15 women’s freshmen to watch in the 2022-23 season

Classes are officially back in session, which means college golf is set to officially tee off for the 2022-23 season this month.

As colleges and universities across the country are welcoming their student-athletes back to campus, most of the nation’s attention will be fixated on the preseason All-Americans and ANNIKA Award Watch List, but there are more than a few new faces in the college game that will be contributing immediately for their teams. It won’t take long for many of these golfers to become national stars.

These are the women’s newcomers to college golf that fans may want to keep an eye on this season.

Kynadie Adams, Alabama

Kynadie Adams watches her drive on the hole eight tee during the first round of stroke play at the 2022 U.S. Girls’ Junior at The Club at Olde Stone in Bowling Green, Ky. on Monday, July 18, 2022. (Kathryn Riley/USGA)

Kynadie Adams won two matches in the U.S. Girls Junior in Kentucky. She also finished T-9 in the Polo Golf Junior Classic in June. Adams, from Tennessee, is ranked 11th in the Golfweek Sagarin rankings and could make an immediate impact for the Crimson Tide.

Beth Coulter and Paula Schulz-Hanssen, Arizona State

Paula Schulz-Hanssen, of Germany, tees off during the playoff for the final spot of the second round of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur at Champions Retreat.

The Sun Devils have a pair of Europeans coming in who each have had stellar careers thus far. Beth Coulter, from Ireland, was crowned AIG Women’s Irish Open Close champion earlier this year. Meanwhile, Schulz-Hanssen, from Germany, is ranked 82nd in the World Amateur Golf Ranking and won the European Ladies Amateur Championship in 2020. She finished 21st at the Augusta National Women’s Amateur earlier this year. 

Megha Ganne and Kelly Xu, Stanford

Megha Ganne putts on the first hole during the second round of stroke play at the 2022 U.S. Women’s Amateur at Chambers Bay in University Place, Wash. on Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2022. (Darren Carroll/USGA)

The rich get richer. Defending national champion Stanford is only strengthening its lineup with Megha Ganne and Kelly Xu. Ganne, the 2021 AJGA Rolex Junior Player of the Year, and Xu, who’s ranked in the top 15 of Golfweek’s Sagarin and AJGA rankings, should make the Cardinal even deeper and more dominant. In Stanford’s first tournament in the Carmel Cup at Pebble…