Kuehn fended off hard-charging Carla Tejado of LSU to pick up the women’s individual title.
Medalists David Ford of North Carolina and Rachel Kuehn of Wake Forest will lead their respective teams into Wednesday’s championship matches at the second annual Jackson T. Stephens Cup being held at the venerable Seminole Golf Club in Juno Beach, Fla.
Both players finished off wire-to-wire victories on Tuesday, with Ford winning the men’s title at 16-under 200 and Kuehn taking women’s medalist honors at 10-under 206.
A second-round 62 which featured a run of eight consecutive birdies gave the Tar Heel sophomore a six-stroke lead heading into Wednesday’s final round and a 2-under 70 over the final 18 holes secured Ford his first collegiate individual title.
Jonas Baumgartner of Oklahoma State closed with a 6-under 66 to climb into second place at 12-under 204 while Brett Roberts of Florida State finished five back at 11-under 205.
Kuehn fended off hard-charging Carla Tejado of LSU to pick up the women’s individual title, however, her march to the winner’s circle wasn’t as easy as Ford’s.
The two-time Curtis Cup team member started her final round with a two-shot lead on the field but Tejado, playing a few groups ahead of the leader, drew even at 8-under par with a birdie on her final hole to cap off a final round 68.
The LSU junior from Castellon de Plana, Spain held the clubhouse until Kuehn regained the lead with back-to-back birdies on hole Nos. 15 and 16 to move to 10-under. She then nailed down her fifth collegiate title with routine pars on 17 and 18.
“Rachel works so hard and really thrives off her teammates’ success just as much as her own,” said Wake Forest head coach Kim Lewellen. “She is extremely competitive and wants to win for herself but also for the team, they are all very close and play for each other. Her play down the stretch today really showed what kind of competitor she is, and we are very happy for her to get the individual win today.”
Golf Channel will carry both championship matches live on Wednesday beginning at 3 p.m., ET.
Here’s what you missed in the women’s college golf world.
Nebraska women’s golf coach Jeanne Sutherland nearly retired from college coaching.
Last year, she took a job as an associate head coach with the Cornhuskers after spending the better part of the past 30 years leading Texas A&M (1992-2007) and SMU (2011-21). Sutherland took over at Nebraska after Lisa Johnson, who led the Husker program the past three seasons, moved to Portland, Oregon, following her husband, John Johnson, who was named the athletic director at Portland State.
And now, Sutherland’s Nebraska women’s golf team is off to a terrific start to the 2022-23 season.
A week after finishing runner-up at the Green Wave Classic, three shots behind LSU, the Cornhuskers captured the Badger Invitational at University Ridge Golf Course in Verona, Wisconsin. Nebraska, which finished at 1-under 863, was the only team to finish under par for the tournament. It beat second-place Notre Dame and Old Dominion by 11 shots.
“These first couple of weeks have been awesome,” Sutherland said. “The girls have really come in and worked. Everything has fallen into place.”
Sutherland said the team learned a lot after its final round in Louisiana, and it was able to take those lessons and capitalize.
Freshman Kelli Ann Strand, who won in her first collegiate start last week, finished tied for fourth after a 5-under 67 in the final round. She was 3 under for the week. Miu Takahashi finished eighth at 1 under.
Rutgers senior Leigha Devine and Notre Dame sophomore Montgomery Ferreira tied for first at 7-under 209, setting a new 54-hole scoring record at the Badger Invitational. Devine also aced the par-3 12th hole during the second round.
Rutgers senior Leigha Devine after the 2022 Badger Invitational. (Photo: Wisconsin Athletics)
Six-year drought snapped
Ball State junior Kiah Parrott set numerous records en route to her first collegiate victory at the Brittany Kelly Cardinal Classic at The Players Club in Yorktown, Indiana.
What’s more, Parrott became the first Ball State golfer to win an individual title since 2017, and she set a 54-hole scoring record at 9-under 207, beating the old record by nine shots. She had 14 birdies in the tournament.
“Winning the tournament this week means the world, especially because it was our home tournament and the first home tournament I have gotten to play in,” Parrott said.
