COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Ohio State women's golf team secured a third-place finish at the Columbus Regional on Wednesday, earning their spot in the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2018. Head Coach Lisa Strom expressed confidence in the team's performance.

"It's not like we came out of nowhere. We were the third seed here. We were well within what people expected us to do. It's about going out there and knowing we belong in a mix of a national championship," said Strom.

Faith Choi delivered one of her best performances in competition on the Scarlet Course, climbing ten spots on the leaderboard in the final round. She shot a four-under 68 and birdied seven holes. Choi reflected on the team's journey.

"We've been talking about it all year long now. It's so amazing for that to be here and be alive. It's really exciting," said Choi. "I think that each individual in the lineup is capable of playing well out there. I think we have a really strong team."

Strom plans to maintain the same lineup for the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, California, at the Omni La Costa Resort and Spa. The course has recently been renovated, but Strom says she received some valuable advice before heading out West next Tuesday.

"I've taken a lot of info from Jay Moseley, our men's coach, who had great experience out there, making it to the semis last year. He's given me some good insight on prep work," said Strom. "We've had a lot of rain here in Central Ohio, so a lot of the greens are probably softer than what we might face out there. Once we get a strategy in place and get the lay of the land, it comes down to executing the plan."

The competition will feature 30 teams of the nation's best collegiate golfers. Teams will hold a walkthrough of the course on Wednesday, May 14. The practice round will begin on that Thursday. Then, the first day of competition on Friday, May 16, features three rounds of stroke play through 72 holes.

Fifteen teams will then make the cut to the fourth round. An individual champion will be crowned after the 72 holes of stroke play, before the field is then cut to eight teams for match play. The final round is on May 21.

"Speed to discipline action is something we've been trying to stick to, especially at regionals," said Kary Hollenbaugh. "Continuing to play for the team and play for each other and use each other as motivation."