Women’s College Golf – Page 3

Georgia senior Jenny Bae named recipient of 2023 Inkster Award, earns LPGA exemption

Bae will receive an exemption into the LPGA’s 2023 Portland Classic.

Georgia senior Jenny Bae has been named the recipient of the 2023 Inkster Award presented by Workday.

The Inkster Award recognizes the highest ranked women’s Division I collegiate golfer in her final year of eligibility for the 2022-23 college golf season.

Bae, a fifth-year senior, finished the season as the fifth-ranked women’s college golfer in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings and fourth in the Golfstat rankings.

As a result of winning the 2023 Inkster Award, Bae will receive an exemption into the 2023 Portland Classic on the LPGA, taking place Aug. 31-Sept. 3 at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Oregon.

Additionally, Bae will automatically advance to the second stage of LPGA Q-School from Oct. 16-20 at Plantation Golf and Country Club in Venice, Florida.

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Bae will also join Juli Inkster, who the award is named after, for a two-day mentorship retreat in Northern California. Workday will provide $50,000 to the Juli Inkster Foundation to help support Bae’s transition to her professional golf career. The $50,000 will support Bae’s mentorship retreat with Inkster and assist with Bae’s travel expenses.

Inkster, a World Golf Hall-of-Fame member and LPGA legend, was a three-time All-American at San Jose State. She elected not to turn professional until finishing her four-year commitment to her school, winning 17 individual titles during her college career.

“Juli Inkster is an inspiration and such a role model on and off the course, her Hall-of-Fame career speaks for itself,” Bae said in a release. “To receive this award from Juli and to have her as my mentor is an honor beyond words.”

Inkster added: “Jenny had a remarkable career at Georgia, persevered through the challenges of the global pandemic to earn her college degree and excelled on the golf course with an amazing senior season,” said Inkster. “That says a lot about not only her performance on the course but also about her goals and passions away from it and putting education as a priority. I look forward to mentoring Jenny as she navigates the next stage in her professional and personal journeys.”

Bae finished 14th last week at the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona. She had a record-setting 2022-23 season, finishing in the top five an astounding eight times, including victories at the Illini Invitational and the Athens Regional, where she scored the two lowest scores in Georgia history. She compiled a 70.75 season stroke average, the lowest single-season stroke average in Georgia history. She also finished runner-up at the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, falling to Rose Zhang on the second playoff hole.

Last weekend, Bae made her professional debut on the Epson Tour, competing in the Nova Mission Inn Resort and Club Championship in Howey-In-The-Hills, Florida.

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Stanford’s Rose Zhang announces plans to turn professional after back-to-back NCAA titles, set to play all four summer majors

Rose Zhang says it’s time to move on.

Rose Zhang says it’s time to move on. After the best two-year stint in the history of college golf, the Stanford star has announced her decision to turn professional and the anticipation of what she might do to grow women’s golf is palpable.

There hasn’t been an American player this promising since Michelle Wie West, though for vastly different reasons. Wie West’s head-turning power and presence dazzled on the professional stage long before she earned a paycheck.

Zhang’s awe-factor and respect, however, comes from the titles she has won against her peers. Simply put, she has won everything that matters – sometimes twice – and often in dominant fashion. She has won every way there is to win, most notably hanging on at Augusta National last April in brutal conditions when she mostly looked uncomfortable. She has won time and again when she’s expected to win.

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“She is truly spectacular,” Wie West told Golfweek. “There’s so much pressure on her and yet she delivers time and time again.”

Photos: Rose Zhang through the years

Zhang took to Instagram to deliver the news after becoming the first woman to win two NCAA Championship titles. She’ll make her professional debut at next week’s inaugural Mizuho Americas Open, hosted by Wie West, and enjoy a packed summer of LPGA starts, including four major championships.

“Stanford is truly a special place with special people,” Zhang wrote on Instagram. “I would never take these incredible memories and experiences for granted. With that in mind, while I am pursuing my professional career, I will continue to earn my degree in the years to come. Stanford fam forever.”

