ARDMORE, PENNSYLVANIA | International amateur golf events such as the Curtis Cup are aspirational targets for any talented young golfers because it is a singular honor. Oftentimes it is a last event before the inevitable decision to play on the professional level.
But for 23-year-old Emilia Migliaccio of Cary, North Carolina, today’s increasing purses on the LPGA Tour and the developmental Epson Tour and endorsement opportunities are not her next step. That’s despite a playing résumé that includes an Atlantic Coast Conference individual and team title at Wake Forest, two first-team All-America selections, a runner-up finish in the Augusta National Women’s Amateur in 2021 and a current World Amateur Golf Ranking of No. 19.
Migliaccio, who played in her second Curtis Cup Match at Merion Golf Club’s famed East Course over the weekend, went 2-1 in her matches as the Americans rolled to a 15½-4½ victory against Great Britain and Ireland.
She decided to remain an amateur because she loves golf but wants a lifestyle that allows her to apply her other talents that are being enhanced as she pursues a two-year master’s degree in communication at Wake Forest.
“Emilia’s decision to remain amateur was not surprising to me,” Wake Forest coach Kim Lewellen said. “I think it surprised many people because she is skillful enough to play at the next level. What so many people didn’t realize at the time are the talents she possesses in other career paths and other options that were available to her.”
Other female players with admirable amateur careers who decided against a professional life are legendary Carol Semple Thompson, who counts seven USGA championships (including the 1973 U.S. Women’s Amateur) and a record 12 Curtis Cup appearances as a player, and Migliaccio’s Curtis Cup captain Sarah LeBrun Ingram, who won three U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur Championships (1991, 1993, 1994) before retiring from competitive golf.
After attending Hollins College where she was a three-sport athlete (field hockey, basketball and lacrosse), Semple Thompson found a banking job that she enjoyed. With two weeks of vacation, she competed in the U.S. Women's Amateur and then the U.S. Women's Open and subsequently made the Curtis Cup team.
"I was a better golfer because I was doing things that were interesting to me," she said.
Migliaccio values a similar balance.
“I realized as much as I love golf – I can practice for eight hours – playing for that adrenaline and stimulation on the first tee is something that I love more than anything else, but it’s not the only thing that I love,” said Migliaccio, a 2021 Wake Forest alumna. “I love other things. As a professional athlete, you must be all-in to your sport. I wasn’t ready to be all-in in my sport because I had other things that I really, really valued.”
Migliaccio read her circumstances like a putt on her home course to realize that amateur golf afforded her a desirable future. The COVID pandemic gave all NCAA student-athletes another year of eligibility, and she wanted to play in the Curtis Cup again after helping the Americans to a 12½-7½ victory over Great Britain and Ireland in Wales last fall. A thoughtful personal analysis will bring Migliaccio back to Wake Forest for college golf in 2022-23.
"I hadn’t planned to play college golf, but throughout the summer I just realized I loved playing golf and how much I missed the competition, but I knew I didn’t want to turn professional."
Emilia Migliaccio
“I had no idea I was going to use my fifth year – my last year of eligibility – when I graduated from college at Wake,” she said. “I knew I was going to grad school, but I thought I was going to use those last two years to get more experience. I had done writing for GolfChannel.com and done a couple of broadcasting events with them. I hadn’t planned to play college golf, but throughout the summer I just realized I loved playing golf and how much I missed the competition, but I knew I didn’t want to turn professional.
“The only logical option was, why don’t I see if I can use that extra year that I had to play in my second year of grad school? And it worked with compliance. I delayed my eligibility. Technically, it’s not a redshirt year. I didn’t play on the team this past year but got all the forms right so I could use the facilities, which was great. I’m excited to be on the team next year.”
In addition to spontaneous travel with her fiancé and their families, Migliaccio can continue covering the sport for Golf Channel and its website, something she sees as a career path.
“Broadcasting is something I see myself doing for a long time,” said Migliaccio, whose Swedish-heritage mother, Ulrika (née Johansson), was an Arizona teammate with Annika Sörenstam and an honorable-mention all-American in 1992. “I’ve developed my skills pretty quickly, and I would be excited to see where that could be headed.”
She gets complete agreement from Mercer Baggs, content manager of GolfChannel.com. Baggs reacted quickly to a company email after Migliaccio’s resume arrived at Golf Channel.
“I beat everyone to the punch and set up an immediate video chat with her,” Baggs said. “I really like her and wanted her to work with us.”
He points to the way she handled finishing second at the 2021 Augusta National Women’s Amateur with maturity and class.
“I got a text from colleague Matt Hegarty asking, ‘Is your intern about to win ANWA?’ ” Baggs said. “It was a good indication of the kind of person she was as she handled defeat. She is mature, and it stands out when you talk to her. Her best trait is that she is engaging. She wants to do more.”
Part of her immersion into golf as a broadcaster is more research and more history.
In May, the U.S. Curtis Cup team held a practice session at Merion, where the most iconic of all lifetime amateurs, Bob Jones, closed out the Grand Slam in 1930 at the U.S. Amateur. Migliaccio and her teammates were treated to a tour of the club’s historical archives with references to Jones’ Slam and Ben Hogan’s 1-iron to the 18th green at the U.S. Open in 1950, which set up his victory in a playoff.
She also experienced some history as she and her teammates attempted to reach the 18th green with a replica 1-iron from the fairway plaque commemorating the historic shot by “Bantam Ben” and the iconic image captured by photographer Hy Peskin.
“I was the only one to hit the green,” Migliaccio said proudly. “It landed 50 or so yards short and then just ran on.
“I had a few people mention Bobby Jones when I said I was staying amateur, and it’s the biggest compliment I could ever get because he was so impressive, and he was so good,” Migliaccio added. “He had a job and then he retired from golf super young. I need to go back and read more about him.”
Migliaccio also embraces the spirit of amateur golf, which resonates in the competition at the Curtis Cup. She fondly remembers the relationships built within the team in 2021 – her teammates kiddingly refer to her as a “Mom” – as well as the time spent with their Welsh caddies, the flag-raising ceremony, the speech by captain Ingram, the respectful and appreciative U.K. crowds and the winning-team photos.
“We won in Wales, but that is not even the fifth or sixth thing that I look back on,” she said. “Winning is just the icing on the cake.”
According to Wake Forest's Lewellen, that type of perspective rings through consistently with Migliaccio.
“Emilia has a growth mindset, always wanting to learn, always listening, and observing experts around her and always trying to be better as a person, professional and as a golfer,” the veteran coach said. “You add an unbelievable work ethic, and that is the recipe for success. I truly believe whatever Emilia decides to do, it will happen. We always joke around here, Emilia for president!”
Pete Kowalski