Arizona Wildcats women's golf

The Arizona Wildcats women's golf is considered one of the best in all of women's collegiate golf, dating back to their first season in 1979. Since they have won three national championships in 1996, 2000, and 2018. The Wildcat Women have also had four individual national champions with Susan Slaughter in (1990), Annika Sörenstam in (1991), Marisa Baena in (1996) and Jenna Daniels in (2000).

On August 4, 2023, Arizona announced it would join the Big 12 Conference along with Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah beginning in the 2024–25 academic year.

Members of the Wildcat women's program have gone on to success on the LPGA Tour, led by 8-time LPGA Player of the Year Annika Sörenstam and 4-time LPGA Player of the Year Lorena Ochoa. Sörenstam is regarded as one of the best female golfers in history. Before stepping away from competitive golf at the end of the 2008 season, she had won 90 international tournaments as a professional, making her the female golfer with the most wins to her name. She has won 72 official LPGA Tour tournaments including ten majors and 18 other tournaments internationally, and she tops the LPGA's career money list with earnings of over $22 million—over $2 million ahead of her nearest rival while playing 187 fewer events. The winner of a record eight Player of the Year awards, and six Vare Trophies given to the LPGA player with the lowest seasonal scoring average, she is the only female golfer to shoot a 59 in competition. She holds various all-time scoring records including the lowest season scoring average: 68.6969 in 2004. Representing Europe in the Solheim Cup on eight occasions between 1994 and 2007, Sörenstam was the event's all-time leading points earner until her record was surpassed by England's Laura Davies during the 2011 Solheim Cup. Sörenstam also was captain of the 2017 European Solheim Cup team. In 2003, Sörenstam played in the Bank of America Colonial tournament to become the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event since 1945.

Lorena Ochoa was the top-ranked female golfer in the world for 158 consecutive and total weeks (both are LPGA Tour records), from April 23, 2007, to her retirement on May 2, 2010, at the age of 28 years old. As the first Mexican golfer of either gender to be ranked number one in the world, she is considered the best Mexican golfer and the best Latin American female golfer of all time. Ochoa was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2017.

Yearly record

Source

Team tournament wins (84)

Source:

• 1982 Lady Aztec Invitational
• 1983 Wildcat Invitational
• 1988 Washington Invitational
• 1988 Dick McGuire Invitational
• 1988 Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational
• 1989 Wildcat Invitational
• 1989 Shiseido Cup International
• 1989 Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational
• 1990 Border Conference Championship
• 1990 Oregon Invitational
• 1991 Stanford Invitational
• 1991 Wildcat Invitational
• 1991 UCF Rotary Classic
• 1991 Golfsmith Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invitational
• 1991 Rainbow Wahine Invitational
• 1991 Dick McGuire Invitational
• 1991 Lady Sun Devil Invitational
• 1991 Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational
• 1992 Wildcat Invitational
• 1992 Golfsmith Betsy Rawls Classic
• 1992 Rainbow Wahine Invitational
• 1992 Pac-10 Championships (1)
• 1996 LSU Fairwood Invitational
• 1996 Rainbow Wahine Invitational
• 1996 Buckeye Invitational
• 1996 NCAA West Regional
• 1996 NCAA Championships (1)
• 1996 Dick McGuire Invitational
• 1996 Rolex NCAA Preview
• 1997 LSU Fairwood Invitational
• 1997 PING/ASU Invitational
• 1997 Pac-10 Championships (2)
• 1997 Rolex NCAA Preview
• 1998 Pac-10 Championships (3)
• 1998 NCAA West Regional
• 1998 Stanford Intercollegiate
• 1998 Golf World Invitational
• 1999 Arizona Invitational
• 1999 Rainbow Wahine Invitational
• 1999 Dick McGuire Invitational
• 2000 Golf World Invitational
• 2000 TRW Regional Challenge
• 2000 Wildcat Invitational
• 2000 Rainbow Wahine Invitational
• 2000 PING/ASU Invitational
• 2000 Pac-10 Championships (4)
• 2000 NCAA West Regional
• 2000 NCAA Championships (2)
• 2000 Dick McGuire Invitational
• 2000 Stanford Pepsi Invitational
• 2001 TRW Regional Challenge
• 2001 Wildcat Invitational
• 2001 Pac-10 Championships (5)
• 2001 NCAA West Regional
• 2002 Pac-10 Championships (6)
• 2003 Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational
• 2010 Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown
• 2010 Pac-10 Championships (7)
• 2010 NCAA West Regional
• 2010 Topy Cup
• 2011 Wildcat Invitational
• 2012 Wildcat Invitational
• 2012 UNLV Invitational
• 2012 Mason Rudolph Championship
• 2012 Windy City Collegiate Classic
• 2013 Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational
• 2014 SunTrust Gator Invitational
• 2015 SunTrust Gator Invitational
• 2015 PING/ASU Invitational
• 2015 Pac-12 Championships (8)
• 2016 Wildcat Invitational
• 2017 Mountain View Collegiate
• 2018 Hawkeye El Tigre Invitational
• 2018 PING/ASU Invitational
• 2018 NCAA Championships (3)
• 2019 Pac-12 Preview
• 2019 UNLV Rebel Beach Invitational
• 2019 Hawkeye El Tigre Invitational
• 2020 Pac-12 Preview
• 2020 Wildcat Invitational
• 2022 NCAA Raleigh Regional
• 2023 Gators Invitational
• 2024 Folds of Honor Collegiate
• 2024 St. Andrews Links Collegiate
• 2025 Big 12 Championships (1)

Individual champions

Source:

NCAA

Arizona has had four individuals claim the NCAA Individual Championship on four occasions.

