UNIVERSITY PLACE, Wash. — UC Davis women's golf opens its 2026-27 season Monday at the Leadership and Golf Invitational co-hosted by Seattle and Washington at Chambers Bay Golf Course in University Place, Wash. 

True freshman Nina Choe will play in the No. 1 spot in the lineup in her first event for the Aggies with Vani Karimanal, Michelle Ho, Gabriella Ilard and Yu (Yoyo) Bai to follow. Claire Chang will participate as an individual.

The teams are scheduled to play 54 holes over two days with the first 36 on Monday followed by the final 18 on Tuesday. Monday's action begins with a shotgun start at 8 am for all players, while Tuesday's tee times will be determined following the conclusion of 36 holes.

The historic venue has hosted several high-profile golf tournaments since it was converted from a sand and gravel quarry in 2007, including the U.S. Amateur (2010), U.S. Open (2015) and the U.S. Women's Amateur (2022) with the U.S. Junior Amateur (2027) and U.S. Amateur (2033) on the docket in the coming years.

The 17-team tournament field also includes co-hosts Seattle and Washington, as well as Arkansas - Little Rock, Cal Poly, Colorado, Eastern Michigan, Gonzaga, Grand Canyon, Long Beach State, Oregon State, San Francisco, San Jose State, Santa Clara, SMU, Tulsa and ULM.

The top four scores in each round from each team's five-player lineup will count in the team score.

The Leadership and Golf Invitational was founded in 2022 as the Pacific NW Invitational and renamed in 2023.

The first 2026-27 rankings are expected to be announced in Mid-October.

The Leadership and Golf Invitational begins a four-tournament fall slate for the Aggies that also includes the Colonel Wallenberg Ram Classic hosted by Colorado State (Sept. 21-22), the Marilynn Smith Sunflower Invitational hosted by Kansas (Oct. 5-6) and the Stanford Intercollegiate hosted by Stanford (Oct. 16-18). 

LEADERSHIP AND GOLF INVITATIONAL - MONDAY-TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 14-15, 2026
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LINEUP
1 - Nina Choe, Fr., New York, N.Y./The Ursuline School

• Won four amateur events in 2025 and 2026
• Became the second player ever and the first since Dottie Pepper in 1981 to win both the NYS Girls 18U Junior Amateur and the NYS Women's Amateur in the same calendar year in 2026 

2 - Vani Karimanal, Sr., San Jose, Calif/Piedmont Hills HS

• Two-time All-Big West Championship selection
• Had four top-20 finishes in 2025-26 highlighted by a fifth-place showing at the 2026 Big West Championship that earned her a spot on the All-Big West Championship squad for second straight season 
• Also picked up honorable mention All-Big West honors overall in 2025-26
• Has the second-lowest returning stroke average by an Aggie this season after averaging 73.85 over 29 rounds as a 2025-26 junior
• Third-place finish at 2025 Big West Championship highlighted 2024-25 season (74.77, 30 rounds)
• 11 career top-20 finishes over 29 tournaments and 85 rounds
• Won the 2026 California Women's Championship

3 - Michelle Ho, So., San Ramon, Calif./Dougherty Valley HS

• 2026 Big West Freshman of the Year and honorable mention All-Big West after posting a 74.12 stroke average over while playing in all 29 events as 2025-26 freshman
• Also had a top-20 showing with a 16th-place finish at the 2026 Juli Inkster at TPC Harding Park
• Top finish as a 2025-26 rookie was a seventh-place showing at the Leadership and Golf Invitational in her collegiate debut

4 - Gabriella Ilardi, Sr., Ripon, Calif./Eastern Washington/Ripon HS

• Played in five events and 15 rounds while posting a 76.00 stroke average as a 2025-26 junior in her first season at UC Davis after transferring from Eastern Washington
• Top 2025-26 showing was a 37th place finish at the Causeway Invitational
• Had eight top-20 showings in two seasons at Eastern Washington (2023-25) with a third-place showing at the PSU Invitational as a 2024-25 sophomore her top finish while she was 11th at the Big Sky Championships the same campaign

5 - Yu (Yoyo) Bai, Jr., Saratoga, Calif.

• Has the second-lowest returning stroke average by an Aggie this season after averaging 73.85 over 29 rounds as a 2025-26 sophomore when she earned honorable mention All-Big West recognition
• Three top-20 finishes in 2025-26 highlighted by fourth-place showing at the Silicon Valley Showcase
• Placed seventh at the 2025 Big West Championship as a 2024-25 freshman
• Earned second-team All-Big West honors as a 2025-26 sophomore

Ind - Claire Chang, So., Bellevue, Wash.,/International Virtual Learning Academy

• Played two events as a 2025-26 freshman with a top showing of 44th at the Causeway Invitational