BLACKSBURG — Virginia Tech, ranked 14th in the latest Golfstat standings, is set to make its first-ever appearance on the national stage this weekend when the 2021 NCAA Division I Women's Golf Championship gets underway. The six-day event will run Friday-Wednesday at the par 72, 6,384-yard Grayhawk Golf Club (Raptor Course) in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The Hokies qualified by placing fourth at last week's Stanford Regional in Stanford, California. In just its sixth season of competition, Tech has earned a spot among the nation's elite. In all, 24 teams have qualified for the national championship, including four from the ACC: Tech, Duke, Wake Forest and Florida State.
Upon arrival in Arizona, the Hokies will walk the course on Wednesday before playing a round at a to-be-determined course in the area, followed by Thursday's practice round on the Raptor Course at 11:26 a.m. ET. Friday's opening round is scheduled for a 9:30 a.m. ET start for the Hokies, who will be paired with Auburn and Oregon. The group will start on the 10th hole.
Tech's lineup features Emily Mahar, Becca DiNunzio, Keerattriya Foocharoen, Alyssa Montgomery and Jessica Spicer. This marks the 13th straight tournament the Hokies will go with this lineup.
For Mahar, this week will be a special homecoming. The Brisbane, Australia native attended Xavier College Prep in Phoenix, Arizona for four years prior to her arrival in Blacksburg.
The championship consists of three rounds of stroke play for all 24 teams before the field is cut to the top 15 teams following Sunday's third round. Monday, the top 15 teams will play a fourth round of stroke play to decide the top eight teams that advance to the match play portion of the championship.
For match play, teams will be seeded based on their 72-hole scores. Match play quarterfinals are scheduled for Tuesday morning, followed by the semifinals in the afternoon. Wednesday's championship final is scheduled for a 4:35 p.m. ET start.
Golf Channel coverage of the championship begins Monday at 5 p.m. ET and will continue Tuesday and Wednesday. Live scoring will be available by Golfstat throughout the tournament.
NCAA Women's Golf Championship
Date: May 21-26
Host Course: Grayhawk Golf Club - Raptor Course (Scottsdale, Ariz.)
Par: 72
Yardage: 6,384
Live Scoring
Tournament Lineup
COACH ROBERTSON NAMED FINALIST FOR WGCA NATIONAL COACH OF THE YEAR
Head coach Carol Robertson was named one of 20 finalists for the 2020-21 Division I Jackie Steinmann WGCA National Coach of the Year Presented by Golf Pride. Robertson, who is in her seventh season as head coach of Virginia Tech, has led the Hokies to their highest ever ranking in program history (No. 14), third straight regional bid and first ever trip to the national championship.