Non-members are allowed up to six LPGA exemptions per season, plus special invitations from the U.S. Women’s Open and AIG Women’s British Open. Zhang has received special invites from both championships, held this year at Pebble Beach Golf Links and Walton Heath Golf Club, respectively.

In addition, she’ll compete in the KPMG Women’s PGA at Baltusrol, the Dana Open, Amundi Evian Championship, CP Women’s Open and Kroger Queen City Championship.

Last year, the LPGA changed its top-10 rule to allow non-members to earn a start in the next week’s field after a top-10 finish in designated events. In other words, strong play could help Zhang earn even more professional starts in 2023.

Zhang could play her way onto the LPGA and avoid Q-Series in December with a victory on tour or by finishing the season with CME points that are equal to or greater than the official points earned by the LPGA member in 40th place.

The new NIL era makes the financial transition easier for Zhang, given that she already had relationships with several high-profile companies, including Callaway and Adidas. Her full portfolio of sponsorships is expected to be released next week, but Zhang’s off-the-course earnings have the potential to be the strongest for a U.S. player since Wie West made her professional splash nearly 20 years ago.

Zhang won 12 times in 20 starts at Stanford, including eight wins this season. Tiger Woods once won eight times in a single season at Stanford.

Zhang’s 12 career titles sets a school record at Stanford, besting Woods (26 events), Patrick Rodgers (35 events) and Maverick McNealy (45 events) who all won 11 times. Zhang matched Lorena Ochoa for the most wins in Pac-12 history. She finished the season with a 68.81 scoring average over 31 rounds, nearly a stroke better than her 69.68 NCAA record from freshman season.

“I think the biggest thing I’ve learned from her is that she’s nowhere near perfect,” said Stanford teammate Megha Ganne, “and that her score seems as though she is. She puts it together better than any player I’ve ever seen.”

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Head coach Anne Walker told Zhang during the recruiting process that where she could help her grow the most was to become better prepared to be a professional. Zhang no doubt leaves Palo Alto more comfortable in the limelight, more confident with her position in the game, and with a better of understanding of what it means to be the CEO of her own company.

“She has a great board of directors around her,” said Walker. “At the end of the day, no matter who’s on the board, you have to make the decision, and right or wrong, you’re the one who has to take the accountability for that. When she showed up, I’m not sure she was the one making those calls.”

Zhang’s performance as CEO will no doubt impact her ability to succeed long-term at the next level, that includes everything from the makeup of her team to where she plays and what contracts she signs. There will be no shortage of opinions.

Walker said when she’s asked, “What’s the biggest thing you’ve taught Rose Zhang?” the answer is to stop giving away her cell phone number to folks who come out to watch her play.

That’s the kindness that people often talk about with Zhang. As her star-power grows, she remains the same humble player she’s always been – thankful that people came out to watch.

Wake Forest’s Emilia Migliaccio appreciates the way Zhang takes the interact with new people at events, recalling at time at the ANWA when she saw Zhang having dinner several younger players.

“She doesn’t need to do that,” said Migliaccio, but she does because she knows that it means a lot to people.

“People aren’t asking her questions about golf. They’re just enjoying their time with her. So, yeah, when it comes to growing the game, she’s kind of the pinnacle of what that is.”

Wake Forest changed its practice, preparation and play style, and in return it won the first NCAA Women’s Golf Championship in school history

It’s the first title for the Wake Forest women’s golf team in program history.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Emilia Migliaccio thought her college golf playing days were over.

She played four years for the Wake Forest women’s team but earned her bachelor’s and had entered a two-year graduate program. She remained around the team and coach Kim Lewellen often.

One day, Migliaccio went to her coach and told her about a dream she had. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Migliaccio still had a year of eligibility she could use.

That dream? To play college golf again.

She told Lewellen, who remembers a different version of the story. Migliaccio was a teacher’s assistant, but Lewellen said she knew Migliaccio didn’t love it. She saw a moment of weakness in her player.

“I’ve got a spot for you if you want it.”

Migliaccio accepted. And now, she’s a national champion.

