How much will the .500 rule change women’s college golf?

LAKE ELMO, Minn. — How much is the .500 rule going to change women’s college golf?

It depends on who you ask.

The NCAA competitions oversight committee approved the .500 rule for women’s college golf early last year, and the changes went into effect for the 2024-25 season. The .500 rule requires a team to finish the regular season with a .500 or better winning percentage head-to-head against other Div. I opponents to be eligible for regionals. The lone exception is if a team wins its conference title.

Div. I men’s college golf has had the .500 rule since 2007-08. And this year, women’s teams across the country are having to adjust to the significant change.

However, as to how much the rule will affect teams’ schedules, it depends on the school.

ANNIKA: Defending champion South Carolina builds big lead after two rounds at ANNIKA Intercollegiate

“We always try to play the toughest fields that we can, as long as they fit in our schedule,” Duke coach Dan Brooks, a seven-time national champion, said. “I like to play the very best tournaments we can.”

That was the sentiment for most coaches at the 2024 ANNIKA Intercollegiate, one of the premier season-opening events in women’s college golf at Royal Golf Club outside of Minneapolis. Included in the 12-team field are defending national runners-up UCLA, No. 4 in the preseason rankings, 2023 national champions No. 7 Wake Forest, No. 11 Oregon, No. 12 and defending champion South Carolina, No. 14 Arizona State, No. 16 Duke, No. 22 Clemson and No. 23 UCF.

For most of these programs, they are talented enough that the .500 rule shouldn’t matter, meaning they won’t have to worry about their records come postseason time. But other teams are already taking measures to ensure there’s no question whether they can get into the NCAA postseason.

For example, one of the first events this season was the Tiger Classic, which Clemson hosted. The Tigers, which made match play last season at the NCAA Championship, were the only Power-4 team in the field. The rest of the 15 schools were mid-majors.

Clemson player Isabella Rawl warms up on the practice range before the first round of the 2024 ANNIKA Intercollegiate presented by 3M at Royal Golf Club on September 09, 2024 in Lake Elmo, Minnesota.(Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)

The event was a one-day, 36-hole marathon that saw the Tigers finish third, beating 13 teams and losing to two. That means Clemson’s head-to-head record was 13-2 after the…