After rallying on Tuesday to beat Texas, the Ole Miss women’s golf team never looked back. 

In Wednesday night’s championship match, Chiara Tamburlini provided the spark that lit the match in the Rebels’ 4-1 victory with an impressive 6-and-5 win. It was the largest margin for a final round since the NCAA switched to match play in 2015. 

Ole Miss senior Julia Johnson had a big day, winning 4-and-3 against Rina Tatematsu. The senior holed a critical birdie putt on the 11th to go up four.

Fifth-year senior Kennedy Swann, facing women’s world amateur No. 7 Maja Stark, also delivered needed points for Ole Miss. Swann fell behind after three holes but came back to tie the match and win three straight holes to take a 3-up lead heading into the back nine.

While Stark attempted the comeback, a missed birdie putt allowed Swann to end it on the 17th and take the 2-and-1 win.

Andrea Lignell delivered the final blow for the Rebels, rallying from her own early deficit to take the lead on the 13th over Isabella Fierro. Lignell then holed one from 6 feet on the 17th for a 2-and-1 victory and the national title.

“No one ever thought that we could do this,” Johnson said, in tears after the win. “No one ever believed in us. And I knew. I just knew when I committed here that we could do this and I just believed in us from the start. It’s just really special and we’re just really thankful for this moment.”

The title is Ole Miss’ first-ever recognized national championship — men’s or women’s — in school history. The last time an Ole Miss team played for a NCAA title was in 1995, when the men’s tennis team fell to Stanford.

It’s also a watershed moment for the program. When head coach Kory Henkes took over in 2015, the team was ranked 134th in the country.

“When I came into this program a couple of years ago, we were nowhere close. We worked our tails off to get to the point that we’re at now,” said Swann. “I think it’s great that we’ve finally proven that we belong here. I mean, we just won a national championship.

“Ole Miss is a good team that is here to stay and we’ll be around for a long time.”

Tuesday night’s semifinals had less drama than the quarterfinals, ending with Oklahoma State and Ole Miss advancing to the national championship match, two teams that advanced to match play for the first time this week. 

Duke vs. Oklahoma State

After dominating Auburn in the quarterfinals, Oklahoma State made it all look easy in Tuesday’s semifinal, sweeping the Duke Blue Devils in a dominant performance.

Oklahoma State freshman Rina Tatematsu was able to send the Cowgirls through on the 16th, where an easy par putt advanced the team to the National Championship.

While the Oklahoma State men’s golf team has 11 national titles, second most in NCAA Division I, the women’s squad has yet to win an NCAA championship and will look to do so tomorrow night. 

Ole Miss vs. Arizona

Ole Miss continued their astounding run in Tuesday’s semifinals with a 3-2 win over Arizona. 

Sophomore Andrea Lignell, who was a key factor for the Rebels earlier in the day, had a big par putt to put Ole Miss up two.

Senior Julia Johnson then clinched the deciding point to eliminate the Wildcats and advance the Rebels to the national championship match.

The Rebels will also be searching for their first NCAA title in Wednesday’s championship match.

The championship final will begin at 5 p.m. ET on the Golf Channel.

The quarterfinals of NCAA golf match play weren’t without drama Tuesday. Here’s how the action unfolded.

Arizona vs. Stanford

While Arizona snuck into match play Monday night and earned the No. 8 seed, the Wildcats took full advantage of the opportunity Tuesday. With four of the matches split down the middle, it came down to sophomores Angelina Ye of No. 1 Stanford and Gile Bite Starkute of Arizona, who were even for most of the day.

The competition peaked on the 18th hole. Starkute — who hadn’t trailed all day — had to take an unplayable, giving Ye a clear advantage. But Ye missed the two putt that would have sent her team to the semifinals, enabling Starkute to take the bogey and extend the match.

The two headed to the 10th for extras. Ye holed a critical putt, but Starkute, from the edge of the green, made a monster birdie to lead Arizona to the semifinals and bring an end to Stanford’s postseason dominance.

Arizona could be on its way to another Cinderella run, three years after the Wildcats won the team title as the eight seed.

Ole Miss vs. Texas

Despite Texas holding firm all day, the Longhorns were unable to deliver the knockout punch, allowing Ole Miss to make things interesting late. Fifth-year senior Kennedy Swann finished strong in her match and earned a point for the Rebels, while Julia Johnson’s birdie miss enabled Sara Kouskova to capitalize on the 18th and give Texas the much-needed point.

While Agathe Laisne had as much as a three-stroke lead through 13, Chiara Tamburlini found her way back to tie the match, forcing extras. It wouldn’t take long to decide the winner, as Agathe Laisne birdied the 8th to earn the point for the Longhorns. 

It was the matches between Andrea Lignell and Kaitlyn Papp and freshmen Smila Sonderby and Ashley Park that held all of the drama. Ole Miss needed to win both matches in order to advance to the semifinals. And win they did. 

