PALM DESERT, Calif. – The 10th-ranked Washington and Lee women's golf team shot a 6-over par (294) on Thursday in the third round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Championship to remain in fourth place.
 
COURSE STATS:

• Desert Willow Golf Resort - Firecliff Course | Palm Desert, Calif.
• Par 72 | 5,883 Yards
• Total Average Score: 78.96 (257 rounds)
• Round 1 Average Score: 84.07 (90 rounds)
• Round 2 Average Score: 75.87 (86 rounds)
• Round 3 Average Score: 76.57 (81 rounds)
• For more course information, click here.

TEAM AND INDIVIDUAL LEADERS THRU ROUND 3:

• Top-ranked Emory shot even-par on the day to remain in the lead on the team leaderboard at 6-over par. No. 3 Carnegie Mellon stayed in second, but gained three strokes on the Eagles with a 3-under round, the best in the field, to trail Emory by one.
• The Generals' 6-over par kept them in fourth place on the team leaderboard at 18-over par, and they trail second-ranked NYU by one stroke for third. The Violets also shot 6-over for the day.
• Emma Wong (CMU) is the individual leader at 4-under for the tournament after a 3-under third round on Thursday. Carter Sichol (Carleton), who shot 4-under a day ago, trails Wong by one stroke for second place. Jiayi Fu (NYU) and Ella Han (Middlebury) are tied for third at 2-under through three rounds.

W&L ROUND 3 PLAYER SUMMARIES:

• Senior Julia Haetzel fired a team- and tournament-best 3-under (69) in Round 3, carding five birdies and 11 pars. Haetzel was under par on the front and back nines, with her score of 69 tying three other players for the best round in the field.
• First-year Mackenzie Cline improved for the second straight day and recorded a 1-over (73). Cline's highlight of the day came when she eagled the par-5 13th hole, which helped her shoot a 1-under (35) on the back nine. Cline's efforts moved her 13 places up the individual leaderboard to a tie for 31st (+8).
• First-year Bella Scucchi also moved up the leaderboard, using a 2-over (74) to jump up four spots to a tie for 26th (+7). She sank four birdies on the day and finished strong by shooting 2-under over her last six holes.
• Sophomore Berkeley Bundy finished at 6-over (78) and will enter Friday's final round tied for 34th at 9-over par, while first-year Toral Bhatt slipped into a tie for 26th with Scucchi and three other players. Bhatt is 7-over for the tournament after a third-round 82.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• The Generals continued to excel on par-5s on Thursday, moving up to second for the tournament in scoring average at 4.85 (-9). They are also tied for the ninth-best average (4.26) on par-4 holes.
• Through three rounds of play, the Generals have the fourth-most birdies (34) and fourth-fewest doubles+ (9).
• Scucchi has been a driver of the team's success on par 5s, as she holds the third-best par-5 average (4.58) in the tournament. Bhatt also remained in the Top 10 for par-4 scoring, tied for eighth at 4.03 (+1).
• Cline became just the fourth player in this year's championship to card an eagle, while Scucchi is tied for fourth-most birdies (11).

UP NEXT:
The 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Golf Championship will conclude on Friday, with the first group of players set to tee off at 10:00 a.m. EDT. Haetzel will lead off for W&L at 10:50 am EDT. For more tee times, click here.
 

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Nestled in the mountains of Virginia, Washington and Lee University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. Founded in 1749, W&L is the ninth-oldest college in the United States and a top-ranked liberal arts university. With over 500 student-athletes in 24 varsity sports, the Generals have celebrated over 265 conference championships. Learn more about the Blue and White by visiting www.generalssports.com or on social media at @WLUGenerals.