Amanda Sambach is making 6th and possibly last ANWA start before moving on to the medical world
David Cannon
EVANS, Ga. — Amanda Sambach is playing in her sixth Augusta National Women’s Amateur, so when she meets other golfers, some of them competing for the first time in one of the most prestigious events, the usual exchange always comes with a hint of disbelief about how long she’s been around.
“It makes me feel like a grandma here, which is so weird because I feel like I'm not that old,” said the 23-year-old Sambach. “It's a funny idea.”
The seventh edition of the ANWA tees off on Wednesday morning, which means Sambach has played in all but the first one. She’s one of only two to have that honor, the other being Stanford senior Megha Ganne.
While preparing for the event, Sambach has been writing a biology paper—she has one due before she tees it up in the first round here—and playing pickleball. Such is life for the Virginia graduate who is now in school full time, working on a pre-health certificate at Meredith College in Raleigh, N.C. to become a physician’s assistant. She’ll be done with science pre-requisite courses in May and will apply to physician assistant’s school in the spring.
She’s 90 minutes from her parents in Pinehurst, where she grew up and blossomed as an accomplished golfer. Her parents and friends will be here to support her walking these familiar fairways at Champions Retreat, and if she makes the weekend for a fourth straight year, at Augusta National on Saturday as well.
“it's incredible, to be honest. To see how much I've changed over the past six years, I think, speaks a lot to how incredible this event is,” Sambach said. “My first year here, I came in really nervous, just wanting to make the cut and also having no expectations.
“Then the years that followed, building my game up, being more competitive and having more expectations for myself, wanting to kind of compete for the championship. Now potentially in my final year, kind of full circle, just wanting to make the most of this week, and obviously looking forward to spending time with some girls that I haven't seen in a while, so it's nice.”
Sambach is as synonymous with ANWA as Ganne, who declined an interview request through a media representative because she said she had physiotherapy to do.
They are the veterans, and know the ins and outs of the event, the off-course obligations and networking, the amazing opportunity for the 72 players in the field. It’s unknown what Sambach’s game will look like since she doesn’t practice much anymore. But that’s surely not the point at this stage of her career.
“Amanda is amazing. We played a lot of college golf together,” said Emilia Doran, a Golf Channel broadcaster and five-time ANWA participant. “She has such a calm demeanor, and I think that’s what makes her so successful out here. “She’s a really good iron player. … Your game might take a couple shots before you see what you like, but it’s freeing up the expectations.
“For someone like Amanda who has put in all the hours, you don’t lose your game. If she shoots five-under Wednesday, I won’t be surprised. At the same time, if she doesn’t do that, it’s important to remember that she should be really proud to be here and she deserves to be here. To appreciate the walk, especially when you’re starting a new chapter. You don’t know the next time you’ll compete again.”
When Sambach finished her collegiate career last year, she welcomed the time off. Her stance has changed slightly. She misses golf and tennis, which she still plays with her mom. She picked up pickleball with her teammates at Virginia and now plays in Raleigh. She loves it. And as a future physician’s assistant, she could be called upon to help with all the reported injuries in the sport. She said she hasn’t seen anyone get hurt yet.
“I’m super competitive. Honestly, it comes out way more than the golf course,” Sambach said. “It’s weird. I take it very seriously and I don’t take it easy on anyone.”
Her identity is no longer as a student athlete, so most of her peers don’t even know she’s a golfer. Her biochemistry professor and advisor knows, so he’s excited for her this week. When she returns, she’ll have lecture slides on biology, chemistry, anatomy, microbiology and biochemistry to catch up on.
She’s finishing a lab report on a microbiology project. Her professor gave her an unknown sample of a microorganism and she had to do a test and figure out what it was and write about it.
“It’s been busy and a lot. It’s been a nice change of pace to dedicate myself fully to being a student instead of balancing most things,” Sambach said. “I honestly haven’t really given golf too much of a second thought. I’m just trying to finish school, but I’d love to play more competitively coming up.”
She’s thinking about signing up for U.S. Open Women’s qualifying. But first, there’s ANWA again, and she’s been steady and consistent in this tournament. She’s made it to the final round at Augusta National and finished in the top 20 for three consecutive years.
Sambach was an accomplished amateur player and had quite a career at Virginia, where she was the runner-up at the ACC Women’s Championship in 2024 and a four-time All American. In 2023 and 2024, she reached the round of 64 in the U.S. Women's Amateur and represented the United States in the Arnold Palmer Cup. She played on the 2019 Junior Solheim Cup among other prestigious events. And then there’s her history here at ANWA.
It might be her last, but she’s not turning professional, so you never know. She’ll really smelling the azaleas this year and focusing on taking in the experience.
“Part of that is just connecting with people,” Sambach said. “I think that's really important for me, that maybe I haven't done so well in the past as I've been so focused on competing and making sure that I do everything prep-wise to play as well as I can. Still obviously wanting to play well, but I think especially this year, just wanting to be really present and enjoy everything.”
She says she knew early at Virginia that she wasn’t going to turn professional, even if it wasn’t the easiest decision.
“It was definitely really tough. Initially, I wanted to turn professional,” Sambach said. “It was a dream of mine from junior golf to my first or second year in college. That was hard for me. It came down to level of enjoyment. I obviously love the game of golf and am so grateful for all the places it’s taken me, but I didn’t see myself fully invested spending 100 percent of my time in the sport.
“I’ve always been very interested in health care and getting involved with anything science related. I’ve loved science classes. As a mid-level provider, I think it’s a good work-life balance. I considered med school, but I think that was too much. I want to prioritize everything and hopefully having a family and a life outside of work. Hopefully, that gives me a good balance.”
Sambach hopes to make the cut and play at Augusta National on Saturday, but if not, she’ll still be able to play a practice round there Friday, which is the case for everyone in the field. That experience is as good now as it was when she was a teenager.
“It's meant everything. Obviously growing up, seeing it on TV, it's always, like, ‘wow, this place looks incredible.’ Obviously I love to see it in person, but being there, genuinely there are no words really to describe how perfect it is,” Sambach said. “It's truly breathtaking, and it doesn't get any less special over the years, so I'm definitely looking forward to Friday and hopefully Saturday being able to play, too.”
Asked what she’d tell a younger self now that she’s played in six ANWAs, Sambach said: “I think she'd be super proud. Obviously, I made the last three cuts, but it was a dream of mine the first time that I played in it. I think she'd be proud. I'm really happy with where I am now. I'm not pursuing golf professionally, but to be able to be here and enjoy it one last time means a ton.”