OREGON ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | MONDAY, JANUARY 12, 2026

OREGON WOMEN’S GOLF | @OregonWGolf

Catherine Rao Signs With Oregon Women’s Golf

 

EUGENE, Ore.  – Oregon women’s golf head coach has announced the signing of Catherine Rao, a top-100 ranked player in the world who was the unanimous Ivy League Player of the Year for Princeton in 2024-25.

 

Rao is finishing her undergraduate degree at Princeton and will be eligible to compete for the Ducks in the fall of 2026.

 

“Coach Krissy and I are very excited to welcome Catherine to our Duck family,” Radley said. “She has proven success at all levels in amateur golf and will make an immediate impact in our lineup. Catherine is an extremely tough competitor who is going to thrive on college golf’s biggest stage. We can’t wait to watch this superstar compete wearing green and yellow. Go Ducks!”

 

Currently No. 99 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, Rao has reached as high as No. 33 in the world and is coming off a tremendous 2024-25 season at Princeton. She was unanimously selected as the Ivy League Player of the Year while also earning first-team all-Ivy League honors and honorable mention all-America recognition.

 

Rao posted seven top-10 finishes in eight events played in 2024-25, including wins at the Columbia Classic and the Nittany Lion Invitational. She was also the runner up at the Princeton Invitational and placed third at the Ivy League Championship, and she finished the season with a 70.9 scoring average.

 

Rao impressed for Princeton as a true freshman in 2023-23, earning Ivy League Rookie of the Year and first-team all-Ivy League honors. She was the runner-up at the Ivy League Championships as a freshman, one of three top-two finishes across the final four tournaments of the spring.

 

The Camarillo, Calif., native missed the 2023-24 season due to injury prior to earning Ivy League Player of the Year honors in 2024-25.

 

Rao has competed twice at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, reaching the quarterfinals in both 2023 and 2024. She also played at the 2025 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, as well as the British Amateur in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

 

Prior to arriving at Princeton, Rao was a 2020 and 2021 AJGA Junior all-American and a 2021 AJGA Scholastic Junior all-American. She played in the 2021 Junior Solheim Cup with Team USA and was par t of the 2020 and 2021 Wyndham Cups with Team West. Rao earned top-10 finishes at the 2021 PGA Girls Championship, the 2020 and 2021 PING Invitationals, and the 2020 Rolex Girls Invitational.

Kiara Romero was ranked #1 amateur in the world last year, and won the BIG 10 title as a sophomore. If you ever have a chance follow the women if they have a match in Eugene.

For those that play golf, it instantly smooths out your swing just watching them fire at the pins.

My claim to fame for Oregon golf was that I qualified 10th at the golf team tryouts in the late seventies, shooting 149 (36 holes))from the back tees at Emerald Valley.