Hannah Darling still in running for Annika Award as she heads for NCAA Championship

Hot on the heels of her latest eye-catching display for South Carolina, having played a pivotal role in the ‘Gamecocks’ reaching this week’s NCAA Championship, Hannah Darling has made the shortlist for US college golf’s coveted Annika Award.

Initially named among 15 players in the running for the outstanding women’s college golfer of the year, Darling is now one of just ten players still in the frame, with her rivals including world No 1 and Augusta National Women’s Amateur champion Rose Zhang.

Sophomore Darling, who came through ranks at Broomieknowe on the outskirts of Edinburgh, recorded six top-ten finishes for South Carolina this season despite playing the fourth-toughest schedule while her scoring average was 71.09.

With seven wins, Stanford star Zhang is a hot favourite to become just the third player to win an award bearing Annika Sorenstam’s name for a second time, but Darling has already done herself proud by getting this far in the process.

Hannah Darling, right, celebrates with one of her team-mates after South Carolina progressed to this week's NCAA Women's Division 1 Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona. Picture: Gamecocks Golf.

England’s Charlotte Heath (Florida State) is also on the shortlist, as is Darling’s South Carolina team-mate Jenny Bae along with Zoe Campos (UCLA), Rachel Kuehn (Wake Forest), Andrea Lignell (Ole MIss), Ingrid Lingblad (LSU), Julia Lopez Ramirez (Mississippi State) and Amanda Sambach (Virginia).

Darling is now gearing up for the NCAA Division 1 Championship, which starts at Greyhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Friday after helping South Carolina reach the final for the third season in a row and 12th time in 16 seasons under head coach Kalen Anderson.

The Gamecocks finished second to Georgia, who were playing on their home course in Athens, in the Regionals, with Darling following opening rounds of 71-72 with a brilliant bogey-free five-under-par 67 to claim third spot in the individual standings.

It was the Scot’s second consecutive top-five finish at the NCAA Regionals and now she’ll be hoping to bring down the curtain on her second season playing US college golf with another big performance.

“It was a really good effort, and I’m very proud of the way they played,” said Anderson of the ‘Gamecocks’ progressing again. “We’re headed out west to Arizona, going after a National Championship, and that’s what we’re going to focus on.”