Loyola-Chicago picked up the team victory, and it was the first for coach Brandy Johnston, who came from Division III Carthage College in Wisconsin.
Wake wins again
Wake Forest collected its second win in as many weeks in come-from-behind fashion at the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate at Cherokee Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Demon Deacons shot 12 under in the final round and finished at 21-under 831 for the tournament, beating Central Florida by three shots. Virginia held the 36-hole lead and finished in third at 16-under 836.
UCF’s Tunrada Piddon shot 11-under 202 to win the individual competition, beating Wake Forest’s Rachel Kuehn and Tennessee’s Bailey Davis by one shot. Wake Forest’s Carolina Lopez-Chacarra finished a shot behind Kuehn and Davis at solo fourth.
More transfer news
The NCAA Division I Board of Directors recently made changes to the transfer portal, including opening and closing dates for specific sports. For men’s golf, the portal will open May 4, 2023, and close June 17 2023. For women’s golf, it will open April 27, 2023 and close June 10, 2023. There will also be a window for golfers to enter between Dec. 1-15, 2022.
It’s Wake Forest’s second win at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate.
LAKE ELMO, Minn. – There was a constant theme at Royal Golf Club outside of Minneapolis all week during the 2022 ANNIKA Intercollegiate.
Survive the front nine, attack the back nine. And that’s what the Wake Forest women’s golf team did.
The No. 3 Demon Deacons trailed by six shots entering the final round, but they dominated both sides of the golf course and finished strong with a late birdie barrage to capture the ANNIKA Intercollegiate on a windy afternoon outside Minneapolis. Wake Forest had contributions from every member of its lineup, finishing at 6-under 858 for the week, but Wednesday’s 3-under 285 was enough to propel the Demon Deacons to their second ANNIKA Intercollegiate title, the first coming in 2019.
“You’re always comfortable when you have a lead, but we’ve got a bunch of really good teams here, so we just had to stick to the game plan,” Wake Forest coach Kim Lewellen said. “We’ve got a lot of veterans, and they’re used to being in this position.”
Rachel Kuehn helped cap the victory for Wake Forest. She birdied her final three holes, finishing at 1 under for the day and even-par 216 for the tournament, which was a tie for 10th. Lauren Walsh also birdied the closing par-5, and she finished in a tie for second at 7-under 209.
Emilia Migliaccio shot a 2-over 74 on Wednesday but finished in a tie for 10th, as well. Carolina Lopez-Chacarra was 4 under on the front nine and finished at 2 under and tied for 19th in the tournament.
The group effort culminated in Wake Forest’s first win of the season
“Now we will continue to learn and continue to get better,” Lewellen said. “It’s a cliche and you hear it a lot but these players are good and but they’re always striving to be better. So I think if we just stick with trying to get better each day, enjoy this victory, but get back to work tomorrow.
For a short while, Texas tied Wake Forest for the team lead at 2 under, when Bohyun Park got up and down from a greenside bunker for birdie on 18. Park finished tied with Walsh for second, and Texas ended in second as a team at 2-under 862.
Virginia, which led after the first two rounds, shot 8 over during the final round and finished in third, one shot behind the Longhorns. South Carolina and Duke finished in a tie for fourth at 1-over 855.
The Cavaliers aren’t going home empty handed, though. Sophomore Amanda Sambach went wire-to-wire and won her first collegiate tournament, finishing at 9-under 207. She was overcome with emotion when walking off the 18th green and into the trophy presentation, but the win was a culmination of perseverance and self-belief.
“It means everything,” Sambach said. “My game has come so far. I hadn’t seen much improvement over the past couple tournaments or years, and now I see all of my work finally pay off.”
Sambach shot 2 over in the final round, one she admitted was a grind. She had a one-shot lead when standing on the final tee box, but she chipped within two feet of the hole on the par-5 and had an easy birdie putt, her 15th of the week, tied with Walsh for the most among all players.
