With every passing week, the women’s college golf season creeps closer to the NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California.
The Annika Award presented by Stifel announced Monday its first spring watch list, featuring 15 of the best women’s college golfers this season. Maisie Filler, a senior at Florida who has risen to No. 1 in the NCAA college golf rankings, is having a great season, but there are plenty of other big names in contention.
The Annika Award honors the player of the year in men’s college golf, as selected by college golfers, coaches and members of the college golf media. The players are listed alphabetically. Players on the Annika Award Watch List were selected by a panel of Golfweek and Golf Channel reporters.
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Stanford is the only school with two players on the watch list. Just because a player isn’t on this watch list doesn’t mean she can’t play her way on to it later in the season.
Check out the 15 players on the first spring watch list for the Annika Award:
Miami’s Sara Byrne. (Photo: Miami Athletics)
Class: Senior
Wins: 2 (Pat Bradley, Hurricane Invitational)
Top-10 finishes: 5
Top-25 finishes: 8
Events: 8
NCAA ranking: 20
UCLA’s Zoe Campos won the 2024 Pac-12 Preview. (Photo: UCLA Golf)
Class: Junior
Wins: 1 (Pac-12 Preview)
Top-10 finishes: 3
Top-25 finishes: 4
Events: 5
NCAA ranking: 17
Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, of Spain, tees off on hole one during the practice round of The Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Champions Retreat in Augusta, Ga., on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. (Photo: Katie Goodale, USA Today)
Class: Junior
Wins: 0
Top-10 finishes: 3
Top-25 finishes: 5
Events: 5
NCAA ranking: 13
Maisie Filler won the 2024 Moon Golf Invitational. (Photo: Florida Athletics)
Class: Senior
Wins: 3 (Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel, The Ally, Moon Golf)
Top-10 finishes: 5
Top-25 finishes: 5
Events: 6
NCAA ranking: 1
Megha Ganne lines up her putt on hole 11 during the round of 64 of the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif. on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023. (James Gilbert/USGA)
Class: Sophomore
Wins: 1 (Carmel Cup)
Top-10 finishes: 3
Top-25 finishes: 4
Events: 5
NCAA ranking: 6
Arkansas’ Maria Jose Marin. (Photo: Arkansas Athletics)
Class: Freshman
Wins: 1 (Blessings)
Top-10 finishes: 2
Top-25 finishes: 5
Events: 5
NCAA ranking: 2
Ingrid Lindblad of Sweden strikes the ball on the eighth fairway during the 2023 World Amateur Team Championships – Espirito Santo Trophy at Abu Dhabi Golf Club on October 25, 2023 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Martin Dokoupil/Getty Images)
Class: Fifth year
Wins: 2 (Illini Women’s, Cougar Classic)
Top-10 finishes: 5
Top-25 finishes: 5
Events: 5
NCAA ranking: 3
Ole Miss’ Caitlyn Macnab. (Photo: Ole Miss Athletics)
Class: Junior
Wins: 1 (Mason Rudolph)
Top-10 finishes: 5
Top-25 finishes: 7
Events: 7
NCAA ranking: 16
Paula Martin Sampedro. (Photo: R&A)
Class: Freshman
Wins: 0
Top-10 finishes: 5
Top-25 finishes: 5
Events: 5
NCAA ranking: 7
Furman’s Anna Morgan. (Photo: Furman Athletics)
Class: Fifth year
Wins: 3 (Lady Paladin, Landfall Tradition, Purdue Puerto Rico)
Top-10 finishes: 5
Top-25 finishes: 6
Events: 6
NCAA ranking: 10
Oregon’s Kiara Romero won the 2024 San Diego State Classic. (Photo: Oregon Women’s Golf)
Class: Freshman
Wins: 2 (Annika, San Diego State Classic)
Top-10 finishes: 3
Top-25 finishes: 4
Events: 5
NCAA ranking: 5
South Carolina’s Louise Rydqvist earned an exemption to the 2023 The Annika after her team won the 2023 Annika Intercollegiate. (Photo: Ben Adelberg/The Back of the Range)
Class: Junior
Wins: 1 (Annika)
Top-10 finishes: 3
Top-25 finishes: 5
Events: 5
NCAA ranking: 12
Virginia’s Amanda Sambach hits a tee shot during the first round of the 2023 Annika Intercollegiate. (Photo: Ben Adelberg/The Back of the Range)
Class: Junior
Wins: 1 (Glass City)
Top-10 finishes: 5
Top-25 finishes: 5
Events: 6
NCAA ranking: 4
UCF’s Molly Smith. (Photo: UCF Athletics)
Class: Freshman
Wins: 1 (Mercedes Benz)
Top-10 finishes: 3
Top-25 finishes: 5
Events: 7
NCAA ranking: 19
Florida State’s Lottie Woad at the 2023 Arnold Palmer Cup. (Photo: Arnold Palmer Cup)
Class: Sophomore
Wins: 1 (Annika)
Top-10 finishes: 5
Top-25 finishes: 5
Events: 5
NCAA ranking: 8
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