Lignell spun one in against Papp to extend the match, and Ole Miss’ semifinal chances, even further. She then made par, before a routine tap-in by Papp extended the match.

Papp then had a big shot on the next hole that set her up for the birdie putt to send Texas through. Papp’s putt missed by centimeters, leaving the door open for Lignell. The two would remain tied through the 22nd hole of competition, where Lignell would sink the birdie and put a point on the board for Ole Miss — and the pressure on the freshman Sonderby.

Sonderby had been substituted in for Ellen Hume of Ole Miss on Monday after Hume had to bow out with a nerve injury. The true freshman proved to be up for the task.

On the 18th, Park missed the birdie, leaving the door open for Sonderby to walk through and take advantage. She birdied the hole to tie the match and extend Ole Miss’ run.

The two would duke it out all the way to the 21st, where Park missed the bogey putt, setting up Sonderby to complete Ole Miss’ comeback and send Texas home.

Duke vs. Arizona State

Defending national champion Duke took care of business easily against Arizona State, winning 3-1-1. Anne Chen led Alessandra Fanali all day, taking care of business for the Blue Devils and earning the point.

Gina Kim sunk her own putt to put a second point on the board for the Blue Devils and take the win over Olivia Mehaffey.

Phoebe Brinker then took care of business and advanced the Blue Devils into the semifinals to face off against Oklahoma State.

Oklahoma State vs. Auburn

Compared to the rest of the field, Oklahoma State vs. Auburn was about as routine as it gets. 

OSU dominated this one as world amateur No. 7 Maja Stark took care of business for the Cowgirls. Teammates Lianna Baile and Rina Tatematsu also held their own and took wins in their matches. Isabella Fierro and Megan Schofill took 19 holes to decide their match, but eventually Fierro sunk one to take the win.

Elena Hualde had the only win of the day for Auburn.

Next up: The semifinals, with Duke taking on Oklahoma State and Arizona facing off against Ole Miss.

The NCAA Regional in Baton Rouge, Louisiana was abruptly canceled Wednesday after being ruled “not playable at a championship level” after the course received seven inches of rain over the past several days.

The tournament hadn’t even started. Golfer Sara Byrne shared a video of the announcement on Twitter.

Because of the tournament being canceled, the top six seeded teams will automatically advance and play May 21-26 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. These teams include host LSU, Ole Miss, Baylor, Oregon, Maryland and Alabama. Houston’s Karen Fredgaard, Miami’s Nataliya Guseva and Sam Houston State’s Hanna Alberto will all advance as individuals. 

Among the golfers who expressed their disappointment on social media was Miami junior Kristyna Frydlova, who posted pictures of the course with sunny skies and some standing water.

Tulsa assistant coach Mikayla Tatman then shared a video walking the course, saying that aside from one hole needing to be changed “the course is playable.”

Former UCLA golfer Beth Wu pointed out that at the 2019 Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge there was enough rain that golfers were squeegeeing the course during their round in order to continue play.

“Cup was half full of water, didn’t stop play,” she said. “NCAA make it make sense!!”

Arizona State golf alum Madison Kerley then showcased her own experience at a regional tournament in Norma, Oklahoma her senior year.

While the women were not allowed to practice on Monday, it appears as though the LSU men’s golf team was able to use the practice facilities. 

Vanderbilt goalkeeper and former football kicker Sarah Fuller also took to Twitter to express her disappointment.

Michelle Wie spoke out via Instagram story Wednesday evening, stating that at times course conditions on the LPGA tour were so bad that the groundskeeper had to squeegee the greens.

“Were these conditions “championship level”? Heck no,” Wie wrote. “But were they playable? YES. You just have to find a way to make it happen.”

“No one can control the weather, but if there’s even a CHANCE that you can play, you HAVE TO let these girls compete,” she added. “You should only cancel an event after you try EVERYTHING.”

It’s not the first time that the NCAA has come under fire this year for their lack of support surrounding women’s tournaments. The NCAA women’s basketball tournament showed us the power of social media in showcasing these issues, as the discrepancies in treatment — including the respective weight rooms — between the men’s and women’s tournaments came under fire. Then, less than a month later the NCAA was in the spotlight once again, this time over their lack of coverage and unsafe practice courts at the women’s volleyball tournament.

The NCAA DI Women’s Golf Championship selections are here.

A total of 72 teams qualified for the 2021 championship, with the SEC leading all conferences with 12 teams in the field. The ACC and Pac-12 both have eight teams apiece, while the Big 12 and Big Ten round out the Power 5 with seven teams apiece. In addition, 24 players have earned individual invites to each of the four regional sites. 

From each regional site, six teams and three players will advance to the championship finals. The national championships will be held May 21-26 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, hosted by Arizona State and The Thunderbirds. 

