California (SMC) Wins the 2026 PGA High School Girls Golf National Invitational

California (SMC) captured the team title, while Lisa Herman of Oklahoma (JNK) completed a wire-to-wire victory to win medalist honors at the 2026 PGA High School Girls Golf National Invitational presented by Titleist & FootJoy. The Invitational was held at Pinehurst Resort & Country Club on Pinehurst No. 1 and No. 5 from July 11-13.

California (SMC) led from the opening round and finished at 20-under-par 836 (283-274-279), the only team in the field to finish under par. The team claimed the title by 26 strokes over North Carolina's Pinecrest High School, which finished at 6-over-par 862 (293-277-292).

The victory marked California's second PGA High School Girls Golf National Invitational title after winning the 2024 Invitational at Fields Ranch at PGA Frisco. Three players - Angelina Tao, Emily Song and Donina Zhou - returned to help lead this year's title run.

"We came into the week really prepared and ready to play our best while lifting each other up every day," said Tao, who spoke for her team. "We never wanted to focus on the leaderboard. Our goal was to play the best golf we could and post the lowest score possible."

Lisa Herman of Oklahoma (JNK) delivered one of the tournament's most impressive individual performances, leading after every round and finishing at 14-under-par 200 following rounds of 65, 66 and 69 to win by three strokes.

"A lot of things went right for me this week," Herman said. "I hit a lot of fairways and greens, and I made the putts when I needed them. I was definitely nervous coming down the stretch, but knowing my teammates were behind me helped me stay focused and keep pushing until the end."

Dresden Bounds of Texas (CMP) also had an impressive performance and finished runner-up at 11-under-par 203 (69-65-69). Herman and Bounds were the only players to shoot all three rounds in the 60s.

California showcased its depth by placing three players in the top 10 individually. Tao tied for third at 7-under-par 207 (69-68-70), Song tied for fifth at 6-under-par 208 (66-71-71), and Nora Qu fired a final-round 67 to finish tied for seventh at 5-under-par 209 (74-68-67).

Ira Joshi of North Carolina (PNC) tied Tao for third at 7-under-par 207 (69-65-73), while Rylen Darter of Texas (IND) joined Song in a tie for fifth at 6-under-par 208 after rounds of 68-68-72.

The Girls National Invitational is part of the eighth PGA High School Golf National Invitational presented by Titleist & FootJoy, which brings together more than 500 state champion golfers from across the country to compete for national team and individual championships. The Boys National Invitational will be held July 18-20 on Pinehurst Nos. 5 and 6.

Golfers qualified for the Invitational by winning their respective high school state championships as individuals or teams in both public and private school divisions. The PGA High School Golf National Invitational has become one of the nation's premier events for high school golfers, providing state champions the opportunity to compete as teams or individuals. This year marks the second of a three-year return to Pinehurst, which previously hosted the event from 2020-22.

For more information on the 2026 PGA High School Golf National Invitational, visit the championship website.