Kuehn grabs individual title, leads Wake Forest to team crown in ACC Championship at Porters Neck

 

   It is a very different Wake Forest team than the one that won the national championship a year ago at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

   But the Demon Deacons still have Rachel Kuehn, a graduate student from Asheville, N.C. and No. 8 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR).

   As it turned out, Kuehn’s three-shot victory in last weekend’s individual chase would lead Wake Forest to the team title in the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship at Porters Neck Country Club in Wilmington, N.C.

   The three rounds of stroke play at Porters Neck, which began April 18^th and concluded April 20^th, were supposed to be a qualifier for two rounds of match play, the semifinals and the final, April 21^st.

   But the same relentless rainstorm that forced the suspension of play in the final round of the PGA Tour’s RBC Heritage down the coast at Hilton Head Island, S.C., washed out the match-play final between the Demon Deacons and defending ACC champion Clemson.

   League rules reverted the outcome back to the 54 holes of stroke play and Wake Forest was crowned the champion.

   Wake Forest was ahead in three matches against Clemson on a messy Sunday in Wilmington after the Demon Deacons had claimed a 3-1 victory over North Carolina in the semifinals earlier in the day.

   With the sun shining a day earlier, Kuehn carded a second straight sparkling 5-under-par 67 in the final round of stroke play over the 6,116-yard, par-72 Porters Neck layout that gave her a 10-under 206 total and a three-shot victory over defending ACC individual champion Amanda Sambach, a junior at Virginia from Pinehurst, N.C. and No. 11 in the Women’s WAGR, and Clemson’s Isabella Rawl, a sophomore from Lexington, S.C.

   Kuehn had matched par in the opening round with a 72.

   Kuehn matched the feat achieved by her mother, then Brenda Corrie, who captured the ACC’s individual crown in 1986 while at Wake Forest. The victory also enabled Kuehn to break a tie with her mom on the all-time Wake Forest individual wins list, Rachel now alone in third place with seven, one more than her mother.

   By the way, I was looping in the U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur at Stonewall’s North Course last September and was in a group with Brenda Corrie Kuehn for a practice round. Guess what, she can still play, a point she drove home a couple of weeks later when she reached the final of the U.S. Women’s Senior Amateur Championship at Troon Country Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

   Rachel Kuehn’s amateur career has been nothing short of star-studded as she recorded the clinching point in back-to-back United States victories in a pair of Curtis Cup Matches played 10 months apart because of the coronavirus pandemic in addition to helping the Demon Deacons capture the first national championship in the history of the program last spring.

   Kuehn has committed to playing for the U.S. in a third Curtis Cup Match this summer at Sunningdale Golf Club’s Old Course in Berkshire, England and it might be tough to deny her a spot on the team the way she’s playing. Kuehn was coming off a tie for eighth place with a 1-over 217 total in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship earlier this month.

   Just as the match-play bracket, had it been completed, came down to a Wake Forest-Clemson final, the 54 holes of stroke play was a battle between the Demon Deacons and the defending champion Tigers.

   Clemson, behind an opening round of 5-under 67 by Rawl, took a two-shot lead over Wake Forest with a solid 10-under 278 and still held a three-shot lead going into the final round after a 6-under 282 in the second round.

   After opening with an 8-under 280, Wake Forest added a solid 5-under 283 in the second round. But with Kuehn leading the way, the Demon Deacons closed with a 10-under 278 for a 23-under 841 total. Clemson matched par in the final round with a 288 and settled for runnerup honors with a 16-under 848 total that was seven shots behind Wake Forest.

   Rawl added back-to-back 1-under 71s in the final two rounds following her opening-round 67 to get a share of second place in the individual chase with Sambach at 7-under 209, three shots behind Kuehn.

   It was the eighth ACC crown for Wake Forest and its third in the last five years, paralleling Kuehn’s career with the Demon Deacons.

   Wake Forest will get to begin its road toward a possible repeat as national champion close to home as the Demon Deacons will play host to the NCAA Bermuda Run Regional at the Bermuda Run Country Club in Bermuda, N.C. and will be the top seed when the regional tees off May 6.

