The COVID-19 pandemic rocked the 2020-21 college golf schedule, with some schools and conferences electing not to play in the fall.
Due to the unique season, this fall’s ANNIKA Award Watch List will feature players who competed in the fall and those who we project will contend for the award in the spring. The ANNIKA Award presented by Stifel honors the player of the year in women’s college golf, as selected by college golfers, coaches and members of the college golf media.
The players are listed alphabetically. Those with an * did not compete this fall due to their school and/or conference’s pandemic protocols. Players on the ANNIKA Award Watch List were selected by a panel of Golfweek and Golf Channel writers.
ANNIKA Award Watch List
Alyaa Abdulghany, USC*
Alyaa Abdulghany during the quarterfinal round at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur. (Photo: Chris Keane/USGA)
The Trojan senior flew the USC flag deep into the U.S. Women’s Amateur, playing all the way to the semifinals. Other tournament reps came at the CoBank Colorado Women’s Open (15th) and European Ladies Amateur (25th), considering the Pac-12 isn’t playing this fall.
Isabella Fierro, Oklahoma State
Isabella Fierro. (Photo: Aishi Tomura)
In four fall college starts – amid Big 12-dominant competition in Texas and Oklahoma – Fierro never finished worse than sixth. She logged a pair of runner-up finishes at the Betsy Rawls Longhorn Invite and the Kissing Tree Invitational.
Sofia Garcia, Texas Tech
Sofia Garcia
Top fall finishes included a fourth at the Kissing Tree Invitational and runner-up at the Cowgirl Classic.
Linn Grant, Arizona State*
Linn Grant (Photo: Arizona State Athletics)
Since last spring’s college season was canceled, Grant has competed exclusively in Europe. She was sixth at the European Ladies’ Amateur and has a pair of titles in Swedish pro events.
Vivian Hou, Arizona*
Vivian Hou (Photo: Arizona Athletics)
After her freshman-of-the-year campaign was cut short at Arizona, Hou has played exclusively in pro events in Taiwan.
Ellen Hume, Ole Miss
Ellen Hume during a practice round of the 2020 East Lake Cup. (Photo: Kristin M. Bradshaw)
The Charleston Southern transfer turned heads when she went 3 under in East Lake Cup stroke play and won both matches. But before that, Hume had logged notable finishes in her native England – making the second round of match play at the English Women’s Amateur and winning the Faldo Series England Girls title.
Gurleen Kaur, Baylor
Gurleen Kaur
Kaur, a junior, was arguably the hottest player in college golf this fall, going 18 under in her first two fall starts and winning both titles – at the Schooner Fall Classic and Betsy Rawls Invitational. She was 13th at the Cowgirl Classic to end the fall.
Aline Krauter, Stanford*
Aline Krauter at the 2018 East Lake Cup. (Photo: Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Stanford didn’t compete as a team in the fall but Krauter’s victory at the British Women’s Amateur says it all. The German finished in the top 10 at the European Ladies Amateur later in the summer.
Rachel Kuehn, Wake Forest*
Rachel Kuehn during the round of 32 at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur. (Photo: USGA/Chris Keane)
Did any female collegian have a better summer than Kuehn? She scored notable wins at the North & South Women’s Amateur and Ladies National Golf Association Amateur before earning a stroke-play medal (and making a run to the Round of 16) at the U.S. Women’s Amateur.
Ingrid Lindblad, LSU
LSU freshman Ingrid Lindblad and coach Garrett Runion at the 2019 Magnolia Invitational.
(Photo: Kelly Donoho)
The LSU sophomore is becoming a perennial contender in women’s college golf. She never finished worse than seventh in three SEC-dominant fall events.
Brooke Matthews, Arkansas
Arkansas’ Brooke Matthews during the first round of the inaugural Blessings Collegiate Invitational. (Photo: Walt Beazley)
Drew headlines with her 10-under performance for 54 holes at the Blessings Intercollegiate, which was good enough to win the individual title. Finished runner-up at the Ally two weeks later and was 11th at the Liz Murphey Fall Collegiate two weeks after that.
Emilia Migliaccio, Wake Forest*
Emilia Migliaccio reacts to a birdie putt at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur. (Photo: USGA/Chris Keane)
The Wake Forest senior hasn’t made many tournament starts in the back half of 2020, but she did make quarterfinal runs at the North & South Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur in addition to finishing in the top 5 of a Symetra Tour event last month.
Alessia Nobilio, UCLA*
Alessia Nobilio at the 2018 Junior Ryder Cup. (Photo: Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
The UCLA freshman – who has not made a start with the Bruins as the Pac-12 shelved fall golf – kept her game in shape in her native Italy over the summer, winning three times in a span of five weeks.
Pauline Roussin-Bouchard, South Carolina
Pauline Roussin-Bouchard during her freshman season. (Photo: South Carolina Athletics)
This player spent several weeks over the summer as the top player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking. Once she returned to the states this fall, she played with the team twice, which included her title run at the Ally.
Gabriela Ruffels, USC*
Gabriela Ruffels plays a tee shot on the 18th hole during the second round of the ANA Inspiration. (Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Came close to defending her U.S. Women’s Amateur title in August and has made three pro starts – including two LPGA majors and the Symetra Tour season finale – since.
Megan Schofill, Auburn
Megan Schofill (Photo: Auburn Athletics)
Highlights from the second half of 2020 for the second-year Auburn player include a comeback victory at the Florida Women’s Amateur, match-play runs at the North & South Women’s Amateur and U.S. Women’s Amateur and the individual title at the Liz Murphey Fall Collegiate.
Erica Shepherd, Duke*
Erica Shepherd (Photo: American Junior Golf Association)
Competition wasn’t all that easy to find at times in 2020, but Shepherd sniffed out plenty of starts. She won the Indiana State Amateur in early June and has made seven major starts since, including her winning weekend at the Golfweek Indiana Amateur.
Riley Smyth, Virginia*
Riley Smyth plays her tee shot at the 11th hole during the first round of stroke play at the 2020 U.S. Women’s Amateur. (Photo: USGA/Chris Keane)
The Virginia junior had a breakout week at the U.S. Women’s Amateur, finishing T-5 in stroke play and advancing to the quarterfinals. Most recently, she won the Golfweek Carolina Country Club Amateur.
Emma Spitz, UCLA*
Emma Spitz hits from the sand at the second hole during the final round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur. (Photo: Michael Madrid-USA TODAY Sports)
The UCLA sophomore was active in her native Austria after the spring college season ended. Her four wins there included the Austrian Match Play as well as the Austrian Stroke Play – the latter being a pro event.
Kennedy Swann, Ole Miss
Kennedy Swann and her coaches during a practice round of the 2020 East Lake Cup on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020. (Photo: Kristin M. Bradshaw)
Tied teammate Ellen Hume for East Lake Cup medalist honors and also finished 11th two weeks earlier at the Blessings Collegiate. Swann was a U.S. Women’s Amateur quarterfinalist.