Virginia’s Amanda Sambach with Annika Sorenstam after winning the 2022 ANNIKA Intercollegiate at the Royal Golf Club in Elmo, Minnesota. (Photo: Taylor Britton/ANNIKA Foundation)
Duke’s Phoebe Brinker had five birdies in the final round and shot 3-under 69, which tied for low round of the day. Brinker finished solo fourth and 6 under for the tournament. Florida’s Annabell Fuller also shot 3 under in the final round and tied for fifth with South Carolina’s Mathilde Claisse and Hannah Darling, who each shot 2-over 74 on Wednesday.
When Sambach drained the final putt, her teammates rushed the green and soaked her with water. Then, Annika Sorenstam, the tournament’s namesake, was there to congratulate her.
“It’s insane. First of all, just to win with a tournament that has her name on it, but to have her here in person is unbelievable,” Samback said. “She’s literally the GOAT.”
Emilia Migliaccio is back for her fifth year at Wake Forest.
LAKE ELMO, Minn. – Emilia Migliaccio didn’t go far when her round ended.
Her eyes peered behind her at the green and down the fairway, closely watching her teammates Carolina Lopez-Chacarra and Rachel Kuehn. Migliaccio was the first person to greet both as they walked off the par-5 18th green after wrapping up their first round at the 2022 ANNIKA Intercollegiate at Royal Golf Club outside of Minneapolis.
Last year at this time, Migliaccio wasn’t playing competitive golf. In the four years prior, she became a standout for the Wake Forest women’s golf team, claiming five individual titles and looking as if she was bound for a wonderful professional career. But last year, she stepped away from the game. She was in grad school at Wake Forest. But Migliaccio quickly realized she missed competitive golf.
So, using her fifth year because of COVID, she’s back with the Demon Deacons, and Monday was her first round back in team competition, firing a 2-over 74 that included a birdie on her final hole but also plenty of missed putts, leading her to the practice green near the clubhouse for a while as the sun set.
“I’ve been telling people going from the professional side, where you’re working, to going to be the athlete again where you can hang around and focus on golf and be all over the place, I feel more like a kid again,” Migliaccio said. “It’s kind of fun to feel that.
“Now, I just have to make some putts tomorrow.”
Migliaccio didn’t have first-tee jitters, saying it hasn’t felt like she took a year off. And she has played competitive golf in recent months, playing in the Curtis Cup in June and winning the North & South Women’s Amateur at Pinehurst No. 2 in July.
Yet the college team aspect is something she missed, and that’s why she wanted to be a part of the action well after her final putt dropped Monday.
“During the practice round, we felt like she hadn’t missed a beat,” Wake Forest coach Kim Lewellen said. “We didn’t even remember that she wasn’t involved last year. The maturity that she has and the maturity that she has gained being a year older and with her commentating, writing and all of that, she has even learned more about the game.
“Everything that she has experienced is like having a third coach. It’s something that you can’t replace.”
Migliaccio’s return comes at a good time for the Demon Deacons, who are one of the preseason favorites to win the NCAA title. They check in at No. 3 on the Golfweek preseason women’s golf rankings. Along with Migliaccio, who is on the ANNIKA Award preseason watch list for women’s college golf Player of the Year, teammates Kuehn and Lopez-Chacarra also share that honor. The trio are also preseason All-Americans. Lauren Walsh is also expected to make a big impact.
Wake Forest sits tied for sixth after the opening round, but there’s no worry from Migliaccio or her teammates. She knows the season is a long process, but she’s looking forward to everything that’s to come.
“It’s playing for something more than yourself,” Migliaccio said. “It’s not just about myself and my shot. If I’m sacrificing a shot, I’m sacrificing one for the whole team. I’m playing smarter because I’m thinking about my coaches and other players. I don’t feel like a coach or anything. Obviously, I want to win and I want our team to win, but it’s all about how can we keep getting better so when postseason comes, we’re at the peak of our game.”
It was too little, too late for the United States.
Sweden won the Espirito Santo Trophy for the third time on a tiebreaker over the hard-charging U.S. at the 29th Women’s World Amateur Team Championship at Golf de Saint-Nom-La-Bretèche in Paris, France, on Saturday.
The Swedes and Americans tied at 13-under 559 after four rounds of stroke play. After comparing non-counting scores, a 1-over-par 73 from Sweden’s Louise Rydqvist, a sophomore at South Carolina, was one stroke better than Wake Forest senior Rachel Kuehn’s 74, giving Sweden the gold medal and the USA the silver. Germany and Japan tied for the bronze-medal position one stroke behind.
