By Ryan Herrington
Three additional schools will have a chance to compete for the US NCAA D-I women’s title this spring at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale. On Monday, the NCAA announced it is expanding the size of the field at the American women’s national championship from 24 teams to 27 beginning in 2023.

“There is extreme importance in providing as many participation opportunities as possible for our student-athletes,” said Brad Hurlbut, director of athletics at Fairleigh Dickinson, and chair of the Division I Women’s Golf Committee, in a statement. “With an additional three teams qualifying for the finals site, up to an additional 18 deserving women’s golf student-athletes will have an opportunity to compete in the national championship finals, which is an important step for the sport of women’s golf and the championship.”

The number of schools qualifying for the NCAA women’s postseason will remain at 72, with 12 teams playing at each of six regional sites. However, by letting three more schools advance to nationals, the percentage of teams moving on from regionals will equal that of the men’s NCAA Championship (81 teams playing for 30 spots).

The tricky part, however, in expanding by only three teams is that an unequal number of schools will advance from the six regionals, with four teams moving on from three sites and five teams from the other three sites. According to the NCAA, the D-I Women’s Committee will create a “strength-of-field” metric to help determine the regional sites that receive the extra bid to the national championship. More is no doubt better in this scenario, but it comes with the potential for some controversy regarding which regionals will get the extra qualifier.

You may also like:
Hero Cup line-ups announced for Ryder Cup warm-up event in Abu Dhabi
Cam Smith aims to end career-best year on a high
Is it time to abolish OWGR?
Tiger out of Hero World Challenge
Sergio’s run comes to an end
Rory thinks he gave Tiger Covid ahead of the Open
Hedwall claims Open de Espana in dramatic fashion
Emotional triumph for Cam Smith in Australia
Meet Dan Bradbury, DP World Tour’s newest surprise package
Cam Smith has a fantastic return to Oz
Tiger and Charlie Woods in PNC Championship field
Tiger set for rankings boost at Hero Open
LOOK: Golf’s biggest turkeys of 2022
Rare data shows how dominant Tiger was some 20-odd years ago
All you need to know on the new golf rules for 2023
Cam Smith right at home at Australian PGA Championship
Gainer leads the way at LET finale in Spain
Adam Scott making big changes for 2023
Cameron Smith eyes winning return to Australia
‘I thought I was dying. How golf kept me going’
PGA Tour University star earns trip to Dubai Desert Classic
Jumeirah Golf Estates secures 10-year deal for DPWTC
City boss Pep enjoys World Cup break in UAE