   Clemson is headed for the Bryan Regional at the Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas where the Tigers will be the three seed.

   The top five teams and the best individual from a non-advancing  team at the regionals advance to the NCAA Championship, which tees off May 17 at the Omni Resort & Spa’s Champions Course in Carlsbad,  Calif.

   Virginia, behind Sambach, finished in third place after three rounds of stroke play at Porters Neck with an 8-under 856 total that left it eight shots behind Clemson. The Cavaliers matched par in the second round with a 288 after opening with a 5-under 283 before closing with a 3-under 285.

   Sambach was typically solid, carding back-to-back 2-under 70s in the first two rounds before closing with a 3-under 69 to get her share of runnerup honors at 7-under.

   Virginia will be the four seed in the Cle Elum Regional at Tumble Creek Golf Club in Cle Elum, Wash.

   North Carolina earned a spot in the ACC semifinals as the Tar Heels finished nine shots behind Virginia in fourth place with a 1-over 865 total. After opening with a solid 5-under 283, North Carolina added a 4-over 292 in the second round before closing with a 2-over 290.

   The Tar Heels will be seeded fifth in the Auburn Regional at the Auburn University Club in Auburn, Ala.

   Perennial ACC power Duke finished a shot behind North Carolina in fifth place in the 12-team field at Porters Neck as the Blue Devils closed with a solid 7-under 281 to finish with a 2-over 866 total.

   Duke will join Virginia out west in the Cle Elum Regional, where the Blue Devils will be seeded second.

   One of the reasons Wake Forest has not suffered much of a dropoff this season has been the performance of its two freshman, Macy Pate, a home girl from Winston-Salem, N.C, and Brooke Rivers of the Turks & Caicos Islands.

   Both earned match-play wins in the Demon Deacons’ 3-1 victory over North Carolina in the semifinals. Pate claimed a 3 and 2 victory over Ing Iadpluem, a freshman from Thailand, and Rivers pulled out a 1-up decision over Kayla Smith, a fifth-year player from Burlington, N.C.

   Wake Forest’s other point came from Carolina Chacarra, a junior from Spain and No. 44 in the Women’s WAGR, as she captured a 3 and 2 victory over Inez Ng, a sophomore from Singapore.

   North Carolina’s full point came from Reagan Southerland, a freshman from Atlanta, Ga. who took a 4 and 3 decision over Mimi Rhodes, a senior from England.

   Kuehn’s match with Megan Streicher, a sophomore from South Africa, was abandoned after Wake Forest’s victory was assured.

   Rawl claimed a 4 and 3 victory over Jaclyn LaHa, a freshman from Pleasanton, Calif., in Clemson’s 3-2 semifinal victory over Virginia.

   The Tigers also got full points from Melena Barientos, a junior from Plano, Texas who edged Megan Propeck, a junior from Leawood, Kan., 2-up, and Sydney Roberts, a sophomore from Chesnee, S.C. who pulled out a 1-up decision over Rebecca Skoler, a senior from Needham, Mass.

   Sambach earned a point for Virginia with a 3 and 2 victory over Annabelle Pancake, a senior from Zionsville, Ind. Celeste Valinho, a graduate student from Jacksonville, Fla., picked up the other point for the Cavaliers, cruising to a 5 and 4 decision over Chloe Holder, a junior from Anderson, S.C.

   Chacarra backed up Kuehn in the 54 holes of stroke play as she added back-to-back 1-under 71s in the final two rounds to her opening round of 3-under 69 to finish in a tie for fifth place with a 5-under 211 total.

   Pate and Rivers, the two freshmen, were solid, finishing among a trio of players tied for 13^th place at 2-under 214. After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Pate carded back-to-back 1-under 71s in the last two rounds. Rivers sandwiched a 4-over 76 in the second round with a pair of solid 3-under 69s.

   Rounding out the Wake Forest lineup was Rhodes, who matched par in the final round with a 72 to finish among a trio of players tied for 17^th place at even-par 216. Rhodes opened with a solid 2-under 70 before adding a 2-over 74 in the second round.

