Ava Romero
NCAA golf regionals are a highly competitive tournament, showcasing the best individual players and universities in golf. Teams qualify by playing a regular season against rival schools, with their performance and player records deciding their fate. The winners of conference tournaments automatically enter the regionals, while other schools are selected by a committee of golf experts. Regional tournaments are a preliminary round, with the top teams and individuals advancing to the national championships. Both men's and women's tournaments occur, with the men's played in May and June, and the women's in May.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of teams competing during the regular season | 20 |
| Length of a college golf tournament | 3-5 days |
| Teams | Play a regular season against rival schools |
| Individuals | Can qualify for regionals even if their team doesn't |
| Qualification for regionals | Win conference tournaments or selected by a committee of college golf experts |
| Number of regional tournaments | 6 |
| Number of teams competing in each regional tournament | 13 or 14 |
| Number of individuals competing in each regional tournament | 10 or 5 |
| Number of teams advancing to the finals from each regional | 5 |
| Number of individuals advancing to the finals from each regional | 1 |
| Host institution for the 2025 championships | Texas |
| Defending national champion | Auburn |
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What You'll Learn
How to qualify for NCAA golf regionals
To qualify for NCAA golf regionals, college golf teams will play a regular season against rival schools. The record that each team and individual player posts will determine whether they are selected for the regional tournament. At the end of every regular season, teams will compete in their respective conference tournaments. The teams who win their conference tournaments automatically enter the regional tournament.
The other schools that qualify for regional tournaments are selected by a committee of college golf experts. They select teams based on their performances during the year. If an individual player performs well in the conference tournament, but their team doesn’t, there is still a chance they can make the regionals. The best player from a team that does not qualify for regionals will move on to the next round to play individually.
Since 2009, the men’s college golf tournament has been a stroke play and match play event. According to the NCAA, six 54-hole tournaments are played in the month of May. In the regionals, 81 teams and 45 individual golfers who do not attend the schools being represented by their teams also qualify for the regionals. At the end of the regional tournaments in May, the five teams and five individual players with the lowest scores advance to the final round.
NCAA Division I Women's Golf regional selections are also announced at the end of the regular season. Regional tournaments are considered preliminary rounds of NCAA championships competition, and all national championship policies apply.
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Seeding for NCAA golf regionals
Seeding for the NCAA golf regionals is a meticulous process. The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Committee selects the teams and individuals to participate in the regional rounds of the championships. There are six 54-hole regional tournaments, with 81 teams and 45 individuals in total. Thirteen teams and 10 individuals not on those teams compete at each of the three regionals, while the other three regionals feature 14 teams and five individuals not on those teams.
The top five teams and the lowest-scoring individual not on those teams from each regional advance to the finals. Teams winning automatic qualification are designated by their conferences in parentheses. The seeding order for teams and individuals is then decided.
For example, in 2025, the Atkins Golf Club in Urbana, Illinois, hosted teams seeded in the following order: Oklahoma State, North Carolina, Illinois, Texas Tech, and so on. The individuals were seeded with Hunter Thomson from Michigan in first place, followed by Jack Schoenberger from Kentucky, and so on.
Similarly, for the women's regionals, the seeding order is decided for teams and individuals. For instance, in 2025, the Charlottesville Regional was played at Birdwood Golf Course in Charlottesville, Virginia, with teams seeded as follows: South Carolina, Virginia, Ole Miss, Florida, and so on. The individuals were seeded with Pinky Chaisilprungruang from Charlotte in first place, followed by Nicha Kanpai from Maryland, and so on.
In certain cases, such as inclement weather, the NCAA committee may have to make difficult decisions to advance teams based on seeding. This was the case in 2021 when the Baton Rouge Regional was cancelled due to unplayable course conditions after heavy rain.
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Format of NCAA golf regional tournaments
The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship is the top annual competition in U.S. men's collegiate golf. It is played in late May or early June. Teams play a regular season against rival schools to qualify for regional tournaments, and their performance in these games determines whether they are selected. At the end of the regular season, teams compete in their respective conference tournaments. The winners of these conference tournaments automatically enter the regional tournaments, while other qualifying teams are selected by a committee of college golf experts.
