Golf NIL Movement: 2025-26 Season Wrap, Women's College Golf MVPs
Updated: Sep 21
by Golf NIL Staff
May 30, 2026
The 2025-26 season ends with a new No. 1 on top of the Golf NIL College Women's Rankings, a year where the women's game set the standard for NIL growth, headlined by several of the most marketable players college golf has ever produced. Here’s how it closed:
Golf NIL College 2025-26 Women's Rankings
Megha Ganne, Stanford
Kiara Romero, Oregon
Andrea Revuelta, Stanford
Maria Jose Marin, Arkansas
Paula Martin Sampedro, Stanford
Farah O'Keefe, Texas
Kelly Xu, Stanford
Anna Davis, Auburn
Meja Ortengren, Stanford
Patience Rhodes, Arizona State
Bailey Shoemaker, USC
Eila Galitsky, South Carolina
Jasmine Koo, USC
Cayetana Fernandez, Texas A&M
Rianne Malixi, Duke
Macy Pate, Wake Forest
Scarlett Schremmer, Miami
Marta Silchenko, Oklahoma State
Andie Smith, Duke
Sara Brentcheneff, Arkansas
Lauren Kim, Texas
Beth Coulter, Arizona State
Catherine Park, USC
Jeneath Wong, Pepperdine
Chloe Kovelesky, Wake Forest
Reagan Zibilski, Arkansas
Avery Weed, Mississippi State
Rocio Tejedo, LSU
Taylor Kehoe, Michigan State
Cindy Hsu, Texas
Vanessa Borovilos, Texas A&M
Megan Propeck, Florida
Kary Hollenbaugh, Ohio State
Paula Francisco, Florida
Megan Streicher, North Carolina
Elise Lee, USC
Mackenzie Lee, SMU
Marie Madsen, NC State
Emma Bunch, New Mexico State
Sky Sudberry, Texas A&M
Editor's note: Updated to reflect Ganne's May 31 announcement that she will turn pro at the U.S. Women's Open rather than stay an amateur.
Major Moves
Kiara Romero owned the Golf NIL College Women's No. 1 since the opening week of the 2025-26 season. Megha Ganne took it in the last one.
Ganne moved between No. 2 and No. 3 until this week, thanks to a dominant season capped by her second NCAA Championship team title and fourth for the program. For the Stanford senior, it was a perfect ending to a college career that produced three wins and 21 top-10 finishes.
Golf NIL No. 1 Megha Ganne wearing sponsors Ernst & Young, Polo Ralph Lauren, TaylorMade, and Delta at the 2025 U.S. Women's Amateur | Darren Carroll/USGA
She started this season as the 2025 U.S. Women's Amateur Champion and went on to take gold with Team USA at the World Amateur Team Championships (WATC), claim the Stanford Intercollegiate title, and make a record sixth appearance at the Augusta National Women's Amateur.
Backed by Ralph Lauren, Ernst & Young, Delta Air Lines, and TaylorMade, Ganne holds one of the most prominent NIL portfolios in college golf. The partnerships have come with tour-level visibility, slotting her into commercials alongside Rickie Fowler, Nellie Korda, Ernie Els, and Billy Horschel. She also landed a multi-year spot in Bank of America's ANWA campaign with Romero.
Now, she has the opportunity to transition that college portfolio into a professional one. By finishing first in the inaugural LPGA Collegiate Advancement Pathway rankings, Ganne earned Epson Tour membership through 2027. That status becomes active June 12-14 at the FireKeepers Casino Hotel Championship at the Medalist Golf Club.
But first, she heads to the U.S. Women's Open at Riviera Country Club next week for her professional debut. It's her second major appearance this year and fourth overall.
She’ll be joined by a deep field of Golf NIL-ranked players, including Romero (College Women's No. 2), Maria José Marin (No. 4), Farah O'Keefe (No. 6), Meja Ortengren (No. 9), Lauren Kim (No. 22), Catherine Park (No. 24), Chloe Kovelesky (No. 26), Paula Francisco (No. 35), Nellie Ong (No. 43), and Thanana Kotchasanmanee (No. 60), along with high schoolers Asterisk Talley (High School Girls No. 2), Aphrodite Deng (No. 3), and Zoe Cusack (No. 9).
Ganne in EY's 2025 "Shape the Future with Confidence" ad | EY US's YouTube channel
Farah O'Keefe ends the 2025-26 season five spots up, finishing at Golf NIL College Women's No. 6.
The Texas junior and world No. 4 won four times this season, highlighted by a historic postseason haul. Along with the coveted NCAA Division I women's golf individual title, she took home both the 2026 ANNIKA Award and SEC Player of the Year honors.
In March, O'Keefe joined Nike's Blue Ribbon Elite program as one of 16 Longhorns selected for the brand's new NIL initiative. The deal was announced ahead of her third appearance at the ANWA, where she finished T15 and wore the brand for the first time as an NIL partner.
Her broader portfolio includes Titleist, Huntington National Bank, Arcis Golf, Downshift Golf, and Holey Moley Golf Club.
Next up for O'Keefe: The U.S. Women's Open followed by the Curtis Cup at Bel-Air Country Club, her second Team USA appearance of the season after winning gold at the WATCs alongside Ganne.
