Women’s College Golf – Page 2

U.S. Girls’ Junior champ Kiara Romero starts college career off hot at Annika Intercollegiate

Kiara Romero had a stellar start to her college career

LAKE ELMO, Minn. — On Sunday, Oregon women’s golf coach Derek Radley had a conversation with Kiara Romero before the start of her collegiate career.

Romero, who won the U.S. Girls’ Junior this summer in Colorado and advanced to match play at the U.S. Women’s Amateur in California, has had success at numerous stages in her junior career. Radley told her she didn’t need to do anything different to replicate that at the college level.

Safe to say the talk paid off.

The freshman shot 5-under 67 on Monday at Royal Golf Club in the opening round of the 2023 Annika Intercollegiate and is tied for second. The tournament is one of the best in the country all season long, but in her first collegiate round, Romero stood out and finished strong, making birdies on three of her final four holes.

“I think when players move to the next level, they feel like they have to do something extra special,” Radley said. “I told her to just go be an athlete because she’s just so gifted.”

Oregon’s Kiara Romero at the 2023 Annika Intercollegiate. (Photo: Ben Adelberg/The Back of the Range)

Romero posted five birdies and no bogeys on a course that numerous players took advantage of. She is tied with San Jose State junior Lucia Lopez Ortega and South Carolina freshman Maylis Lamoure. South Carolina junior Louise Rydqvist birdied her final three holes to shoot 6-under 66. She holds the solo lead.

“(The U.S. Girls’ Junior) showed me I can compete and win against these girls,” Romero said. “Everything was pretty smooth out there today.”

Lopez Ortega’s round started incredibly with a hole-out eagle on the par-4 11th, her second hole of the round. She had 133 yards, to the hole and hit from the rough, up over trees, the ball landing on the right side of the green before funneling into the cup.

“I didn’t see it go in,” she said while laughing, “but it’s pretty nice.”

Last year’s individual champion, Virginia junior Amanda Sambach, shot 2-under 70 in her title defense.

However, it’s South Carolina in front in the team competition and with the leading individual. The Gamecocks shot 15 under and lead Wake Forest and San Jose State by four shots after the opening round.

“It’s definitely gettable out here,” South Carolina coach Kalen Anderson said. “We’ve got some long hitters, and the par 5s are pretty gettable for us.”

Lamoure shot 5-under 67 and Vairana Heck added a 3-under 69. Two-time first-team All-American Hannah Darling was the other counting score at 1 under for Anderson’s squad.

Wake Forest, the defending national champions and last year’s Annika Intercollegiate winners, is in great position after the first round. The Demon Deacons shot 9 under in the opening round, with Mimi Rhodes and Brooke Rivers each shooting 4 under.

Here are 15 women’s college golf freshmen to watch in the 2023-24 season

The future is here.

Classes are back in session at most campuses across the country, which means college golf is set to officially tee off for the 2023-24 season this month.

As colleges and universities across the country are welcoming their student-athletes back to campus, most of the nation’s attention will be fixated on the preseason All-Americans and ANNIKA Award Watch List, but there are more than a few new faces in the college game that will be contributing immediately for their teams. It won’t take long for many of these golfers to become national stars.

These are the women’s newcomers to college golf that fans may want to keep an eye on this season.

Golfweek’s 2023-24 women’s college golf preseason team rankings

Take a look at the top women’s college golf teams heading into the 2023-24 season.

Summer is over, the calendar has turned to September and college is back in session. That means college golf is back.

With that means the chase to win an NCAA Championship is on. This year, the championships will be held at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, after being at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, the past three years.

Wake Forest has one of the most experienced teams in the country last year, and the Demon Deacons used that to go on a run and win the first title in school history. This year, however, there’s a new team on top of the preseason rankings.

Here’s a look at Golfweek’s 2023-24 men’s college golf preseason rankings.

Here are the top women’s college golf storylines to watch in 2023-24

It’s bound to be a thrilling season in women’s college golf.

The summer has come and gone, which means the 2023-24 college golf season is here.

Last season, the record books were rewritten. Rose Zhang had a historical season at Stanford, but it was Wake Forest that took home the team championship, winning the first national title in school history at Grayhawk Golf Club.

Now, there’s no shortage of storylines to follow as we head into the 2023-24 season, including Wake Forest looking to reload and repeat, a former national champion is finally healthy and ready to shine again and a couple teams looking to make their push to the top.

Here’s a look at some of the top storylines for the 2023-24 women’s college golf season.

Golfweek’s 2023-24 preseason women’s college golf All-Americans

Here’s a look at the Golfweek’s 2023-24 preseason women’s college golf All-Americans.

The 2023-24 college golf season is upon us, which has our minds looking ahead to the postseason awards.

Sure, the summer just ended, but it’s never too early to look ahead.

Highlighting Golfweek’s 2023-24 preseason women’s college golf All-Americans is Megan Schofill, the graduate student from Auburn who captured the 2023 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles. Runner-up twice at the SEC Championship during her career, Schofill finally got over the hump in the City of Angels, capturing the signature win of her career. Last season, Schofill was a second-team All-America selection.

Here’s a look at the Golfweek’s 2023-24 preseason women’s college golf All-Americans.

Golfweek/Mizuno WGCA 2023-24 women’s college golf preseason coaches polls

It’s time to tee it up for a new season of women’s college golf.

