Katie Li and Megha Malixi are headed into the U.S. Women’s Amateur as Duke’s latest contenders in a tournament that has already been kind to the Blue Devils.
The event runs Aug. 4-9 at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tenn., and it will be the final competition of the 2026 summer for Duke before the team returns to Durham. A 156-player field will begin with 36 holes of stroke play on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the top 64 will advance to match play.
That knockout stretch starts Thursday with the round of 64, followed by the rounds of 32 and 16 on Friday. The quarterfinals and semifinals are set for Saturday, and the championship match - a 36-hole final - will be played Sunday.
Li is scheduled to begin her first round Tuesday at 7:51 a.m. off No. 1.
Malixi will tee off at 1:12 p.m. off No. 10.
Golf Channel will carry the match-play portion beginning Thursday, Aug. 6, with the round of 64 airing from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday’s action is set for 3 to 6 p.m. Saturday’s coverage runs from 9 a.m. to noon and again from 3 to 6 p.m., and Sunday’s championship will air live from 3 to 6 p.m.
Malixi arrives with recent championship pedigree. Two years ago, she beat Asterisk Talley, 3&2, to win the 2024 U.S.
Women’s Amateur title. The Manila, Philippines, native posted rounds of 68 and 67 in stroke-play qualifying last year to claim the No. 1 seed for match play.
Duke’s history in the event is strong. Four Blue Devils have won the U.S.
Women’s Amateur: Virada Nirapathpongporn in 2003 at the Philadelphia Country Club in Gladwyne, Pa. ; Amanda Blumenherst in 2008 at Eugene Country Club in Eugene, Ore.
; Hannah O’Sullivan in 2015 at Portland Golf Club in Portland, Ore.; and Malixi in 2024 at Southern Hills Country Club in Tulsa, Okla.
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