Rose Zhang is making a strong case for back-to-back Annika Awards.
Zhang, last year’s player of the year as a freshman, has won five times this season, one more title than she captured a season ago. She headlines a list of 15 players named to the latest watch list for the Annika Award presented by Stifel.
The Annika Award is given annually to the most outstanding women’s college golfer, as voted on by players, coaches and media. Past winners of the award include Leona Maguire and Maria Fassi, both two-time winners.
Wake Forest leads the way with three players on the list, including senior Rachel Kuehn, who has a win at the Stephens Cup, where Zhang was T-12, and four other top-6 finishes.
Florida State joined Stanford as having two players, including freshman Lottie Woad, who has a win among five top-10s.
LSU senior Ingrid Lindblad might be Zhang’s closest pursuer, with a win and nothing worse than a T-11 in six starts.
Here are the 15 players named to the first watch list of the spring, listed in alphabetical order:
- Jenny Bae, Georgia
- Rosie Belsham, Baylor
- Zoe Campos, UCLA
- Jensen Castle, Kentucky
- Hannah Darling, South Carolina
- Megha Ganne, Stanford
- Charlotte Heath, Florida State
- Rachel Kuehn, Wake Forest
- Andrea Lignell, Ole Miss
- Ingrid Lindblad, LSU
- Carolina Lopez-Chacarra, Wake Forest
- Julia Lopez Ramirez, Mississippi State
- Lauren Walsh, Wake Forest
- Lottie Woad, Florida State
- Rose Zhang, Stanford