It was just over three months ago that Wake Forest defeated USC to capture its first women’s national title at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale.

Now, it’s time to tee it up for a new season of college golf.

With that, the Women’s Golf Coaches Association has announced the 2023-24 Preseason Golfweek/Mizuno WGCA coaches polls.

This year, it’s Stanford that will start in the No. 1 spot with Wake Forest not far behind. Check out the full lists of all the preseason coaches polls for Div. I, Div. II, Div. III and NAIA.

These polls will be updated roughly once per month during the season.

Here’s a look at some of college golf’s top transfers for the 2023-24 season

The transfer portal was busy this summer.

As is the case in every sport since the introduction of the transfer portal, college golf is no stranger to seeing players pack up from one school and head to the next for a change of scenery, playing opportunities and more.

Not only do some players still have an extra year of NCAA eligibility to use due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, but don’t forget the NCAA also passed a new rule in 2021 that allows players to transfer penalty-free one time in their collegiate career.

Here’s a look at some of the top transfers ahead of the 2023-24 college golf season.

Which school has the most NCAA women’s golf team championships?

Who has the most women’s college golf national titles?

There are very few “dynasties” in women’s college golf. When it comes to national championships, however, one thing is certain: The addition of match play at the NCAA Women’s Championship in 2015 brings more teams into the mix.

The following list gives a picture of the top teams’ postseason prowess. Arizona State and Duke, with eight and seven national titles, respectively, top the list.

The NCAA only documents national champions since the 1982 season. Beginning in 1971, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women governed women’s college athletics and administered the national championship. The AIAW, as it was known, discontinued sponsorship of national championships after the 1981-82 academic year and was later dissolved. Before the AIAW’s formation, the Division for Girls’ and Women’s Sports organized women’s intercollegiate championships.

The following list mentions AIAW titles, when they are notable, but only NCAA titles make up each school’s official championship count for the purposes of this list.

Golfweek’s 2022-23 women’s college golf All-Americans

Check out the women’s All-Americans from the 2022-23 season.

The 2022-23 college golf season has concluded, with two weeks of NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Rose Zhang capped her college career in incredible fashion, coming from behind to win the 2023 NCAA individual title for her eighth win of the season. Then, it was Wake Forest dominating in the championship match to capture its first title in school history on the back of its three leaders.

Now that the dust has settled on the season, it’s time to hand out some individual awards. Here are Golfweek’s First Team, Second Team, Third Team and Honorable Mention All-Americans for the 2022-23 women’s college golf season.

Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings: Women’s team | Women’s individual

More college: Men’s All-Americans

Three-time LPGA winner Austin Ernst takes job as assistant coach at Texas A&M

Ernst plans to make a couple more LPGA starts this summer before starting her new job in August.

Austin Ernst won an NCAA Championship at Texas A&M’s home course, and now she’s headed to College Station to begin a new career. The three-time LPGA winner announced during her pre-tournament press conference at the ShopRite LPGA Classic that she has accepted a job as an assistant coach at A&M.

“I’m sad to step away from professional golf full time,” said Ernst, “but it’s health-wise what I have to do.”

Ernst hasn’t played an LPGA event in 14 months after suffering a neck injury. The 31-year-old said she didn’t realize the seriousness of the injury at first, thinking she’d only miss a couple tournaments.

It wasn’t until last June when she heard that the worst-case scenario was that she couldn’t play golf anymore, that reality hit her square in the face. She’d gone 10 years without any injuries.

“I haven’t had anything like this,” she said. “You kind of think you’re invincible.”

LPGA: Walmart NW Arkansas Championship - Final Round — Austin Ernst holds the trophy after winning the Walmart NW Arkansas Championship golf tournament at Pinnacle Country Club. (Photo: Gunnar Rathbun/USA TODAY Sports)

Ernst volunteered at the University of Richmond last semester and got her first taste of college coaching. The former LSU player was along for the ride when Richmond won its conference championship and advanced to regionals.

More college: Golfweek’s 2022-23 Coaches of the Year

“I think my area of expertise is more player development, you know, preparing for tournaments, course management,” said Ernst. “How to get that little bit better, make that next step.

“I’m looking forward to that aspect of it. I love golf. I’m one of those golf nerds that likes golf a lot, so it’ll be cool for me to still be able to play a little bit with them.”

LSU’s Austin Ernst is the 2011 Division 1 NCAA Women’s Individual Champion at Traditions Golf Club in Bryan, TX.

Stacy Lewis’ husband, Gerrod Chadwell, is head coach at A&M and led the Aggies to an SEC title this spring and a semifinals’ run at the 2023 NCAA Championship. Ernst plans to make a couple more LPGA starts this summer before starting her new job in August.

Ernst turned professional in 2012 and won her first LPGA title in 2014 at the Portland Classic. Six years later, she won again in Arkansas. Her latest victory came in 2021 at the Drive On Championship. A two-time Solheim Cup participant, Ernst’s best finish in a major was a runner-up finish to Angela Stanford at the 2018 Evian Championship.

Ernst’s brother Drew caddied for on the LPGA and now works for Andrea Lee.

“I think everybody thinks they’re seeing a ghost when they see me,” said Ernst. “I’ve had a lot of double takes this week so far. It’s been fun to be back out on tour.”