O'Keefe captures individual title, leads Texas to team crown in Darius Rucker Intercollegiate at Long Cove

 

   The University of South Carolina is fortunate to have an alumnus like Darius Rucker. And college golf is fortunate to have an advocate like Darius Rucker.

   It was evident again this week when the 14^th Darius Rucker Intercollegiate was played at the Long Cove Club on Hilton Head Island with some of the top players in women’s golf vying for the guitar that goes to the individual champion and with The Golf Channel’s cameras capturing the action.

   The Darius Rucker Intercollegiate became the first regular-season women’s tournament to be televised live in 2022. The fact that The Golf Channel was back again in 2026 tells you all you need to know about the regard with which this event is held.

   Having Rucker’s name associated with it helps – a lot. But the quality of the golf has a lot to do with it, too. The future of women’s golf was on display this week at Hilton Head and you could witness that future on live television.

   Texas’ Farah O’Keefe, a junior home girl from Austin, Texas and No. 6 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), jumped on the par-71 Pete Dye design at Long Cove with an opening round of 7-under-par 64 Monday and held on to take the guitar by a shot with a 7-under 206 total.

   Long Cove seems to fit O’Keefe’s eye as she was one of four players who shared medalist honors in the Darius Rucker as a freshman two years ago. She joined former Alabama standout Cheyenne Knight as the only two players to earn medalist honors in the Darius Rucker twice.

   After her seven-birdie, no-bogey masterpiece in the opening round – a video of her 20-foot or so birdie putt at the 18^th hole made my Twitter/X time line – O’Keefe posted a 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a nervy 1-over 72 Wednesday, a birdie at the 16^th hole proving to be the difference in her one-shot edge over Florida State’s Elin Pudas Remler, a sophomore from Sweden.

   O’Keefe teamed with Stanford’s Meghan Ganne, the reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion, and Southern California’s Catherine Park to help the United States capture the title in the Women’s World Amateur Team Championship (WATC) at Tanah Merah Country Club in Singapore in October.

   O’Keefe was on the winning team again this week in the Darius Rucker as she led Texas, a Southeastern Conference power, to the team title with a 2-over 854 total, two shots better than a stubborn Pudas Remler and Florida State.

   The Longhorns rode O’Keefe’s blazing start to a 5-under 279 and then took a three-shot lead over the Seminoles into Wednesday’s final round after recording a 4-over 288 in Tuesday’s second round. Texas closed with a 3-over 287 to hold off Florida State by two shots.

   Texas bested a field that included half of the eight teams that earned a spot in the match-play bracket in last spring’s NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. The Longhorns fell to Big Ten champion Oregon in the quarterfinals at La Costa.

   Texas also got a strong showing from Lauren Kim, a junior from Canada and No. 18 in the Women’s WAGR, as she finished alone in seventh place in the individual standings with a 1-under 215 total.

   Kim backed up O’Keefe’s opening-round 64 with a sparkling 3-under 68 of her own. After matching par in Tuesday’s second round with a 71, Kim closed with a 2-over 73.

   Texas began the week at No. 9 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings and remained at No. 9 following its victory in the Darius Rucker.

   Florida State, the reigning Atlantic Coast Conference champion, was right on Texas’ heels throughout the tournament.

   The Seminoles opened with a 3-over 287 and added a 1-under 283 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 2-over 286 that left them two shots behind Texas with a 4-over 856 total.

   Pudas Remler opened with a solid 2-under 69 and only trailed O’Keefe by a shot going into the final round after Pudas Remler rattled off a sparkling 5-under 66 in Tuesday’s second round. Pudas Remler matched O’Keefe’s final round of 1-over 72 to earn runnerup honors with a 6-under 207 total.

   Florida State also got a strong performance from Sophia Fullbrook, a sophomore from England and No. 97 in the Women’s WAGR who finished alone in eighth place with an even-par 213 total.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 71, Fullbrook added a 1-over 72 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 1-under 70.

   It is a much different Florida State team than the one that lost to Southern California in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship last spring. It was a team that boasted the No. 1 and No. 2 players in the Women’s WAGR at the time, Lottie Woad and Mirabel Ting, respectively.

   But Fullbrook was in that lineup and the Seminoles appear to have reloaded. Somehow Florida State dropped two spots in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 28 to No. 26 following its runnerup finish in the Darius Rucker, but the Seminoles finished ahead of some really good teams in Hilton Head this week.

   Arkansas, behind reigning NCAA individual champion Maria Jose Marin, a junior from Colombia and No. 8 in the Women’s WAGR, finished six shots behind Florida State in third place with a 10-over 862 total.

   The Razorbacks, another SEC power, struggled a little in the opening round with a 14-over 298, but bounced back with a 4-under 280 in Tuesday’s second round before matching par with a 288 in the final round.

   Jose Marin closed with a 4-under 67 to get a share of fifth place in the individual standings with Georgia’s Karoline Tuttle, a redshirt junior from St. Mary, Fla., each landing on 2-under 214. Jose Marin had opened with a 1-under 70 before adding a 3-over 74 in Tuesday’s second round.

