Women’s Golf: Sambach wins ACC Individual title; Cavaliers advance to team championship

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

Virginia sophomore Amanda Sambach wrapped up a record-setting performance to become the third Cavalier golfer to win the ACC Championship title on Friday in Greensboro, N.C. She took medalist honors at Sedgefield Country Club by shooting 14-under 202, the best score in the 35-year history of the championship. It was also the best 54-hole tournament score in UVA history.

Sambach posted a final-round score of 4-under 68 on Friday to finish two shots ahead of Duke’s Phoebe Brinker. Sambach had rounds of 68 and 66 during Monday’s day of play. It was her second win of the season after opening the year with a victory at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate.

During the final round, Sambach played her front nine at 2-under, picking up birdies on the third and ninth holes. She posted an eagle on the par-5 10th hole to start her back nine. From there, she made six pars and had bogey on No. 14 and birdie on No. 15 to complete her round. During her 54 holes of play, she carded just two scores above par.

Sambach joins former All-Americans Brittany Altomare and Lauren Coughlin as ACC Champions. Both current members of the LPGA Tour,  Altomare won her title in 2013 and Coughlin took medalist honors in 2016.

Sambach’s total topped the UVA scoring mark of 11-under 205 that Coughlin shot during the 2015-16 season. Sambach’s previous best tournament outing was 9-under 207 at the ANNIKA Intercollegiate earlier this year.

The previous best individual performance at the ACC Championships was recorded by Duke freshman Brittany Lang at the 2004 tournament. Lang shot 9-under 204 while playing at the par-71 Salem Glen Country Club in Clemmons, N.C.

UVA will battle Clemson on Sunday for the ACC Championships after both teams pulled off upsets in the semifinal round of match play Saturday. The No. 22 Cavaliers – the fourth seed in match play – toppled second-ranked and top seeded Wake Forest 3-2. Clemson, the No. 4 seed, downed second-seed Duke 3-1-1. The Tigers are ranked No. 24 in the latest Golfstat standings.

Wake Forest jumped out to the early lead in its match with Virginia with Emilia Migliaccio’s 3&2 win over Jennifer Cleary. The Cavaliers bounced back with Sambach defeating Lauren Walsh, 1UP.

Despite the Demon Deacons adding their second victory when Rachel Kuehn knocked off Celeste Valinho, 4&2, Virginia responded with Megan Propeck defeating Wake’s Mimi Rhodes, 1UP, with a birdie on Hole 18 to seal the win. Headlined by a key birdie on Hole 15, Rebecca Skoler sealed the Cavalier victory with a 1UP triumph over Carolina Lopez-Chacarra.

Clemson picked up its win against the Blue Devils after falling behind 1-0. After Andie Smith recorded Duke’s first victory of the day in Match 1, the Tigers rattled off three straight wins beginning with Isabella Rawl in Match 3, as she defeated Duke’s Megan Furtney 5&4. Clemson took its first lead behind Chloe Holder’s 3&2 win over Erica Shepherd and Annabelle Pancake sealed the Tiger victory with a 3&1 win over Phoebe Brinker. Pancake clinched the match with a birdie on the par-4 No. 17.

Virginia will look for its first ACC Women’s Golf crown since 2016 and first since match play was instituted in 2021. Clemson will play for its first ever conference title.

Sunday’s finals of match play begin at 9 a.m. and will air live on ACC Network Extra. Live stats are online at Golfstat.com.

Virginia finished the championship fourth in the team stroke play at 1-over 865, including a final-round score of 2-over 290.

Valinho was UVA’s second-best finisher in stroke play, placing 12th at 2-over 218. She had a final-round score of 75. Cleary shot 72 on Friday and moved up to 32nd at 7-over 223. She finished one stroke ahead of Megan Propeck who was 34th at 224. Skoler placed 39th at 227. Propeck had a final-round score of 75 while Skoler shot 76.

The Cavaliers’ finish in stroke play also awarded a point to Virginia in the Smithfield Commonwealth Clash series between Virginia and Virginia Tech. The Hokies finished sixth at the ACC Championships with a score of 25-over 889. The win puts UVA ahead in the Clash standings 9-8.

ACC Championships
Sedgefield Country Club
Greensboro, N.C.
Par 72, 6,092 yards

Match Play Semifinals

NO. 4 VIRGINIA def. NO. 1 WAKE FOREST, 3-2
Emilia Migliaccio (WF) def. Jennifer Cleary (UVA), 3&2
Amanda Sambach (UVA) def. Lauren Walsh (WF), 1UP
Megan Propeck (UVA) def. Mimi Rhodes (WF), 1UP
Rachel Kuehn (WF) def. Celeste Valinho (UVA), 4&2
Rebecca Skoler (UVA) def. Carolina Lopez-Chacarra (WF), 1UP
Order of finish: 1, 2, 4, 3, 5

NO. 3 CLEMSON def. NO. 2 DUKE, 3-1-1
Andie Smith (DUKE) def. Melena Barrientos (CLEM), 2&1
Anne Chen (DUKE) tied Savannah Grewal (CLEM), unfinished at time match was clinched
Isabella Rawl (CLEM) def. Megan Furtney (DUKE), 5&4
Chloe Holder (CLEM) def. Erica Shepherd (DUKE), 3&2
Annabelle Pancake (CLEM) def. Phoebe Brinker (DUKE), 3&1
Order of finish: 1, 3, 4, 5

Final Results – Stroke Play

Team Results
 1. Wake Forest — 285-276-284-845
2. Duke — 283-283-287-853
3. Clemson — 285-283-289-857
 4. Virginia — 288-287-290-865
5. Florida State — 293-293-292-878
6. Virginia Tech — 290-295-300-889
7. NC State — 298-296-299-893
7. Louisville — 293-301-295-893
9. North Carolina — 301-295-293-894
9. Notre Dame — 308-291-295-894
11. Boston College — 293-298-308-899
12. Miami — 305-308-311-924 

Individual Leaders
1. Amanda Sambach, Virginia — 68—66-68-202
2. Phoebe Brinker, Duke — 71-69-64-204
3. Rachel Kuehn, Wake Forest — 66-70-72-208
4. Annabelle Pancake, Clemson — 70-70-69-209 

Virginia Results
 1. Amanda Sambach — 68-66-68-202
12. Celeste Valinho — 71-72-75-218
32. Jennifer Cleary — 74-77-72-223
34. Megan Propeck — 76-73-75-224
39. Rebecca Skoler — 75-76-76-227