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O'Keefe Wins NCAA Individual Title as Stanford and USC Vie for Team Crown

O'Keefe's individual title secures exemptions into the U.S. Women's Open and the Amundi Evian Championship.

Overview

  • Texas junior Farah O'Keefe won the 72‑hole individual NCAA title Monday at Omni La Costa, finishing 12‑under (276) to claim the national crown.
  • O'Keefe was also named the 2026 Annika Award winner, earning college golf's player‑of‑the‑year honor and an exemption into the Amundi Evian Championship.
  • The match‑play bracket produced major upsets as Eastern Michigan, making its NCAA debut, upset fourth‑seeded Texas in the quarterfinals and beat O'Keefe head‑to‑head en route to the semifinals.
  • Top‑seed Stanford swept Eastern Michigan 5–0 in the semifinals and USC edged Arkansas 3–2, setting a Stanford versus USC team final for the national championship.
  • Eastern Michigan's rapid rise under coach Josh Brewer followed recent donor investment and new facilities, a change that helped the program jump from the mid‑200s in the rankings to a Final Four berth and could boost future recruiting and resources.