   Arkansas had another top-10 finisher in Reagan Zibilski, a senior from Springfield, Mo. and No. 47 in the Women’s WAGR, as she was part of a six-player logjam tied for ninth place at 1-over 214.

   After struggling to an 8-over 79 in the opening round, Zibilski bounced back in a big way with a sparkling 5-under 66 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 2-under 69.

   Jose Marin and Zibilski were in the lineup for the Razorbacks as they earned a spot in the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship at La Costa last spring before falling to eventual champion Northwestern in the quarterfinals.

   Arkansas maintained the No. 8 spot in the Scoreboard rankings where it began the week following its third-place finish in the Darius Rucker.

   Duke, one of Florida State’s ACC rivals, closed with the best team round of the week, an 8-under 276, behind a brilliant tournament record 8-under 63 from Rianne Malixi, the Blue Devils’ fabulous freshman from the Philippines and No. 20 in the Women’s WAGR, in the final round to finish a shot behind Arkansas in fourth place with an 11-over 863 total.

   Duke had opened with a 12-over 296 and added a 7-over 291 in Tuesday’s second round.

   O’Keefe had equaled the tournament’s individual record with her opening-round 64, but Malixi established a new standard in the Darius Rucker record book as she made eight birdies without a bogey in her final-round 63 that enabled her to finish in third place in the individual standings with a 4-under 209 total that left her two shots behind Pudas Remler.

   Malixi had opened with a 3-over 74 and added a 1-over 72 in Tuesday’s second round.

   It’s been a bit of a disjointed freshman season for Malixi. She missed some time when she was in the field representing the Philippines in last fall’s Women’s WATC in Singapore.

   After claiming her first collegiate victory in Duke’s spring opener in the Sea Best Intercollegiate at San Jose Country Club in Jacksonville, Fla., Malixi was off to New Zealand, where she finished in a tie for third place in the Women’s Amateur Asia-Pacific Championship at Royal Wellington Golf Club.

   Needless to say, when the gal who captured titles in both the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship at El Caballero Country Club in Tarzana, Calif. and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla. in the summer of 2024 is in the lineup, it makes Duke a really tough customer.

   Duke failed to advance to the NCAA Championship last spring as a five seed in Norman Regional. Duke dropped a spot in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 12 to No. 13 following its fourth-place finish in the Darius Rucker.

   Auburn, another SEC power, finished three shots behind Duke in fifth place with a 14-over 866 total at Long Cove. The Plains Tigers had won tournament titles in their first two outings of the spring and have won four times overall in the wraparound 2025-2026 season.

   Auburn added a 9-over 293 in Tuesday’s second round to its opening-round 294, but finished with a flourish, registering a 5-under 279 in the final round.

   Auburn was the highest-ranked team in the Darius Rucker field at No. 5 and maintained that No. 5 ranking with its fifth-place finish.

   Much as it was for Duke, it was a disappointing spring for Auburn a year ago as the Plains Tigers failed to advance to the NCAA Championship as a three seed in the Gold Canyon Regional.

   Wake Forest, the runnerup to Florida State in the ACC a year ago, and LSU, another perennial SEC power, finished in a tie for sixth place, each landing five shots behind Arkansas with a 19-over 871 total.

   The Demon Deacons, who maintained their hold on the No. 6 spot in the Scoreboard rankings with their tie for sixth place in the Darius Rucker, opened with an 11-over 295 and added a 2-over 286 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 6-over 290.

   Wake Forest was led by Macy Pate, a junior home girl from Winston-Salem, N.C. and No. 29 in the Women’s WAGR who finished in that large group tied for ninth place at 1-over. Pate posted back-to-back 1-over 72s in the first two rounds before closing with a 1-under 70.

   After claiming the team title as a two seed in the Lubbock Regional last spring, the Demon Deacons stalled in the NCAA Championship and were unable to land a spot in the match-play bracket.

   After opening with an 11-over 295, the Bayou Tigers put together a solid 1-under 283 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 9-over 293.

   LSU was led by an impressive effort by freshman Ryleigh Knaub of Debary, Fla. as she rattled off three straight 1-under 70s to finish a shot behind Malixi in fourth place in the individual standings with a 3-under 210 total.

   Knaub showed up at the Old Course at Stonewall, where I catch the occasional loop, on a random weekday in July last summer. Some promised thunderstorms materialized in a big way and, I’m sure, cut short her round. Never did figure out how Knaub ended up at Stonewall that day, but she certainly announced her presence on the college golf scene with her performance at Long Cove this week.

   LSU snuck into the NCAA Championship last spring by finishing in fifth place as a two seed in the Columbus Regional and very nearly ended up in match play, the Bayou Tigers finishing just two shots out of the final spot in the bracket after 72 holes at La Costa.

   LSU dropped a spot in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 35 to No. 36 with its tie for sixth place in the Darius Rucker.

   A couple of Big Ten teams, Ohio State, with Lisa Strom, a Pennsylvania state champion in 1994 as a senior at Lansdale Catholic at the helm, and reigning national champion Northwestern, accounted for the next two spots in the team standings.