Wake Forest captured its first women’s golf national title in school history Wednesday at Grayhawk Golf Club, and Migliaccio put the first point on the board against USC. The Demon Deacons won 3-1 and dominated from the first hole.

“I was craving the feeling to be nervous again on the first tee,” Migliaccio said. “That’s why I play college golf. That’s why I love it. That’s why I’m not turning professional because I realized this is what I love to do.”

Migliaccio, who get married in a month, has a centerpiece for her wedding table, something teammate Rachel Kuehn has planned for some time.

Migliaccio was in the first match off Wednesday afternoon, and she took a 1 up lead after the first hole and never turned back, beating Cindy Kou 4 and 2.

During Wake Forest’s first tournament this season at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate, Lewellen said Migliaccio was like an extra coach on the course. However, she wasn’t the only experienced Demon Deacon on the roster.

There were also seniors Lauren Walsh and Kuehn, who earned the other two points to clinch the championship. Kuehn, in a star-powered matchup against USC’s Amari Avery, won 6 and 4. Walsh captured the title on the 16th green, beating Brianna Navarrosa with a 3-and-2 victory.

“These three have played at extremely high levels,” Lewellen said. “They’ve played on Curtis Cups, they’ve played on Palmer Cups, they’ve played in (U.S. Women’s) Opens, they’ve played in U.S. Ams.

“They’ve played at extremely high levels and extreme pressure and turned it into a positive. That’s what made this team so special.”

There was also maturity in the team. Wake Forest has had disappointing finishes the last couple years at Grayhawk. Last year, it didn’t make the 15-team cut after Sunday’s third round of stroke play. In 2019 at Blessings Golf Club, Lewellen and Migliaccio came up short in the championship match.

The Demon Deacons overhauled their schedule. They made an effort to get more familiar with playing desert golf. The elevation and temperature and conditions. They changed how they practiced. They changed their mindset.

“We tailored our practices not to the next tournament but tailored them to what do we need to do to win the national championship,” Kuehn said. “To come back and get some revenge on this golf course and on the field was really nice.”

USC freshman Catherine Park, who finished runner-up in the individual competition, earned the Trojans’ lone point, a 3 and 1 win against Carolina Lopez-Chacarra.

However, that was the lone shining moment for USC.

Not only did Migliaccio win her first hole, so did Walsh and Kuehn. By the seventh hole, Walsh was 5 up. At the turn, Kuehn was 3 up. Migliaccio birdied the 14th and 15th holes to take a commanding 3 up lead with three to play.

Migliaccio gave credit after the match to Mimi Rhodes, a junior who was pivotal to Wake forest’s success during the grueling six days in the desert. Rhodes was 2 up with two to play and a birdie putt on the 17th green when Walsh clinched the title on the 16th green.

“I’m just so proud of her,” Migliaccio said of Rhodes.

Wake Forest changed its mindset coming into the season. It was championship or bust. The Demon Deacons changed how they prepared, practiced and played. And it paid off.

“The past two years, everything happens for a reason,” Kuehn said. “And if it took the last two years to get us where we are today, it was all worth it.”

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Seeing double: Stanford’s Rose Zhang caps incredible sophomore season with 2023 ANNIKA Award, winning for second straight year

Rose Zhang is the second back-to-back winner of the ANNIKA Award.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — On Monday, Rose Zhang closed her sophomore year with a victory, capping one of the most dominant college golf seasons of all time. And she’s being rewarded for that superiority again.

For the second straight year, Zhang was named winner of the 2023 ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel, given to the best female golfer in college golf. She’s the third two-time winner, joining Leona Maguire and Maria Fassi, and the second to win back-to-back ANNIKA Awards (Fassi).

“It doesn’t get better than winning the ANNIKA Award,” Zhang said. “To do so again, even though it’s not on the forefront of my mind, it’s something that’s a byproduct of everything I’ve done this year.”

Zhang’s sophomore year was one for the record books. She won an incredible eight times, her victory Monday at the 2023 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club as the feather in the cap. She also captured the Pac-12 Championship and NCAA Pullman Regional and had an NCAA record 68.81 scoring average, besting her 69.68 record from last season.

