Paula Francisco (right) and Siuue Wu (left) hug on the 18th green at the 2026 SEC Championship.
Francisco, Wu qualify for U.S. Women's Open
Thursday, May 7, 2026 | Women's Golf
Paula Francisco and Siuue Wu will take on the 81st U.S. Women's Open at Riviera Country Club from June 4-7.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. - Florida women's golfers Paula Francisco and Siuue Wu both have qualified for the 81st U.S. Women's Open, which will take place at Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. from June 4-7. The outings will mark their major championship debuts.
No. 3 ranked Florida is one of three schools (Stanford - 3 & USC - 2) to have multiple players making the field. Qualifying for the tournament features a one-day 36-hole round with the top-two finishers earning a spot in the field. There are 26 conducted sites from April 20-May 13.
Wu secured a spot after winning a three-for-one playoff at Sugar Mill Country Club (New Smyrna Beach, Fla.) on Monday, April 27. She defeated Polly Mack and 2026 SEC Player of the Year Farah O'Keefe (Texas) for the exemption. Wu shot 3-under 141 (70-71) in her qualifier. The sophomore was recently named to the All-SEC Second Team. This season she has placed top-25 seven times during his sophomore season. She owns a stroke average of 71.4 and also tied for the second-lowest round (65) in program history in the opening round of the Gators Invitational where she tied for 2nd - a career best finish. Playing in her first conference tournament, Wu finished T25 and won her quarterfinals match 4&3.
Francisco continues to add another milestone to her breakout season. She clinched her major championship ticket shooting 2-under 140 at Wilderness Country Club (Naples, Fla.) on Wednesday, May 6. The junior won the 2026 SEC Individual Championship, for her second win in last three starts as she finished runner-up and one shot back in the non-win outing. The Madrid, Spain native was also named to the ANNIKA Award Postseason Watch List, All-SEC First Team and selected to this year's Arnold Palmer Cup.
She became the eighth Gator to win the SEC Championship and first since Maria Torres in 2016. This is the 10th time a UF golfer has been crowned the conference champion, which leads the SEC. The win was the second of Francisco's collegiate career and season. She had 54-hole tournament score of 202 (-8), which is the third lowest all-time by score in SEC Championship history. It is also the lowest by par from a Gator since Maria Torres won the conference title in 2016 and finished 9-under.
Ranked the No. 8 player in the nation, she tied the 54-hole tournament record (202) in the spring opener. Then broke the 10-year program record with a final score of 200 (-10) to capture her first collegiate win at the Gators Invitational. In round two, Francisco tied for the second-lowest round in program history with a 65 (-5). She has a team-low stroke average of 70.3 and 16 of her 29 rounds have been under par with nine straight currently.
The Gators were recently selected as the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. The three-day, 54-hole event begins on Monday, May 11 at 8 a.m. at Seminole Legacy Golf Club. After three rounds, the top-5 teams and low individual (not on an advancing team) qualify for the NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, Calif. from May 22-27.
No. 3 ranked Florida is one of three schools (Stanford - 3 & USC - 2) to have multiple players making the field. Qualifying for the tournament features a one-day 36-hole round with the top-two finishers earning a spot in the field. There are 26 conducted sites from April 20-May 13.
Wu secured a spot after winning a three-for-one playoff at Sugar Mill Country Club (New Smyrna Beach, Fla.) on Monday, April 27. She defeated Polly Mack and 2026 SEC Player of the Year Farah O'Keefe (Texas) for the exemption. Wu shot 3-under 141 (70-71) in her qualifier. The sophomore was recently named to the All-SEC Second Team. This season she has placed top-25 seven times during his sophomore season. She owns a stroke average of 71.4 and also tied for the second-lowest round (65) in program history in the opening round of the Gators Invitational where she tied for 2nd - a career best finish. Playing in her first conference tournament, Wu finished T25 and won her quarterfinals match 4&3.
Francisco continues to add another milestone to her breakout season. She clinched her major championship ticket shooting 2-under 140 at Wilderness Country Club (Naples, Fla.) on Wednesday, May 6. The junior won the 2026 SEC Individual Championship, for her second win in last three starts as she finished runner-up and one shot back in the non-win outing. The Madrid, Spain native was also named to the ANNIKA Award Postseason Watch List, All-SEC First Team and selected to this year's Arnold Palmer Cup.
She became the eighth Gator to win the SEC Championship and first since Maria Torres in 2016. This is the 10th time a UF golfer has been crowned the conference champion, which leads the SEC. The win was the second of Francisco's collegiate career and season. She had 54-hole tournament score of 202 (-8), which is the third lowest all-time by score in SEC Championship history. It is also the lowest by par from a Gator since Maria Torres won the conference title in 2016 and finished 9-under.
Ranked the No. 8 player in the nation, she tied the 54-hole tournament record (202) in the spring opener. Then broke the 10-year program record with a final score of 200 (-10) to capture her first collegiate win at the Gators Invitational. In round two, Francisco tied for the second-lowest round in program history with a 65 (-5). She has a team-low stroke average of 70.3 and 16 of her 29 rounds have been under par with nine straight currently.
The Gators were recently selected as the No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tallahassee Regional. The three-day, 54-hole event begins on Monday, May 11 at 8 a.m. at Seminole Legacy Golf Club. After three rounds, the top-5 teams and low individual (not on an advancing team) qualify for the NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, Calif. from May 22-27.
Players Mentioned
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