Determined Hannah Darling lands second US college win in golf legend's event

Having admitted that she was on a mission in her senior year after feeling she’d under-achieved to that point at the University of South Carolina, the 21-year-old landed an eye-catching victory in the season-opening ANNIKA Intercollegiate event in Minnesota.

Held annually at the Royal Golf Club in Minneapolis by the foundation bearing former world No 1 Annika Sorenstam’s name, Darling finished birdie-birdie in the closing round to pip her Gamecocks team-mate Louise Rydqvist by a shot.

Having opened with a brace of 67s, the Broomieknowe player signed off with a 68 to post a career-best score of 202 - 14 under par - as she backed up her breakthrough success in the college game in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate event in March.

In landing her latest victory on US soil, Darling wasted no time in backing up what she had to say after picking up three crucial points in helping a GB&I team captained by Catriona Matthew win the Curtis Cup at Sunningdale for the first time since 2016.

“My goal is to start playing how I know I can play as I don’t feel like I have come near to that,” she told The Scotsman at the Berkshire venue a week past Sunday. “It’s still been great, but I want to lead my team to a National Championship. 

“Me and Lou (Swede Rydqvist) are probably the two leaders on the team and I want to do that for all of us. I want to graduate and leave on a high.

“I’d also love to go and play well in the ANWA (Augusta National Women’s Amateur) again and maybe even get a win as that would be amazing. I know I can do it. It’s just about going out there and putting the ball in the hole.”

The two-time Scottish Girls’ champion also spoke during the Curtis Cup about how she’d taken some time off earlier in the summer, having believed that was the right thing to do at that particular time.

“A lot of people said that it was the wrong decision to not play in July, but deep down, I knew it was,” Darling told golfweek after her win. “So, you know, I just trusted me. And, all along, I’ve trusted me.”

Darling’s total tied for the third lowest in the University of South Carolina’s programme’s history, sharing that mark with All-American Pauline Roussin Bouchard. 

“This is what it’s all about, watching, helping these kids grow and develop,” said South Carolina coach Kalen Anderson of Darling. “We’ve been in a lot of conversations and some tough places, and it’s just amazing. I have the chills. I’m emotional. Couldn’t be any prouder of her right now, where she came from because it was tough.”

Making it a double celebration, Darling also helped the Gamecocks retain the team title by a record 27 shots with a 31-under-par 833 total - the second lowest in the tournament’s history.

Though Darling claimed the individual honours, she had no complaints about an exemption into the LPGA’s The ANNIKA Driven by Gainbridge in November going instead to Rydqvist have the exemption, one she earned for the second straight year.

“In my future, I hope there’s a lot of LPGA events,” said the Scot, who played in the Fir Hills Seri Pak Championship in California earlier this year. “Not that it’s not a great opportunity, it is. But Louise has had a great summer. Louise was the obvious choice.”