She also set a new women’s course record at Pebble Beach, shooting 9-under 63 in the season-opening Carmel Cup, which she won. She will tee it up in July at the U.S. Women’s Open at Pebble Beach.

“For me, I went out (this year) on the golf course with a completely different mindset,” Zhang said. “Starting in the fall season and talking with coach (Anne) Walker, I had personal goals in mind about just trying to be the best player I could be.”

Rose Zhang (left) won the 2023 ANNIKA Award. (Photo: Darren Reese, Stanford)

The selection is just another impressive milestone in her amateur career. Last month, Zhang captured the 2023 Augusta National Women’s Amateur, and she has spent more weeks at No. 1 in the World Amateur Golf Ranking than any other female amateur in history.

This is the third straight year a Stanford golfer has won the ANNIKA Award, with Rachel Heck winning in 2021.

The winner of the ANNIKA Award is selected by college golfers, coaches and members of the college golf media and has been handed out annually since the 2014 season.

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NCAA Championship: Match play field, pairings set for 2023 women’s quarterfinals

Check out the eight teams who made the match play at the NCAAs.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — The women’s individual national champion has been crowned, which means one thing: it’s time for match play.

Stanford, the defending national champion, earned the top seed and will face No. 8 Pepperdine. The Waves are making their first appearance at NCAA match play. In addition, there will be a Lone Star Showdown between Texas (No. 2 seed) and Texas A&M (No. 7 seed) in the first round. Other matches include No. 3 Wake Forest against No. 6 Florida State and No. 4 South Carolina against No. 5 USC.

A reminder: last year was the first time in the match play era the No. 1 seed (Stanford) went on to win.

NCAA: Team scores | Individual scores | Photos

The quarterfinals are set to begin on Tuesday morning and the semifinals to follow in the afternoon. On Wednesday, it’ll be the final.(Note: all times ET, which is three hours ahead of Scottsdale).

Queen of college golf: Rose Zhang captures 2023 NCAA individual title, first woman to win back-to-back NCAA championships

“No one’s ever done this before. It’s so hard to do. And she did it in a different way. She’s Rose.”

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Rose Zhang wanted to go for it.

She stood in the fairway on the par-5 18th hole at Grayhawk Golf Club and was prepping to go for the green in two. With water right, she even risked putting her ball in the left bunkers, which she knew would give her a good chance to get up-and-down for birdie.

That’s when Stanford coach Anne Walker stepped in, offering some advice to her sophomore sensation.

“We’re gonna go down here and you’re going to have a number that’s going to be in play,” Walker told Zhang. “And you’re going to lay up.”

Zhang questioned her coach. Why would she lay up with a tournament title on the line?

But it wasn’t just any tournament. And it wasn’t just any player. It’s the best female amateur in the world trying to win the NCAA Women’s Golf Championship for the second straight year.

That’s when Walker told Zhang she had a one-shot lead. A par or better would secure her second straight individual title.

“I was like, ‘Oh wait, maybe I should reconsider everything that just happened and my whole thought process,'”Zhang said. “So I decided to lay up with a 9-iron, wedge it in from there and two putts was good enough.”

And it’s decisions like those that have put Zhang at the top.

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Zhang won the NCAA individual title for the second straight year, becoming the first woman to do so. She shot a bogey-free 4-under 68 on Monday, finishing at 10 under and beating USC’s Catherine Park and San Jose State’s Lucia Lopez-Ortega by one shot. The victory was also a crowning achievement on an incredible season that saw Zhang win eight times, tying Lorena Ochoa’s single-season NCAA record for victories, and set a new record for lowest scoring average in a single season, coming in at 68.81, besting her 69.68 record from last season.

“I still don’t know what is going on,” Zhang said. “And it’s really hard to process because when you’re chasing from behind, you really don’t know what’s happening.

“I genuinely just… I can’t believe this is all happening. It’s just simple to say I’m super grateful.”

