Wake Forest, Virginia's Sambach win ANNIKA Intercollegiate titles

14 Sep 2022
by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com
see also: View results for ANNIKA Intercollegiate, Royal Golf Club, Amanda Sambach Rankings
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Beginning the day six strokes behind ACC rival Virginia, third-ranked Wake Forest shot a final round 285 (-3) to storm back to take home the 2022 ANNIKA Intercollegiate held at Royal Golf Club in Lake Elmo, Minn. on Wednesday.

The Demon Deacons' experience and depth were on full display in the final round, as seniors Lauren Walsh, Rachel Kuehn, graduate student Emilia Migliaccio along with sophomore Carolina Chacarra carried Wake Forest to a four-stroke victory over the Cavaliers, who were led by medalist Amanda Sambach.

Walsh tied for second at 7-under 209 on rounds of 73-66-70, two strokes behind Sambach who built a six-stroke cushion for herself after opening with rounds of 65-68. Walsh's 54-hole score of 209 is the lowest 54-hole of her collegiate career and two strokes better than her previous best of 211.

Amanda Sambach and Annika Sorenstam

After struggling over the first two rounds of the tournament, Chacarra, who won twice as a freshman last season, shot a final round 70 (-2) to aid Wake's comeback. The Demon Deacons also counted Rachel Kuehn's 70 (-1) and Emilia Migliaccio's 74 (+2) towards its 3-under total of 285.

"It's great to win the first event of the year and we always enjoy coming up to Lake Elmo to start our season against a very competitive field," said Wake Forest head coach Kim Lewellen. "We were proud of the way the team handled a little adversity after the first round and really played together. We have a lot of talent and a really deep lineup. They all work tremendously hard day in and day out, so it's nice to see their hard work pay off and start the season on a positive note."

Wake Forest did receive a little help, however. After starting the day with a six-shot lead, Virginia stumbled to a final round 296 (+8) and was overtaken by Wake Forest and Texas, which finished second at 2-under 862.

All was not lost for the Hoos, however, as Sambach claimed medalist honors at 9-under 207 (65-68-74), which left her two strokes clear of Texas' Bohyun Park and Walsh. The sophomore set a torrid early pace, shooting 11-under on rounds of 65 and 68, which allowed her to absorb a final round 74 (+2) to win her second collegiate individual title in a field that included 11 of the 25 players on the ANNIKA Award Preseason Watch List.

Results: ANNIKA Intercollegiate