Palm Beach, Fla. – The University of Findlay women's golf team, ranked No. 3 in the country by the Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA), kicked off play at the 2026 NCAA Division II National Championship which is being held at the Champion Course at PGA National in Palm Beach, Florida. Due to lightning in the area, play was suspended at 1:50 pm with just two teams finishing the entirety of their opening rounds.
The event began on Tuesday, May 12, beginning off three rounds of stroke play, concluding on Thursday, May 14. At that point the field is whittled down to the top eight teams which will then start the medal match play portion of the tournament. This is the seventh year that Division II has used medal match play to decide its' champion. Findlay has been in the top eight, playing in medal match play in each of the previous six seasons.
Findlay is currently in 12th of 18 teams on the leaderboard, although nine teams ahead of the Oilers had players get through just nine holes or less. Beginning in the morning wave, UF had each of its five players through at least 15 holes including junior Ellie Yeazell, who was first off in the morning and was left with a midrange birdie putt on 18 when the horn blew.
Senior Hayley Dye was the Oilers' most consistent player on Tuesday and has completed 16 holes. She is currently just two-over. Her front nine included eight pars and a birdie. One shot back is junior Ashleigh Duflo who is three-over through 15 holes. Duflo rattled off 12 straight pars in the middle of her round before making a pair of bogeys right before the delay.
Yeazell is four over standing on the 18th green and freshman Emma Myers, getting her first taste of the Division II National Championship, is nine over through 17. Also at nine over is sophomore Gracie James, who has played 16 holes.
Grounds who did not finish will resume play at 8:50 am tomorrow morning. The second round will be a shotgun start beginning at 12:30 pm.
*First Round Incomplete*