   Kuehn, Chacarra and Rhodes were all in the lineup in Wake Forest’s victory over Southern California in the Final Match last spring at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz.

   Miami’s Sue Byrne, a senior from Ireland, has been solid all season for the Hurricanes and she finished alone in fourth place in the individual standings with a 6-under 210 total that left her a shot behind Sambach and Rawl. After opening with a 1-over 73, Byrne carded a 1-under 71 in the second round before closing with a sizzling 6-under 66, the best individual round of the tournament.

   Byrne and the Hurricanes will join North Carolina in the Auburn Regional, where Miami is seeded ninth.

   Joining Wake Forest’s Chacarra in the tie for fifth place at 6-under was North Carolina State’s Isabel Amezcu, a senior from Mexico who sandwiched a 71 in the second round with a pair of 2-under 70s.

   Amezcu and her N.C. State teammate Lauren Olivares Leon, a junior from Mexico, will compete as individuals in the Bermuda Run Regional.

   Olivares Leon was part of a trio of players tied for seventh place in the individual chase at Porters Neck at 4-under 212 as she added a 70 in the second round to her solid opening round of 3-under 69 before closing with a 1-over 73.

   Joining Olivares Leon at 4-under were Florida State’s Mirabel Ting, a sophomore from Malaysia and No. 13 in the Women’s WAGR, and Virginia Tech’s Valentine Deion, a freshman from France.

   Ting bounced back from an opening round of 2-over 74 with a 2-under 70 before finishing strong with a 4-under 68.

   Florida State was playing without Lottie Woad, a sophomore from England who rose to No. 2 in the Women’s WAGR following her victory in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship. While the ACC Championship was being contested, Woad was teeing up in the Chevron Championship, the LPGA Tour’s first major championship of the year. Woad made the cut and finished in a tie for 23^rd place while making her debut in a major professional championship.

   The Seminoles will be the four seed in the Las Vegas Regional at Spanish Trail Country Club.

   Florida State gave the ACC two teams in the match-play bracket at Grayhawk a year ago, the Seminoles falling to their ACC rival Wake Forest in the quarterfinals.

   Deion added a 71 in the second round to her opening round of 3-under 69 before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Deion and Virginia Tech will join ACC rivals Virginia and Duke in the Cle Elum Regional in Washington. The Hokies are seeded eighth.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the individual standings at Porters Neck were three players tied for 10^th place at 3-under 213, including the Clemson pair of Pancake and Roberts and North Carolina’s Streicher.

   Pancake matched par in the second round with a 72 after opening with a 2-under 70 before closing with a 71. Roberts matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a solid 4-under 68 in the second round before finishing up with a 1-over 73.

   Streicher got off to a strong start, adding a 70 in the second round to her opening round of 3-under 69, before closing with a 2-over 74.

   Duke senior Phoebe Brinker, an Archmere Academy product, finished among the group tied for 20^th place with a 1-over 217 total. Brinker, winner of the ACC’s individual crown two years ago as a sophomore, followed up an opening round of 1-over 73 by matching par in each of the final two rounds with a pair of 72s.

   The Blue Devils’ standout freshman, Katie Li of Basking Ridge, N.J., finished among a trio of players tied for 35^th place in her first shot at the ACC Championship with a 5-over 221 total. Li, coming off a standout career as a junior player, struggled a little in the first two rounds, opening with a 4-over 76 and adding a 78 in the second round, but finished strong, tallying a sparkling 5-under 67.

   Three other ACC players – the Louisville pair of Carmen Griffiths, a junior from Scotland, and Hana Ryskova, a graduate student from the Czech Republic, and Notre Dame’s Lauren Beaudreau, a graduate student from Lemont, Ill., -- will compete as individuals in the East Lansing Regional, hosted by Michigan State at the Forest Akers West Course.

   Griffins finished in a tie for 38^th place in the ACC Championship with a 6-over 222 total, Ryskova landed in the group tied for 29^th with a 3-over 219 total and Beaudreau ended up among the group tied for 20^th with a 1-over 217 total.