Women’s Golf: Sambach shoots 6-under 66; UVA moves into tie for fourth at NCAA Regional

Courtesy UVA Media Relations

With a berth at stake to the NCAA Championships on Wednesday, the 25th-ranked Virginia women’s golf team moved up into a tie for fourth place after Tuesday’s second round of play at the NCAA Regional in Westfield, Ind. The top five teams in the 12-school field will advance to the NCAA Championships following Wednesday’s third round of play.

Virginia shot 4-under 284 during the second round for a 36-hole total of 5-under 571. That was the fourth-best single-round team score at an NCAA Regional tournament in program history.

Amanda Sambach led UVA by shooting 6-under 66 at The Club at Chatham Hills for a two-day total of 9-under 135. She enters the final round tied for third place, two shots behind Mississippi State’s Julia Lopez Ramirez.

Sambach’s score broke the school’s single-round scoring record for an NCAA Regional site. The 2023 ACC individual champion, Sambach had a bogey-free day with three birdies on both the front and back nines.

Sambach’s score was one stroke off her career best 18-hole performance. She opened the season by winning the ANNIKA Intercollegiate while shooting 7-under 65 during the first round of that event.

For the second consecutive day, Celeste Valinho shot even par 72 for UVA and is in 19th place at even par 144. Jennifer Cleary and Megan Propeck both shot 73 for the second consecutive round and are tied for 33rd at 2-over 146. Rebecca Skoler posted a score of 74 and is 42nd at 147.

Tulsa, which led the tournament after the opening round, dropped back to fourth place on the leaderboard with UVA. Top-seed Mississippi State recorded a score of 13-under 275 to allow the fifth-ranked Bulldogs to move into the lead at 21-under 555. Unranked Oregon State (563) is in second place and 17th-ranked Vanderbilt is third at 569. Just on the outside of the top five are Iowa State and Xavier who are tied for sixth place at 574.

The regional is one of six three-round competition sites where the top five teams advance to the NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz., May 19-24.

Virginia will be paired with Tulsa and Iowa State for Wednesday’s final round. Those teams will tee off starting at 8 a.m. from the first tee. Live scoring is online at Golfstat.com.

NCAA Westfield Regional
The Club at Chatham Hills
Westfield, Ind.
Par 72, 6,300 yards
Second-Round Results

Team Results
1. Mississippi State — 280-275-555
2. Oregon State — 286-277-563
3. Vanderbilt — 287-282-569
4. Virginia — 287-284-571
4. Tulsa — 279-292-571
6. Iowa State — 286-288-574
6. Xavier — 289-285-574
8. Michigan — 283-294-577
9. Tennessee — 288-294-582
10. Oregon — 294-291-585
11. Morehead State — 296-302-598
12. Lipscomb — 299-301-600

Individual Leaders
1. Julia Lopez-Ramirez, Mississippi State — 67-66-133
2. Hannah Levi, Mississippi State — 68-66-134
3. Celina Sattelkau, Vanderbilt — 69-66-135
3. Amanda Sambach, Virginia — 69-66-135

Virginia Results
3. Amanda Sambach — 69-66-135
19. Celeste Valinho — 72-72-144
33. Jennifer Cleary — 73-73-146
33. Megan Propeck — 73-73-146
42. Rebecca Skoler — 73-74-147

What a round for Amanda.
Sets the UVA NCAA Regional single-round scoring record! 🥳 pic.twitter.com/lDQxbIGjPy

— Virginia Women’s Golf (@UVAWomensGolf) May 9, 2023