The No. 1 team in the Columbus regional site, Duke will have an opportunity to win back-to-back DI Women’s Golf Championships. The last time a team went back-to-back was also Duke, during the stroke play era, when they won three straight from 2005-2007. 

As of yet, no team has gone back-to-back during the stroke and match play era, which began in 2015. 

Also at the Columbus regional is 2017 champion Arizona State.

Last year’s runner-up, Wake Forest, headlines the Stanford Regional site, which also hosts Big 12 Conference champion Oklahoma State and Pac-12 Conference champion Southern California. The 2018 champion Arizona Wildcats will also be competing amongst that field. 

Below are all of the sites, teams, and individuals competing at regionals. Conference champions and automatic qualifiers are indicated in parenthesis.

Baton Rouge Regional Site: the University Club in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, hosted by LSU. 

Teams:

  1. LSU
  2. Ole Miss
  3. Baylor
  4. Oregon
  5. Maryland
  6. Alabama
  7. Oregon State
  8. Houston
  9. Miami (Florida)
  10. North Texas (Conference USA)
  11. Purdue
  12. Mississippi State
  13. Tulsa (American Athletic Conference)
  14. Sam Houston State (Southland Conference)
  15. Kennesaw State (Atlantic Sun Conference)
  16. East Tennessee State (Southern Conference)
  17. Jacksonville State (Ohio Valley Conference)
  18. Quinnipiac (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)

Individuals:

  1. Teresa Toscano – South Dakota State (The Summit League)
  2. Courtney Dow – Texas A&M
  3. Justine Fournand – Florida Atlantic
  4. Julie Hovland – South Alabama
  5. Malak Bouraeda – Colorado
  6. Dorthea Forbrigd – East Carolina (American Athletic Conference)

Columbus Regional Site: The Ohio State University Golf Club – Scarlet Course in Columbus, Ohio, hosted by Ohio State. 

Teams:

  1. Duke (Atlantic Coast Conference)
  2. Arizona State
  3. Virginia
  4. Kent State (Mid-American Conference)
  5. Georgia
  6. Vanderbilt
  7. Michigan
  8. Clemson
  9. Oklahoma
  10. Kentucky
  11. Illinois
  12. New Mexico (Mountain West Conference)
  13. Nebraska
  14. Washington
  15. Coastal Carolina (Sun Belt Conference)
  16. Campbell (Big South Conference)
  17. Evansville (Missouri Valley Conference)
  18. Youngstown State (Horizon League)

Individuals:

  1. Leah Onosato – Old Dominion
  2. Monika Hartl – NC State
  3. Nicole Adam – North Carolina
  4. Samantha Vodry – High Point
  5. Rory Weinfurther – Richmond (Patriot League)
  6. Maria Loza – Hartford (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference)

Louisville Regional Site: the University of Louisville Golf Club in Simpsonville, Kentucky, hosted by Louisville. 

Teams:

  1. South Carolina
  2. Florida State
  3. Auburn (Southeastern Conference)
  4. Texas
  5. Arkansas
  6. Texas Tech
  7. UCLA
  8. Michigan State (Big Ten Conference)
  9. University of Central Florida
  10. Tennessee
  11. North Florida
  12. Louisville
  13. University of Texas at San Antonio
  14. Mercer
  15. College of Charleston
  16. Xavier (Big East Conference)
  17. James Madison (Colonial Athletic Association)
  18. Fairleigh Dickinson (Northeast Conference)

Individuals:

  1. Anna Morgan – Furman
  2. Madison Moosa – Furman
  3. Jess Yuen – Missouri
  4. Cecilie Finne-Ipsen – Charlotte
  5. Sarah-Eve Rheaume – Furman (Southern Conference)
  6. Beem Pabsimma – University of South Carolina Upstate (Big South Conference)

Stanford Regional Site: the Stanford Golf Course in Stanford, California, hosted by Stanford. 

Teams:

  1. Wake Forest
  2. Oklahoma State (Big 12 Conference)
  3. Southern California (Pac-12 Conference)
  4. Virginia Tech
  5. Stanford
  6. Arizona
  7. Florida
  8. Northwestern
  9. Iowa State
  10. Denver (The Summit League)
  11. TCU
  12. San Diego State
  13. Pepperdine
  14. San Jose State
  15. New Mexico State (Western Athletic Conference)
  16. Cal Poly (Big West Conference)
  17. Sacramento State (Big Sky Conference)
  18. Navy (Patriot League)

Individuals:

  1. Samantha Fuller – UNLV
  2. Brigitte Thibault – Fresno State
  3. Allysha Mae Mateo – Brigham Young
  4. Brittany Shin – Cal State Fullerton
  5. Holland Shourds – Long Beach State (Big West Conference)
  6. Victoria Estrada – Utah Valley (Western Athletic Conference)