Kotchasanmanee Makes History At NCAAs With 12th Place Finish
Scoring
lede photo — golf (w)Princeton University Athletics
Kotchasanmanee Makes History At NCAAs With 12th Place Finish
May 26, 2026 | Women's Golf
A remarkable first season for Princeton's
Thanana Kotchasanmaneeconcluded in terms of collegiate golf with a historic 12th-place finish at the 2026 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships held at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif.
With her four-day total of 285 (-3), Kotchasanmanee secured the highest-ever finish by an Ivy Leaguer at the NCAA Championships. The previous high was T37th by Princetonian Kelly Shon in 2013. The other finishes at NCAAs were also by Tigers, as Mary Moan (T40th; 1997) and Maya Walton (T113th; 2017) round out the Tiger quartet who comprise the entirety of the Ivy League's representation at the NCAA Championships final site.
In the final round, Kotchasanmanee shot a 75 (+3) to drop a few spots on the final leaderboard after entering the day tied at T8. Bogeys on 12 and 17 to start her day followed by another bogey on 4 had her +3 for the day through 13 holes before she birdied 5 and 6 to briefly climb back to +1 and stay within range of the leaders. However, bogeys on 7 and 9 to close her tournament resulted in the T12 finish overall.
Farrah O'Keefe of Texas, the No. 1 ranked golfer in the country entering the tournament, won the individual NCAA title with a four-day score of 276 (-12) to win by two shots over Megha Ganne of Stanford.
Kotchasanmanee was T3 after the opening round, shooting a bogey-free 69 (-3). Through 36 holes, she was T7 after a second round score of 71 (-1). In the third round, Kotchasanmanee posted a third consecutive round of under-par golf with a 70 (-2) that had her four shots off the lead and T8.
Kotchasanmanee will continue her time in California, preparing for the 2026 U.S. Women's Open which will be held June 4-7 at Rivieria in Los Angeles. In April, Kotchasanmanee earned medalist honors at the U.S. Women's Open Qualifier held at Springfield Golf Club in Virginia to secure her spot in the field.
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