The postseason is underway in women’s golf, and after last week’s NCAA Regionals, the NCAA Div. I Women’s Golf Championship field is set for May 19-24 at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.
With the championship field set, the race for the ANNIKA Award is starting to heat up. A handful of players have made their case throughout the season as front-runners for the ANNIKA Award, which honors the player of the year in women’s college golf, as selected by college golfers, coaches and members of the college golf media.
If you fit one of the listed criteria above, here’s a link to cast your vote: http://haskinsfoundation.org/2023-annika-voting-ballot
The players are listed alphabetically. Players on the ANNIKA Award Watch List were selected by a panel of Golfweek and Golf Channel writers.
Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Women’s team | Women’s individual
Jenny Bae of Suwanee, GA, looks over her putt on the sixth hole during the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur golf tournament at Augusta National Golf Club. (Photo: Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports)
Bae won the Athens regional on Georgia’s home course, but she has been dominant long before regionals. In 11 starts this year, the fifth-year senior has two wins and eight top-10 finishes. Her other win came at the Illini Invitational. She also boasts a 70.36 adjusted scoring average and is 106th in the Golfweek/Sagarin strength of schedule metric.
UCLA’s Zoe Campos won the Anuenue Spring Break Classic. (Photo: Ka’anapali Golf Courses)
Campos, a sophomore, had a stellar spring, though her season ended at regionals. She had two wins in the Anuenue Spring Break Classic and Silverado Showdown. She also finished second in the San Antonio regional and T-7 at the Pac-12 Championships. In total, she had eight top-10 finishes. and a 70.69 adjusted scoring average.
South Carolina’s Hannah Darling. (Photo: South Carolina Athletics)
Although Darling didn’t collect a win this spring, she’s a big reason why South Carolina was constantly at the top of leaderboards and made it to the NCAA Championships. The sophomore had six top-10 finishes and played the fourth-toughest schedule, per the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings. She also had a 71.09 adjusted scoring average.
Charlotte Heath, of England, tees off the first hole during the first round of The Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Champions Retreat in Augusta, Ga., on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. (Photo: Katie Goodale, USA Today)
Heath collected one victory, coming at the Landfall Tradition in the fall. She added seven top-10s and had a 70.77 adjusted scoring average. Heath, a junior, is one of the big reasons why Florida State could be a sleeper team come the NCAA Championships should the Seminoles find their way into match play.
Wake Forest’s Rachel Kuehn. (Photo: Wake Forest Athletics)
Kuehn has been a model of consistency for Wake Forest for years, and the senior has continued her strong play this season. She has two wins coming at the Jackson T. Stephens Cup and Valspar Augusta Invitational, and she also placed third at the ACC Championships. Keuhn has eight top-10 finishes, a 70.4 adjusted scoring average and is 63rd in strength of schedule.
Andrea Lignell of Sweden lines up a putt on the seventh hole during the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Augusta National Golf Club on April 01, 2023 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by Ross Kinnaird/Getty Images)
Lignell, a senior, began the season on fire. She won two of her first three tournaments, coming at the Ally and the Cougar Classic, and she placed runner-up at the Blessings Collegiate. In addition to the two victories, she has six top-10 finishes and a 71.02 adjusted scoring average.
LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad (Photo: Britt Runion)
Lindblad, a senior and three-time All-American, has been a model of consistency for the Tigers, and it was no different this year. She won two tournaments, the Battle at the Beach and the Clemson Invitational. Additionally, she had eight top-10 finishes and was 45th in strength of schedule with a 70.39 adjusted scoring average.
Julia Lopez Ramirez won the Blessings Collegiate. (Photo: Mississippi State Athletics)
Julia Lopez Ramirez has won three times this year, coming at the Blessings Collegiate, SEC Championships and the Westfield Regional. In 11 starts, she has eight top-five finishes and a 70.02 adjusted scoring average. She also helped the Bulldogs win the Westfield Regional as the top-seeded team.
Virginia’s Amanda Sambach hits a tee shot during the first round of the 2022 ANNIKA Intercollegiate. (Photo: Taylor Britton, ANNIKA Foundation)
Sambach, a sophomore, started the year off strong with a win at the loaded ANNIKA Intercollegiate, and she added two more late, coming at the ACC Championships and the Westfield Regional. She has five top-10 finishes and a 71.08 adjusted scoring average while ranking 43rd in strength of schedule.
Rose Zhang of the Stanford women’s golf team. (Photo: Stanford women’s golf)
What can you say about Zhang that hasn’t been said? She has seven wins this season, her notable ones coming at the Carmel Cup at Pebble Beach, the Pac-12 Championships at Papago in Phoenix and the Pullman Regional at Palouse Ridge. She has a 68.74 adjusted scoring average and eight top-10 finishes.
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