   The Buckeyes, who remained at No. 41 in the Scoreboard rankings following the Darius Rucker, finished strong with a 1-over 285 in the final round as they took eighth place with a 20-over 872 total. Ohio State had opened with a 12-over 296 and added a 7-over 291 in Tuesday’s second round.

   Ohio State returned to the NCAA Championship last spring for the first time since 2018 by finishing in third place as a three seed on its home course, the challenging Scarlet Course, in the Columbus Regional. The Buckeyes never got it going at La Costa, but Strom, who starred at Ohio State, seems to have them pointing in the right direction.

   Northwestern, a year after its remarkable run to its first national title at La Costa, finished six shots behind Ohio State in ninth place in the elite 17-team field with a 26-over 878 total.

   The Wildcats, who moved up a spot in the Scoreboard rankings from No. 20 to No. 19 with their showing in the Darius Rucker, bounced back from an opening round of 13-over 297 with a 5-over 289 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 292.

   Backing up O’Keefe and Kim for Texas was Cindy Hsu, a senior from Taiwan who finished among a trio tied for 18^th place at 3-over 216. Hsu was the low Longhorn in Wednesday’s final round with a 2-under 69. She had opened with a 4-over 75 before adding a 72 in Tuesday’s second round.

   Selina Liao, a junior from Taiwan, finished in the group tied for 37^th place for Texas with a 7- over 220 total. Liao opened with a solid 1-over 72 and added a 75 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 73.

   Rounding out the Texas lineup was Angela Heo, a senior from Murrietta, Calif. who finished among a trio tied for 68^th place with a 227 total. After opening with a 6-over 77, Heo recorded back-to-back 75s in the final two rounds.

   Georgia’s Tuttle closed with a sparkling 4-under 67 to earn her share of fifth place with Arkansas’ Jose Marin at 2-under. Tuttle had opened with a 1-under 70 before adding a 3-over 74 in Tuesday’s second round.

   The Bulldogs, another SEC representative, had another top-10 finish from Trinity Beth, a freshman from Calvert City, Ky. who was part of the six-way logjam tied for ninth place at 1-over. After opening with a 4-over 75, Beth carded a 2-under 69 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 70.

   Georgia finished in a tie for 11^th place in the team standings with SEC rival Kentucky, each landing on 28-over 880.

   Rounding out the large group tied for ninth place at 1-over were Alabama’s Natachanok Tunwannarux, a junior from Thailand, Mississippi’s Mary Miller, a sophomore from Savannah, Ga. and Arizona’s Charlotte Back, a junior from Germany and No. 66 in the Women’s WAGR.

   After opening with a 5-over 76, Tunwannarux posted back-to-back 2-under 69s. The Crimson Tide, another SEC entry, finished in 15^th place with a 36-over 888 total.

   After opening with a 4-over 75, Miller bounced back with a 1-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 69. Ole Miss, yet another SEC representative, finished in 13^th place in the team standings with a 30-over 882 total.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 71, Back added a 1-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 2-over 73. Arizona, playing out of the Big 12, finished a shot behind Ole Miss in 14^th place with a 31-over 883 total.

   Duke also got solid showings out of Katie Li, a junior from Basking Ridge, N.J., and freshman Avery McCrery, who launched her outstanding junior career out of Wilmington Country Club.

   Li closed with a solid 2-under 69 to finish in the group tied for 21^st place with a 4-over 217 total. Li had opened with a 2-over 73 before adding a 75 in Tuesday’s second round.

   Read a story in a golf publication I dug up while looking around for some college golf news on the Internet that said that McCrery has been Malixi’s roommate as the two freshmen navigate their rookie seasons at Duke. Malixi credited McCrery with helping her with some of the subtleties of life in America.

   McCrery, who picked off a major victory as a junior golfer when she captured the title in the Girls Junior PGA Championship in 2024 at Congressional Country Club’s Blue Course in the summer of 2024, opened with a 3-over 74 at Long Cove and added back-to-back 1-over 72s to finish among the group tied for 25^th place with a 5-over 218 total.

   Also in that group tied for 25^th place at 5-over was Northwestern sophomore Megan Meng, a scholastic standout at Hopewell Valley Central in South Jersey and winner of the Pennsylvania Junior Girls’ Championship in 2020 at Lebanon Country Club.

   After opening with a 3-over 74, Meng matched par in Tuesday’s second round with a 71 before closing with a 2-over 73.

   Meng wasn’t in the lineup for Northwestern’s thrilling ride to a national title at La Costa last spring, but she was very much a part of a team that showed remarkable grit on its way to the top of the heap in the wraparound 2024-’25 season.

   Another Jersey girl, Vanderbilt sophomore Angelina Tolentino, a scholastic standout at Lenape High and winner of the Pennsylvania Women’s Amateur Championship in the summer of 2024 at Waynesborough Country Club, finished in the group tied for 37^th place in the Darius Rucker Invitational with a 7-over 220 total.

   Tolentino helped the Commodores, another SEC entry, finish in the top 10 in the team standings as they ended up in 10^th place with a 27-over 879 total.