwestern will need its best performance yet to cap an already stunning run — but after knocking off No. 2 Arkansas and No. 5 Oregon, the Wildcats have already shown they’re up for any challenge.

The championship match airs tomorrow at 5 p.m. CT on Golf Channel.