The Women’s World Amateur Team Championship is four rounds of stroke play with the two lowest individual scores from each team counting every day.
Ingrid Lindblad, No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, fired a 3-under 69 in the final round, and Meja Ortengren added a 2-under 70, as Sweden made up five strokes on Germany, who held the 54-hole.
“Yesterday we were on our way to good scores (at Le Golf National), and we lost everything in the end,” said Sweden’s head of delegation Fredrik Wetterstrand. “Today, everything went our way, our scores and the other team’s scores. I admit it was a little lucky today. Our team played really well. They were fighting hard on the course, and they did it together”
It’s Sweden’s first medal since capturing bronze in 2012. For the United States, it’s the 21st medal, which includes 14 golds, four silvers and three bronze.
The U.S. began the day four strokes behind Germany and battled its way to a one-stroke lead on the tee of the 72nd hole after a birdie on the 17th by world No. 1 Rose Zhang.
Rose Zhang is a three-time winner of the Mark H. McCormack Medal, which was presented at the closing ceremony at the 2022 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in Paris, France. (Copyright USGA/Steven Gibbons)
Zhang, a sophomore at Stanford and the defending NCAA individual champion, missed the green with her approach on 18 and could not convert a par-saving putt that brought on the tiebreaker. She finished with a 3-under 69 and Stanford and USA Curtis Cup teammate Rachel Heck shot 70.
“There is obviously that tinge of disappointment,” Zhang said. “On that last putt, I actually hit a really good putt exactly where I wanted, but it just didn’t go in the hole. It was disappointing to end that way, but I am really proud of how we fought back on the last day.
Sweden receives custody of the Espirito Santo Trophy until the next World Amateur Team Championship in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in October 2023. Members of the winning team receive gold medals, second place silver and third place bronze.
Left to right: United States, Sweden, Germany and Japan following the final round at the 2022 Women’s World Amateur Team Championship in Paris, France. (Copyright USGA/Steven Gibbons)
Although there is no official recognition, Sweden’s Ortengren, Germany’s Helen Briem and the USA’s Zhang tied for the low individual score at 7-under 279.
Rachel Kuehn celebrated her 21st birthday at Merion by going 2-0 with her mom Brenda, a former Curtis Cup star herself, by her side.
ARDMORE, Pennsylvania – Brenda Corrie Kuehn wears a gold scapular medal around her neck, and for years has told daughter Rachel about the time her heart was pounding so hard she could feel that necklace moving up and down as she faced a 4-foot downhill slider to clinch the 1998 Curtis Cup.
“I can’t even tell you the amount of times she’s told us about the 4-footer,” said Rachel, “downhill, left-to-right.”
There are pictures scattered around the family’s North Carolina home of Kuehn walking the fairways at the Curtis Cup with her oldest son, Corrie, who was a baby at the time. Rachel grew up familiar with her mother’s Curtis Cup pins, red blazer, and vintage footage of that putt, which gave Team USA its first victory over Great Britain and Ireland in eight years.
Now, it’s Rachel’s turn to make memories. There was a time when she longed to escape her mother’s shadow. Now, she basks in what they share.
Rachel Kuehn and her mother Brenda Corrie Kuehn pose for a photo after the team won the 2021 Curtis Cup at Conwy Golf Club in North Wales, United Kingdom on Saturday, Aug. 28, 2021. (Oisin Keniry/USGA)
On Friday at the 42nd Curtis Cup, Rachel’s team serenaded her on the first tee for her 21st birthday. One day, Rachel will likely tell her own kids about the time she had her own Cup-clinching moment in Wales, followed by a milestone birthday at Merion, one of the game’s most iconic courses. Her present: two full points and a commanding 5-1 lead for Team USA.
“I don’t know what she’d rate hers on a scale of 1 to 100,” said Rachel of mom’s Curtis Cup experience, “but mine is a 200.”
They are the second mother-daughter duo to compete in a Curtis Cup, joining Jane Bastanchury Booth and Kellee Booth. Brenda and Kelly happened to be foursomes partners in 1998.
