Arianna Lau‘s college career lasted only one semester.
The standout freshman withdrew from Northwestern, the defending national champions, following the fall semester. The world’s 33rd-ranked amateur played in four stroke-play events, finishing top 10 in three of them, and was ranked 25th in the NCAA golf rankings heading into the spring.
But now, Northwestern is without its best player this season as it tries to defend the first championship in school history.
Lau wrote in an Instagram post on Dec. 31, 2025: “Over the past month, I made a very difficult decision. I want to dedicate 100% of my time in the coming days to training, preparing for tournaments, recovering, and competing, returning to what is most important in my life: my physical and mental health, my dreams and future career, my family and my life off the course. Therefore, I have resolutely decided to withdraw from university in the United States. Preparing for my future career, I will prioritize recovery over tournament.
Lau continued: “Leaving isn’t giving up, but rather pursuing for a strong future. Now I enjoy golf more than ever, focusing more on the process and details rather than the result.”Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!https://www.instagram.com/p/DS7WPwik6Wh/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=12&wp=1116&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fgolfweek.usatoday.com#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A12488.5%7D
Her departure leaves the Wildcats with only six players on the roster heading into the spring. Northwestern is ranked 20th after the fall with one team win at the Windy City Collegiate, its home event.
As for Lau, who was the No. 64 seed in the 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur and advanced to the quarterfinals, she went on to thank Northwestern coach Emily Fletcher and assistant Beth Miller in the post. The native of Hong Kong said she wants to represent her country in the Olympics one day.
But the college career of one of the top amateurs in the world has seemingly come to a close.
