Florida State University Athletics
W. Golf: Seminoles Play For Gold At ACC Championships
4/12/2023 12:34:04 PM | Women's Golf
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Since the 2017 ACC Women’s Golf Championship at The Reserve at Pawley’s Island in South Carolina, Florida State has been the most consistent team in the ACC Championship with five consecutive second place finishes. Florida State’s current run is nearing the success of only Duke’s unprecedented run of 13 straight ACC championships (1996-08) and Wake Forest’s string of six straight second place finishes in conference championship play (2000-05).
Florida State Head Coach Amy Bond, the winningest coach in school history, enters the 2023 ACC Championship at the Sedgefield Country Club with the hope breaking the streak, and finishing as the team champion.
Bond and her Seminoles begin play Thursday looking to win the first ACC championship and starting the most memorable postseason run in school history.
“We have had a lot of really great players who have been disappointed walking off of the 18th green in the last five years,” said Bond. “The players in our program have established a standard of excellence, and winning the ACC Championship would allow us to show the country the excellent program we have at Florida State.”
No. 11 ranked Florida State is the second-highest ranked team in the nation’s best conference for women’s golf. The Seminoles will compete against six teams in the nation’s top 50 — No. 2 Wake Forest, No. 24 Virginia, No. 26 Clemson, No. 30 Duke, No. 47 Notre Dame, No. 50 North Carolina – along with Virginia Tech, Louisville, Notre Dame, Miami and Boston College.
“The conference tournament annually brings out the best in every team,” said Bond. “Except for Boston College, we’ve seen every team in the ACC at least once this year. We have the ability to beat each team, and each team has the ability to play great golf on any given day. We have to play well during the stroke play rounds, to get to the match play rounds. We have a very confident group; a group that has the confidence to play throughout the weekend at Sedgefield.”
The Seminoles tee off on Thursday beginning at 8:50 a.m. with a veteran lineup that consists of fifth-year senior Amelia Williamson, juniors Charlotte Heath and Alice Hodge, sophomore Kaylah Williams, and freshman Lottie Woad.
The Seminoles’ lineup at the ACC Championship is the same group that won the Florida State Match Up in March by 25 strokes, earned a second place finish at the Collegiate Invitational in February, and finished third at the Valspar Augusta Invitational.
Following three rounds of stroke play (two Thursday and one Friday), the top four teams will advance to the match play semifinals beginning Saturday. The championship finals are set for Sunday.
Florida State enters the ACC Championship as the only team with multiple players ranked among the top 10 individuals nationally – Heath (No. 8) and Woad (No. 9).
For Heath, who is ranked third in school history with a 72.07 career stroke average, she will approach her third career ACC Championship the same way she has approached each of the first 26 events of her Florida State career.
“I look at this event the same as every event we have played in this year,” said Heath. “I don’t think there’s any need to add any more pressure. Just get into the top four and have some fun from there.”
With two top-10 finishes in her first two ACC Championship appearances, Heath has every reason to be confident as she steps into the first tee box at Sedgefield. In her first six ACC Championship rounds, she has carded four rounds at par or better, with two rounds at under par.
For Woad, who leads the Seminoles with two wins and seven top 10 finishes in her eight career starts, her outlook on her first career ACC Championship is very similar to Heath’s.
“I’m looking forward to experiencing post-season for the first time with the team” said Woad. “I’m also looking forward to playing at an amazing venue which will test each element of our games.”
Woad enters the 2023 ACC Championship with a school-record 70.32 stroke average in the first eight events of her collegiate career. She has won two individual championships (at the Ivy Intercollegiate and the Florida State Match Up), has finished lower than eighth only once in eight starts, and is a cumulative total of 28 strokes under par for her entire freshman season.
Both Heath and Woad were named to the ANNIKA Award spring watch list in early March.
“This is the point in the season that we have worked so hard to get to – the postseason,” said Bond. “The postseason is when we want to be at our best. I am confident in this group and looking forward to watching us play well.”