STANFORD, Calif. – Juniors Casey Danielson and Quirine Eijkenboom carded even-par 71s at Stanford Golf Course on Sunday to lift the ninth-ranked Cardinal to the first-day lead in the Stanford Intercollegiate hosted by Condoleezza Rice. They are tied for sixth individually.
Stanford, the 2015 NCAA champion, finished with a four-player total of 3-over-par 287. UCLA and Washington share second at 289 in the elite 17-team, 54-hole tournament, that features five of the nation’s top 10 programs.
Marissa Chow of Pepperdine fired the low round of the day, fashioning six birdies and only one bogey to shoot a 5-under-par 66. That was one stroke better than 2014 medalist Bronte Law of UCLA, who posted 67.
“Thrilled with the start,” said Anne Walker, the Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women’s Golf. “I think we left a couple of shots out there, just having it be our home course. But I like where we are.”
Teeing off first for Stanford, Eijkenboom birdied the par-5 first and par-3 third holes to get the Cardinal rolling. She finished with four birdies and four bogeys, shooting 1-under on the breezy back nine.
“My approach shots were working today,” said Eijkenboom. “I hit them pretty close and I hit a lot of greens. Whenever I missed a green, I had a good up and down.”
Eijkenboom flagged her third shot to the first hole within five feet of the pin, and nestled a 6-iron to three feet at the third.
“It was nice to get off to a good start,” she said.
Danielson, who teed off second, made three birdies and three bogeys. She toured the front nine in 1-under-par, capped by a big-breaking 15-foot left-to-right birdie putt to the back right pin at the par-4 ninth.
“Pretty consistent and solid today,” Danielson said. “It could have been a few strokes better if I made a few more putts, but can’t complain at even par.”
Danielson said conditions toughened as the day wore on.
“The wind definitely picked up,” she said. “These hole locations are pretty tough. We play here a lot, but we don’t see these tournament hole locations that much. It just took a bit of adjusting and playing a little smarter than we’re used to. But I think as a team we didn’t pretty well with that.”
Sophomore Shannon Aubert shot 72 and is tied for 10th. Seniors Lauren Kim (73) and Mariah Stackhouse (74) are tied for 15th and 25th, respectively.
Walker was pleased to see the bottom part of her lineup make such strong contributions.
“Casey and Quirine have been working really hard,” she said. “They’re terrific players when you look at their resumes for their whole careers. Their games haven’t been where they’ve wanted them to be, but they’ve been putting in the time and the reps. To see it pay off … I couldn’t be happier for them.”
Tee times Monday start at 8:30 a.m. PT on the first and 10th holes. The final round will begin at 7:30 a.m. PT on Tuesday.
“I think it’s going to continue to be tough,” Walker said. “We put some really challenging hole locations out there and that’s to our benefit but can also be to our detriment if we forget. Pretty happy all around.”
Stanford and USC shared the title in 20014.