Regional

Conference

Arizona has had five separate golfers win a conference title on five separate occasions.

National honors

Source

NCAA Coach of the Year

*1996 – Kim Haddow

Pac-10/12 Coach of the Year

*1992 – Kim Haddow

*1998 – Rick LaRose

*2000 – Todd McCorkle

*2010 – Laura Ianello

*2019 – Laura Ianello (Co-COY)

U.S. Women's Amateur champions

*1996 – Heather Graff (US Public Links)

*1997 – Marisa Baena (Runner Up)

*2000 – Laura Myercough (Runner Up)

National College Player of the Year

*1991 – Annika Sörenstam (NGCA, Golfweek)

*1996 – Marisa Baena (Honda Award, NGCA)

*1997 – Marisa Baena (Honda Award, NGCA)

*2000 – Jenna Daniels (Honda Award, NGCA)

*2001 – Lorena Ochoa (NGCA)

*2002 – Lorena Ochoa (NGCA)

*2003 – Erica Blasberg (Golfweek Magazine)

Pac-10/12 Player of the Year

*2003 – Erica Blasberg

National Freshman of the Year

*2001 – Lorena Ochoa (WGCA)

*2003 – Erica Blasberg (WGCA)

*2020 – Vivian Hou (WGCA)

Pac-10/12 Freshman of the Year

*2001 – Lorena Ochoa

*2003 – Erica Blasberg

Curtis Cup

*2002 – Laura Myerscough

*2004 – Erica Blasberg

All-American (selected by WGCA)

*1988 – Martina Koch (2nd team)

*1989 – Martina Koch (2nd team)

*1990 – Mette Hageman (1st team)

*1990 – Martina Koch (1st team)

*1990 – Susan Slaughter (1st team)

*1991 – Mette Hageman (1st team)

*1991 – Annika Sörenstam (1st team)

*1991 – Leta Lindley (1st team)

*1992 – Annika Sörenstam (1st team)

*1992 – Debbie Parks (1st team)

*1992 – Leta Lindley (1st team)

*1994 – Leta Lindley (1st team)

*1996 – Marisa Baena (1st team)

*1996 – Heather Graff (2nd team)

*1997 – Marisa Baena (1st team)

*1998 – Marisa Baena (1st team)

*1998 – Jenna Daniels (2nd team)

*1998 – Krissie Register (2nd team)

*1999 – Jenna Daniels (2nd team)

*2000 – Cristina Baena (2nd team)

*2000 – Jenna Daniels (1st team)

*2001 – Lorena Ochoa (1st team)

*2001 – Natalie Gulbis (1st team)

*2002 – Lorena Ochoa (1st team)

*2003 – Erica Blasberg (1st team)

*2004 – Erica Blasberg (1st team)

*2007 – Alison Walshe (1st team)

*2008 – Alison Walshe (1st team)

*2010 – Margarita Ramos (2nd team)

*2011 – Isabelle Boineau (2nd team)

*2014 – Lindsey Weaver (2nd team)

*2015 – Lindsey Weaver (2nd team)

*2017 – Haley Moore (2nd team)

*2019 – Bianca Pagdanganan (2nd team)

*2019 – Yu-Sang Hou (2nd team)

*2020 – Vivian Hou (1st team)

*2020 – Yu-Sang Hou (2nd team)

*2021 – Yu-Sang Hou (2nd team)

WGCA Academic All-American

*1992 – Leta Lindley

*1994 – Leta Lindley

*1994 – Ulrika Johansson

*1995 – Ulrika Johansson

*1996 – Christina Tolerton

*1997 – Christina Tolerton

*1998 – Krissie Register

*1998 – Jill Gomric

*1999 – Krissie Register

*1999 – Christina Monteiro

*2000 – Christina Monteiro

*2001 – Christina Monteiro

*2002 – Cathie Williamson

*2004 – Whitney Welch

*2004 – Lani Elston

*2005 – Whitney Welch

*2005 – Lani Elston

*2006 – Whitney Welch

*2009 – Nikki Koller

*2009 – Margarita Ramos

*2010 – Nikki Koller

*2013 – Kendall Prince

*2014 – Kendall Prince

*2014 – Jessica Vasilic

*2014 – Andrea Vilarasau

*2014 – Wanasa Zhou

*2015 – Kendall Prince

*2015 – Wanasa Zhou

*2016 – Jessica Vasilic

*2016 – Wanasa Zhou

*2017 – Jessica Vasilic

*2017 – Wanasa Zhou

*2018 – Sandra Nordaas

*2019 – Ya Chun Chang

*2019 – Sandra Nordaas

*2020 – Ya Chun Chang

*2020 – Vivian Hou

*2020 – Gile Bite Starkute

*2020 – Therese Warner

*2021 – Ya Chun Chang

*2021 – Maya Benita

*2021 – Gile Bite Starkute

*2021 – Therese Warner

*2022 – Maya Benita

*2022 – Ya Chun Chang

*2022 – Carolina Melgrati

*2022 – Gile Bite Starkute

*2022 – Caitlin Whitehead

*2023 – Carolina Melgrati

*2023 – Julia Misemer

*2023 – Gile Bite Starkute

Individual scoring record

Source:

References