ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Oakland University women's golf team travels to Howey-in-the-Hills, Florida, April 25-27, for the 2026 Horizon League Women's Golf Championship, aiming to defend its back-to-back league titles. Hosted by the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, the championship will be played on the El Campeon course at Mission Resort + Club.

The three-day championship will follow a 54-hole format, with 18 holes scheduled for Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Oakland opens play on Saturday, paired with Purdue Fort Wayne and Youngstown State. Pairings for the second and third rounds will be based on team and individual scores from the previous rounds. The women's teams will begin play on Saturday at 12:30 p.m. (ET), following the men's field, and will tee off first on Sunday and Monday at 7:30 a.m.

The 2026 Horizon League Championship field includes Detroit Mercy, Green Bay, IU Indianapolis, Northern Kentucky, Oakland, Purdue Fort Wayne, and Youngstown State. Youngstown State enters as the No. 1 seed in the latest Clippd rankings, with the Golden Grizzlies close behind as the No. 2 seed.

In last year's championship, the No. 2-ranked Golden Grizzlies overcame a slow start to capture the title. Oakland opened the tournament with a 327 (+35) before closing with rounds of 301 (+9) and 299 (+7), vaulting from third place to first to finish with a total of 927 (+51). Junior Olivia Hemmila, senior Grace Boczar, and junior Lily Bargamian led the charge, placing 3-4-5 individually to secure the program's second consecutive championship. Head coach Heather Fortushniak was named Coach of the Year after guiding Oakland to another title in her first season in Rochester.

This season, Oakland has posted four top-five team finishes: first at the NKU Julie Invitational, third at both the Dolores Black Invitational and Bradley Coyote Classic, and fourth at the A-Ga-Ming Invitational. At the NKU Julie Invitational, Hemmila earned her first collegiate victory with a 54-hole total of 221 (+7), marking the first time since 2017 that Oakland has claimed both the team and individual titles at the same invitational.

Entering the Horizon League Championship, Oakland looks to complete a three-peat and secure its fourth title in five seasons. The Golden Grizzlies will compete with a lineup of Bargamian, Hemmila, Boczar, and freshmen Logan Bentley and Channing Hagen, with senior Paige Scott serving as a substitute, as they pursue another #HLGOLF conference championship.

HORIZON LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Saturday | 12:30 PM Start - Round 1
Pairings: Purdue Fort Wayne and Youngstown State

Sunday | 7:30 AM - Round 2
Pairings TBD

Monday | 7:30 AM - Final Round
Pairings TBD

Women's Golf Seeding
Youngstown State (168)
Oakland (212)
Purdue Fort Wayne (234)
Green Bay (239)
Northern Kentucky (241)
IU Indianapolis (249)
Detroit Mercy (261)

Live scoring and statistics for each round will be available on Clippd.

How to Follow Oakland Women's Golf: For complete information on Oakland Women's Golf, follow the team on Instagram and X at @OaklandWGolf.