Regional play takes place at several sites, each featuring a number of teams and individuals. For example, in the 2025 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championships, there were six regional sites, with 396 participants in total, each site featuring 12 teams and six individuals. The top five teams and the lowest-scoring individual not on an advancing team from each regional site advance to the national championships.
The men’s college golf tournament has been a stroke play and match play event since 2009. In the regionals, 81 teams and 45 individual golfers who do not attend the schools being represented by their teams qualify for the regionals. At the end of the regional tournaments, the five teams and five individual players with the lowest scores advance to the final round.
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History of NCAA golf regionals
The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship is the top annual competition in U.S. men's collegiate golf, usually taking place in late May or early June. The first championship sponsored by the NCAA (founded in 1906) was in 1939; the previous 41 championships were conferred by the National Intercollegiate Golf Association. Team scores, individual scores, and course pars are not kept in official NCAA records before 1939.
The teams that win their Division I conference championships get automatic spots in the regionals. A selection committee then decides which other teams get through to the regionals. Six 54-hole regional tournaments are conducted to determine the 30 qualifying teams and six individuals (not on those qualifying teams) who will compete in the finals. Thirteen teams and 10 individuals (not on those teams) will compete at each of three regionals while the other three regionals will have 14 teams and five individuals (not on those teams). The low five teams and the low individual not on those teams will advance to the finals.
The top 15 teams along with the top nine individuals not on an advancing team will advance for one additional day of stroke play to determine the top eight teams for match-play competition and the 72-hole stroke-play individual champion. The championship was stroke play until 2008, but it became stroke play and match play from 2009 onwards. The top eight teams after 54 holes of stroke play are seeded, and a match-play playoff concludes the event.
Auburn won the NCAA Championship in 2024 in the men’s top division, beating Florida State 3-2 in the final. Oklahoma State won the 2025 championship, defeating Virginia 3-1.
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How to watch NCAA golf regionals
The NCAA golf tournament is a long and exciting event for golf fans, with 81 teams whittling down to one national champion over nine days across two weeks. The tournament begins with regionals, where teams compete across six different host sites in 54-hole tournaments. These six regional tournaments determine the 30 teams and six individuals who will qualify for the finals.
If you want to watch the NCAA golf regionals, there are a few options. The Golf Channel typically airs the men's golf selection show, so you can tune in there. You can also try streaming services like Fubo, which offer a free trial for new subscribers. If the tournament is not available to watch live in your location or if you're travelling, you can use a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to bypass geographical restrictions and stream the event from anywhere in the world. Services like NordVPN offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
The regionals usually take place in May, lasting three days before a week off and then the finals, which are a five-day event. So, if you're planning to tune in live, mark your calendars for May and get ready for some exciting golf action!
For those who can't catch the live action, don't worry. You can still stay up to date with the latest tournament news, scores, and highlights through websites like Sporting News, which provides comprehensive coverage of the NCAA golf regionals and championships. So, whether you're streaming it live or following along with updates, the NCAA golf regionals are an exciting part of the golf calendar that you won't want to miss!
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Frequently asked questions
Teams will play a regular season against rival schools and the record that each team and individual player posts will decide on whether they are selected. Teams that win their conference tournaments are automatically entered into the regional. Other schools that qualify are selected by a committee of college golf experts.
Thirteen teams and 10 individuals not on those teams will compete at each of three regionals, while the other three regionals will have 14 teams and five individuals not on those teams.
Forty-five individuals who don't attend the schools being represented by their teams also qualify for the regionals.
The NCAA Division I Men's Golf Championship is the top annual competition in U.S. men's collegiate golf.
Yale holds the record for the most NCAA DI golf national titles, but the university hasn’t won a tournament since 1943. In the modern era, Oklahoma State, Alabama, Augusta State, and Oklahoma have won two or more NCAA golf titles.