The 1998 USA Curtis Cup Team as seen at the Minikahda Club in Minneapolis, Minn., Friday, August 31, 1998. Back Row (left to right): Jo Jo Roberts, Elizabeth Bauer, Kellee Booth and Wanalee Jenny Chausiriporn. Front Row (Left to right): Robin Burke, Virginia Derby Grimes, Captain Barbara McIntire, Carol Semple Thompson and Brenda Corrie Kuehn. (Copyright USGA/John Mummert)
After a sparkling career at Wake Forest in which she won five times as a senior, Brenda turned professional and competed on what’s now known as the Epson Tour, winning her first tournament in 1988, the Chattanooga Classic, with a final-round 66 that included two chip-ins.
But, after two years and no LPGA status, Brenda decided professional golf wasn’t for her and regained her amateur status. In addition to her two Curtis Cup appearances, she also represented the United State in the 1996 U.S. World Cup Team. Among her nine appearances in the U.S. Women’s Open, the one at Pine Needles in 2001 garnered the most attention after she qualified for the event when she was seven months pregnant.
Given that her first son was born three weeks early, Brenda’s doctor advised that she not play. Brenda wasn’t having it, however, and found a doctor in the Pinehurst area who could be on call. She was eight months pregnant when she teed it up.
“I was having Braxton Hicks contractions through the whole tournament,” she said, “and had her a week later.”
Previous Curtis Cup players were in attendance at the flag-raising ceremony to kick off the 2022 Curtis Cup at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pa. on Thursday, June 9, 2022. Left to right: Ellen Port, Brenda Kuehn and Marla Jemsek-Weeks (Chris Keane/USGA)
Twenty-one years later, Kuehn walked alongside her daughter at Merion, feeling a different kind of nerves as she caught up with players like Karen Stupples and Marla Jemsek-Weeks, who competed with her in the late 90s.
After Brenda had Rachel, it became too hard to keep up with golf with a baby and one child in school, so she wound down her competition schedule. Rachel grew up playing soccer, tennis, baseball and golf on Sundays with her family.
At age 13, she decided to pick golf as her main sport, but continued to compete in tennis throughout high school, earning all-state honors. The original intent was to use golf to attend an Ivy League School, but as her golf game progressed, the academic-minded student began to see other doors open.
She did not, however, want to follow in the footsteps of both her parents, who met at Wake Forest. Father Eric briefly played baseball for the Demon Deacons.
“I’m a Wake Forest fan,” Rachel told them, “but never in a million years am I going to Wake Forest.
“I wanted my own school, especially if I was going to be a golfer. I didn’t want to go and be known as her daughter.”
But, after Rachel went on a campus visit to Wake, there was no turning back. Now she’s happy with her name on the same walls of fame as mom and chasing her records. The rising senior even plans to stay on for a fifth season, using her extra year of eligibility from the COVID-19 pandemic to pursue a graduate degree in business analytics.
Mother and daughter are both bubbly and feisty and competitive. Rachel is more aggressive in her game, but strives to match her mother’s work ethic.
“First of all, she’s done a lot more than me,” said Brenda. “She’s leaping me, and it’s just fabulous to see.”
After she graduates, Rachel, who is currently No. 11 in the world, plans to turn professional, though she knows that she can always get her amateur status back, just like mom.
“I don’t want 10 to 15 years from now say, ‘Oh I wish I had tried,’ ” said Rachel.
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.
The players are listed alphabetically. Players on the ANNIKA Award Watch List were selected by a panel of Golfweek and Golf Channel writers.
The United States team for the 2022 Curtis Cup is starting to take shape.
The United States team for the 2022 Curtis Cup is starting to take shape.
On Wednesday the USGA announced that Rachel Heck and Rachel Kuehn had earned spots on the squad that will take on the Great Britain & Ireland in the 42nd Curtis Cup, June 10-12 at Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
Heck and Kuehn earned their spots as the top-ranked Americans in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Rose Zhang, currently ranked No. 1 in WAGR, had already qualified after receiving the 2021 McCormack Medal as the world’s top-ranked amateur. Heck, a sophomore at Stanford with eight college wins, is ranked No. 3. The stroke-play medalist at the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur and a four-time collegiate winner over three years at Wake Forest, Kuehn is ranked No. 8.
