Michigan
Big Ten Championships
Wolverines to Head to West Coast for Big Ten Championships
4/22/2026 6:37:00 PM | Women's Golf
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan women's golf team opens postseason play this weekend at the 2026 Big Ten Championships, set for Friday through Sunday (April 24-26) in Glendale, Calif. The three-day, 54-hole championships feature all 18 conference programs competing at prestigious Oakmont Country Club. The course will play as a par 70 and measure 6,086 yards on Friday, 6,134 yards on Saturday, and 6,107 yards for Sunday's final round.
Notes
• With all 18 programs ranked inside the national top 90 according to Scoreboard, seeding for the 2026 Big Ten Championships is set as follows: USC (2), Oregon (6), UCLA (14), Northwestern (30), Ohio State (32), Michigan State (40), Purdue (45), Indiana (46), Illinois (49), Michigan (56), Maryland (67), Minnesota (73), Penn State (75), Nebraska (76), Rutgers (80), Iowa (85), Washington (88) and Wisconsin.
• Michigan's championship starting lineup features seniors Mara Janess, Sydney Sung and Lauren Sung, along with freshmen Reese Ng and Jaymie Ng. Sophomore Thomasine Bartholdson will travel with the team and serve as the Wolverines' designated substitute/reserve.
• Michigan will open play at the 2026 Big Ten Championships on Friday (April 24), beginning on the 10th tee at 10:10 a.m. PT. The Wolverines will be paired with Maryland and Minnesota for the opening round. Second- and final-round tee times will be determined by U-M's team score and position in the standings following each day of competition.
• Michigan has 13 all-time top-five finishes at the Big Ten Championships, including the program's first team title in 2022. Seven of those top-five finishes have come since head coach Jan Dowling took over the program in 2014. The Wolverines have produced three individual champions: Elodie Van Dievoet (2017) and Monet Chun in 2022 and 2024.
• In 2025, Lauren Sung and Sydney Sung competed in their third straight conference championship, while Janess made her second consecutive appearance. Lauren paced the Wolverines with a tie for 12th at 217 (78-69-70), Janess finished tied for 19th at 219, and Sydney added a tie for 28th at 221.
• California natives Lauren and Sydney Sung will compete in their final Big Ten Championships in their home state. Natives of Palo Alto in the San Francisco Bay Area, Glendale -- located just north of downtown Los Angeles -- is approximately 370 miles away.
• Janess has been a steady veteran presence for Michigan throughout the 2025-26 season, ranking third on the team with a 74.19 stroke average entering postseason play. Starting eight events, the senior has provided consistency in the lineup, leading the Wolverines in four tournaments and matching her career best with six sub-par rounds, including a career-low-tying 69 (-3) in both the second and final rounds of the Illini Women's Invitational.
• Lauren Sung leads Michigan in the race for the team scoring title with a 73.23 average, while freshman Vanessa Zhang technically holds the lowest mark at 73.09 but has missed five straight spring events due to injury. Janess sits third at 74.19, and as a team, the Wolverines are averaging 74.98 per round.
• Lauren Sung has led Michigan in five of nine events, carrying a 73.23 average. She owns six sub-par rounds, including back-to-back season-best 68s (-3) in rounds two and three of the Wolverine Invitational, and has posted two sub-par 54-hole totals, highlighted by a career-low 209 (-4) at the Wolverine, four strokes better than her previous best.
• Sydney Sung heads into the postseason playing some of her best golf of the season. After starting five of eight events overall, the senior has made three starts this spring and averaged 225.6 over 54 holes. She posted a season-best and career-low 69 (-3) in the final round of the Coach Mo Classic, then added a 71 (-1) in the opening round of the Terps Invitational to give her two sub-par rounds this season, matching her career high. Now, she prepares for her fourth straight Big Ten Tournament appearance.
• Reese Ng has been a key contributor all season, joining Lauren Sung as one of only two Wolverines to start all nine events. She is averaging 75.19 and has highlighted her season with a career-low 70 (2-under) in the second round of the Illini Women's Invitational and a career-best 221 (73-74-74) at the Puerto Rico Classic.
• After missing the fall season due to injury, Jaymie Ng has been a steady presence this spring, posting three career-best 54-hole totals of 223 while carrying a 74.80 average. Highlighting her recent play, Ng has started the last three events and closed with a 69 (3-under) at the Spartan Suncoast Invitational for her first career sub-70 round.
• The Wolverine Invitational provided a preview of U-M Golf Course, which will serve as one of six NCAA regional sites in May -- the second time in four years under Dowling. In her 13 seasons at the helm, Dowling has guided Michigan to eight NCAA postseason appearances, including four trips to the NCAA Finals. Golf fans interested in volunteering can complete the A2 Regional Volunteer form.
Players Mentioned