2023 NCAA Championship — Rose Zhang of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates with teammates after winning the NCAA women’s Golf Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club on May 22, 2023 in Scottsdale, Arizona. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

In addition to her eighth victory of the season, it’s also the 12th of her career, the most of any Stanford golfer in school history. Tiger Woods, Maverick McNealy and Patrick Rodgers each had 11 on the men’s side.

She also helped the Cardinal secure the top overall seed in match play, which begins Tuesday. Stanford will first face eighth-seeded Pepperdine with a chance to win its second consecutive team title.

Walker said she spoke with Zhang before Monday’s final round and challenged her to be aggressive. She wanted Zhang to play smarter, like Walker knew her star was capable of.

“Some of the shorter holes, she took herself out of the hole just by being out of position,” Walker said. “Rose is fully accountable. She’s an incredibly intelligent golfer. She decided that no matter what happened, she would be putting herself into position.”

Park led by four when Zhang teed off, but a cold putter saw Park sign for a 1-over 73 in the final round to get into the clubhouse at 9 under overall.

Zhang narrowly missed birdie putts on the first three hole. A great 3-wood on the par-5 fourth allowed her to have an easy birdie putt, then she hit a wedge to a foot from about 75 yards on the sixth for another birdie. Add one more on the par-5 seventh, Zhang turned in 3-under 33 but still a shot behind Park, her childhood friend.

Zhang birdied the par-5 11th as Park three-putted on the par-4 15th, flopping the lead. Then it was solid golf all the way in.

Zhang missed her first green on the day on the par-4 17th but scrambled for par. She bounced back with a terrific drive off the 18th tee, picking up her tee before her ball reached its apex.

Then she put herself in position. It’s something she has done her entire career. It’s why she has won a U.S. Girls’ Junior, the U.S. Women’s Amateur, the Augusta National Women’s Amateur and now back-to-back NCAA individual titles. It’s why she’s arguably the greatest college golfer of all time and cemented her legacy as the best female amateur in the history of the game.

Walker seemed a bit taken aback when she realized the victory was Zhang’s eighth of the year. Yet she didn’t struggle to find words to summarize her season.

“I kind of felt like she was already solidified as the best amateur of all time, and what she did today, that’s just the period on the end of the sentence,” Walker said. “No one’s ever done this before. It’s so hard to do. And she did it in a different way. She’s Rose.”

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Meet the 15 teams to make the first cut at the 2023 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship

Stanford is in pole position with 18 holes of stroke play left.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — After 54 holes of stroke play, the field of 30 teams at the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship is now 15 after Sunday evening’s cut.

Stanford, the defending national champion, took the lead on the hardest scoring day yet at Grayhawk Golf Club. Wake Forest, which led after the first two days, is tied for second with Texas. USC and Florida State are the only other teams under par.

USC’s Catherine Park, fresh off her NCAA record-tying round Saturday, leads the individual competition by four shots with 18 to play. There’s a three way for second that includes Rose Zhang, the defending NCAA individual champ.

Come Monday, the top eight teams after the final round of stroke play will make match play, which begins Tuesday morning.

NCAA: Team scores | Individual scores | Photos

Meet the 15 teams who made the first cut at Grayhawk.

A coaching adjustment helped USC’s Catherine Park, the daughter of an Olympic gold medalist, tie an NCAA record and lead NCAA Championship

Park has a four-shot lead with 18 holes to play.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Justin Silverstein admits his staff has sacrificed down the stretch with his latest coaching adjustment.

The USC’s women’s golf coach started walking with freshman Catherine Park at the Silverado Showdown in early April. He wouldn’t step in much, but he did offer advice on figuring out yardages and helping read greens when needed.

That switch has paid dividends for Park. She tied for second that week. The next tournament, the Pac-12 Championships, she tied for third as USC won the team title. At the Pullman Regional, Park finished T-17.

And on the biggest stage of them all, Park is out in front of the field with 18 holes of stroke play to go at Grayhawk Golf Club in the 2023 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship searching for her first collegiate win.

“I kept telling my boss that Catherine was going to bust out,” Silverstein said. “It kind of took a little longer, but I think the final push was a little more on-course coaching.”

