(Carlsbad, CA) – The Iowa State Women’s Golf team finished ninth at the 2026 NCAA Championship, the best finish in school history. The Cyclonitas fell one stroke shy of qualifying for match play, where the top eight teams will determine the national champion over the next two days.
Senior Pammy Chookaew closed her career in a tie for 23rd, the third-best NCAA finish in program history. Chookaew shot a 75 in the final round, that included a birdie on the 11th hole. She tallied a 289 (+1) over the four rounds. Sophomore Alexandra Vidal tied for 34th with a 292 (+4) for the four rounds. She had the fourth-best NCAA finish in program history, while the duo of Vidal and Chookaew are the first pair of teammates to both finish in the Top 50 together at the NCAA Championships. Vidal tallied an 81 in the final round, including a birdie on the first and 14th holes.
Senior Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn shot a 75 in the final round, as she tied for 58th with a 298 (+10) over four rounds. Chul-Ak-Sorn had a pair of birdies on the day. Sophomore Isabella Yan tied for 64th, as she shot a 79 in the final round. Yan had a birdie on the second hole, as she finished with a 299 (+11) for the tournament. Sophomore Nichakorn Pinprayoon had the best round of the day for the Cyclones, as she shot a 74 in the final round. She finished tied for 68th overall with a 300 (+12). Pinprayoon was one of three Cyclones to have multiple birdies on the day, as she had two in her first four holes.
Only two of the final 15 teams shot under par in the final round, with eight of the 15 being double-digits over par. No. 1 Stanford earned the number one seed in match play and will face No. 11 Pepperdine. The Cardinal were 22 strokes under in stroke play, while the Waves were 11 strokes over, edging the Cyclones by a stroke for the final spot in match play.
Farah O’Keefe, the number one ranked player in the country from Texas, won the individual National Championship by two strokes, finishing with a 276 (-12) for the 72 holes.
