PAWLEYS ISLAND, S.C. (theACC.com) – Headlined by a stellar showing on the back nine, top-seeded Wake Forest stormed back to earn a 3-1-1 match play victory against No. 2 Florida State to win the 2022 ACC Women’s Golf Championship at The Reserve Golf Club. It was Wake Forest’s seventh overall ACC women’s golf title and second under head coach Kim Lewellen.

Florida State led on three of the five matches at the turn, but Wake Forest countered to earn on the back nine.

“What a great venue and what a great group of young ladies,” said Lewellen. “They've worked exceptionally hard. After the COVID year, we were having such a great season and had a great season last year but we didn't finish like we wanted to so it’s just extra special to win it this year.

“Coach (Ryan) Potter and I, we kept talking back and forth in reference on who to go to and who we felt like we could turn the needle a little bit and, well, we felt like we were turning the needle but then all the rest of them were as well,” Lewellen said in reference to the comeback and strong play on the back nine. “It was a real exciting event. The emotions that you go through on 18 holes. We were down, we were even and then we're up, so just thrilled to be where we're at right now.”

Florida State’s Charlotte Heath opened the scoring in the match with a 3&1 win against Wake Forest’s Carolina Lopez-Chacarra. Heath won holes 3-5 to take the early lead in the match and closed out the victory with a birdie on hole No. 17.

Wake’s Rachel Kuehn and Florida State’s Amelia Williamson were the first pair off the tee and neither led by more than one hole, with the match decided on the final hole when Kuehn made an incredible putt for eagle to give the Demon Deacons their first win and knot the match at one apiece.

Virunpat Olankitkunchai gave the Deacs’ their first lead of the day, defeating the Seminoles’ Beatrice Wallin, 2&1, in the final group. After tying holes 11-14, Olankitkunchai shot even par on holes No. 15, 16 and 17 to earn the win and push the Wake Forest advantage to 2-1.

Minutes later, Lauren Walsh clinched the championship for the Demon Deacons with a stellar birdie putt on hole 18 to defeat Alice Hodge and give Wake Forest its second ACC title in the past three years the event has been held.

“I love match play,” Lewellen added. “I mean, look how exciting it is. I think it gets us ready for NCAA play as well because it's the format that we're going to have at our championships”

Wake Forest’s Mimi Rhodes was 1UP through 17 on Cecilie Finne-Ipsen when the match was clinched, so the match was recorded as a tie. Rhodes had a hole-in-one on No. 12 to highlight the final day of competition with the second ace of the week, as Louisville’s Carly Haines had one on No. 7 Thursday.

Four ACC teams are ranked in the most recent Golfstat Top 25 rankings (April 5). No. 4 Wake Forest leads the way and is followed by No. 8 Virginia, No. 16 Florida State and No. 24 Duke. In the Golfweek/Sagarin rankings (April 8), Wake Forest is No. 5, Virginia is No. 10, Florida State is No. 13 and Duke is No. 23.

“We are a very strong golf conference, so you've got to come to championships with your A game and continue to have your A game through in order to win.”

The NCAA regionals are scheduled for May 9-11 with bids announced Wednesday, April 27 at 5 p.m. on Golf Channel.
 
2022 ACC Women’s Golf Championship – Match Play Final
#1 Wake Forest def. #2 Florida State, 3-1-1
Rachel Kuehn (WF) def. Amelia Williamson (FSU), 1UP
Charlotte Heath (FSU) def. Carolina Lopez-Chacarra (WF), 3&1
Lauren Walsh (WF) def. Alice Hodge (FSU), 1UP
Mimi Rhodes (WF) tied Cecilie Finne-Ipsen (FSU), unfinished at time match was clinched
Virunpat Olankitkunchai (WF) def. Beatrice Wallin (FSU), 2&1
Order of finish: 2,1,5,3