“Rachel and Rachel are fantastic additions to the team,” said captain Sarah Ingram, a three-time Curtis Cup team member in 1992, 1994 and 1996. “Not only have they had unbelievably impressive collegiate seasons, resulting in these automatic selections, but both are experienced leaders who bring enthusiasm and camaraderie to the team. Having them included in the experience at Merion is something I am very much looking forward to both personally and as team captain.”
Ingram led the Americans to a 12½-7½ victory over GB&I at Conwy Golf Club in Wales last summer in the 2021 matches.
Kentucky senior Jensen Castle had previously earned her spot as the winner of the 2021 U.S. Women’s Amateur. With four places already secured for the summer matches, the USGA’s International Team Selection group will choose the other four players.
Making her first appearance at the ANWA, Davis became the second teenage winner following Tsubasa Kajitani in 2021.
AUGUSTA, Ga. — Patrons returned in full-force on Saturday for the final round of the 2022 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and the players did not disappoint.
Playing in the third-to-last group, 16-year-old Anna Davis turned in the second lowest round of the day, a 3-under 69, to post a number at 1 under, two shots behind then-leader Latanna Stone. After Stone made a costly double-bogey on the par-4 17th thanks to a three putt, the two were tied for the lead with just the 18th remaining for Stone. The LSU junior had a putt to force a playoff that missed wide left, earning Davis the win.
Making her first appearance at the ANWA, Davis became the second teenage winner following Tsubasa Kajitani in 2021. Currently ranked second in the AJGA Rolex Rankings, Davis won the Girls Junior PGA Championship last July and was a member of the 2021 U.S. Junior Solheim Cup team.
— Augusta National Women's Amateur (@anwagolf) April 2, 2022
Five shots off the lead, Rachel Kuehn got off to a hot start with three straight birdies on Nos. 2, 3, and 4, as well was No. 7 to make the turn at 4 under on the day. With a chance to put up a number and apply pressure to the leaders, Kuehn made bogey on 18 to sign for a 69, ultimately finishing solo-seventh.
“I was very nervous. Definitely the most people I’ve played in front of. Got on the first tee, and I turned around and Annika Sorenstam sat there, and I thought, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to hit the fairway.’ Didn’t hit the fairway,” said Kuehn with a laugh, “but it really is cool to see so many people out here supporting women’s golf. It’s just incredible. I think it’s a testament to what Augusta is doing here.”
Stone’s teammate Ingrid Lindblad, who finished T-3 at last year’s ANWA, shot the low round of the day, a 4-under 68 aided by a pair of eagles on the par-5 8th and 15th holes. The LSU junior finished T-2 alongside Stone at even par.
Playing in the final group alongside Stone, Beatrice Wallin finished with birdies on two of her final three holes to finish T-4 alongside Benedetta Moresco and Amari Avery. The Florida State senior is the only player to play in all three editions of the ANWA and finish inside the top 10 (T-7 in 2019 and T-10 in 2021).
Chalk up a fourth career college title for Wake Forest junior Rachel Kuehn. And this time she earns an LPGA start right along with it.
Kuehn, the No. 4-ranked player in the Golfweek/Sagarin College Rankings, won the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge on March 15 with a 10-under 203 total that left her five shots ahead of Virginia fifth year Beth Lillie. Now she’ll play on a sponsor exemption at next month’s LPGA’s JTBC Championship at Palos Verdes.
Kuehn will join a 144-player field April 28-May 1, televised live on Golf Channel. World No. 2 Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko (3), Minjee Lee (4), Danielle Kang (5), Inbee Park (6), Sei Young Kim (7) and Nasa Hataoka (8) headline the early commitments.
Kuehn had rounds of 67-67-69 and helped Wake Forest finish second in the team race.
“This week has been incredible,” Kuehn said in a release, “and I feel fortunate to have won on such an amazing course. To receive a sponsor’s exemption into the LPGA tournament here in a couple weeks is a dream come true.”