Park shot 1-under 71 on Sunday, which had the most difficult conditions of the week by far, to take the lead at 10-under 206. She has a four-shot lead on Rose Zhang, the defending individual champion, as well as Oklahoma State’s Maddison Hinson-Tolchard and Florida State’s Charlotte Heath.

However, it was her second round Saturday that put her into the NCAA record books. Park shot 8-under 64, which tied the low round at an NCAA Women’s Golf Championship.

“I did not realize it at all until they posted it,” Park said Sunday. “I did not expect it at all to be tied for the record. I tried to not get into my head for today’s round. I didn’t want to overthink and tried to be steady.”

As Silverstein alluded to, Park had been trending toward a breakout all season. Her lowest round of the season, a 66, came in the first day of the Pullman Regional. She has three top-six finishes, all since March.

Then Saturday and into Sunday, it all came together.

Silverstein said a switch in November from drawing the ball to cutting it was the first thing to propel Park. Then it was her improvement on the greens, where she has gained almost two strokes.

“On greens this nasty, she has really bought in to hitting her putts softer, and her speed control has been really good except for a couple putts today,” Silverstein said.

Park is enjoying the competitive nature of being high on the leaderboard at the national championship. She grew up in a successful athletic family. Her mother, Seo Hyang-soon, became Korea’s first Olympic gold medalist when she won gold medal in archery at the 1984 Olympics at 17 years old. Her father, Park Kyung-ho, is a 1986 Asian Games gold medalist in judo.

That history and relationship with her parents has benefited Park on and off the course.

“It’s really helpful for me when I’m struggling mentally, they help me get back up because they understand what I’m feeling,” she said.

Come Monday, Park will face her biggest challenge yet. She’ll be gunning for an individual national title, trying to become the third straight freshman to win at the NCAAs.

Chasing her will be Zhang (the top-ranked amateur in the world) as well as the Big 12 individual champion Hinson-Tolchard and a finalist for the ANNIKA Award, given to the top female college golfer, in Heath.

In the team competition, USC is in fourth and in great position to make it into match play. However, 18 more holes await.

It’s a competition Park’s looking forward to.

“I’m so stoked because we’re sitting in a pretty good place,” Park said. “I have such strong confidence, and our team is strong. I know they’re going to light it up tomorrow.”

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NCAA Women’s Golf Championship: Stanford sets NCAA record, USC’s Catherine Park ties another and more from Saturday’s second round

Here’s what you need to know from the second round of the Women’s NCAA Championship.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — It was a birdie barrage Saturday morning at Grayhawk Golf Club. And teams who weren’t making any were left behind.

The second round of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship teed off Saturday to clear skies, virtually no wind and perfect scoring conditions. And teams like Stanford, South Carolina and Texas took advantage. The morning scoring average was 72.39, more than two shots lower than Friday.

In the afternoon? The course played tough. Only one team (Clemson) finished under par in the afternoon wave.

However, the round Stanford put together set an NCAA record for lowest round in championship history. Not bad for the top-seeded team and defending NCAA champions.

Yet it’s not the Cardinal in front with 36 holes to go, it’s the second-seeded team (and No. 1 team in the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings).

NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

Here’s what you need to know from the second round of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship.

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Women’s NCAA Championship: Stanford rebounds after early struggles, Wake Forest takes lead and more from Friday’s first round

Here’s what you need to know from the first round of the NCAA Championship.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Morning clouds burned off with plenty of afternoon sunlight during the first round of the 2023 NCAA Women’s Golf Championship, but Grayhawk Golf Club remained a stern test for the best women’s college golfers.

Only six of the 30 teams in the field shot under par in the first round, and the scoring average was nearly three shots over par. Although conditions were more favorable for scoring in the morning, the sun and some wind made it tougher in the afternoon, but it didn’t hamper every team.

Oklahoma State held the lead after a morning round of 8-under 280, but it sits second going into Saturday. And for defending national champion Stanford, it had a major turnaround.

NCAA Leaderboard: Team | Individual | Photos

Here’s a look at what happened during the first round of the women’s NCAA Championship: