GLENDALE, Calif. — Illinois women's golf completed the opening round of the 2026 Big Ten Championships on Friday evening. Senior Anna Ritter posted a 65 (-5), the new women's tournament record for lowest round at Oakmont Country Club. Ritter's historic round catapulted her into first place, while the Fighting Illini sit tied for second as a team alongside Ohio State, five strokes off USC, the second-ranked team in the country, for the lead.
Ritter's 65 (-5) puts her two strokes ahead of Luana Valero from Oregon, and makes her one of just ten individuals to finish the round under par. She owned the best scoring average of the field on par fours (3.75), and also the most birdies, with seven.
Freshman Alexis Myers, coming off of her Big Ten Freshman of the Week performance at the Boilermaker Spring Classic, finished the day tied for 16th, with a 71 (+1).
Remaining teammates Brielle Mapanao, Erica Lee, and Victoria Zheng were all part of a tie for 30th in a tightly-packed field, each scoring a 73 (+3) on the day. Lee was tied with Mara Janess of Michigan for the best scoring average of the field on par fives (4.00).
As a team, the Orange and Blue are tied for second alongside Ohio State, with a 282 (+2) for the day. They are five strokes off of leader USC and two strokes ahead of both Penn State and Purdue in fourth. The squad registered the best team average on par fours (4.08).
The team now turns its attention to round two on Saturday, April 25. The first member of the team to tee off will be Lee, at 12:10 p.m. CT from the first hole. All tee times and live scoring can be followed live on Scoreboard by Clippd.
