STANFORD, Calif. – The inaugural Big Match, a mixed competition between the Stanford and Cal men's and women's golf teams, will be contested Thursday at Menlo Country Club in Woodside, California.
Conceived by Cardinal alum and Menlo member Mark Pitchford '81, a former men's basketball player, the event features many of the top talents in collegiate golf. Six matches will be played, with one point awarded to the winning team.
"In 2014, Menlo Country Club debuted a completely redesigned golf course that in four short years has become one of the finest member courses in Northern California," he said. "It was done to challenge players of the highest caliber and presents a perfect match play test. We are hopeful that we have established yet another tradition shared by two of the finest academic institutions in the world.".
Nationally, Stanford is No. 24 and Cal No. 25 in the men's team rankings, while the Cardinal women list No. 6 and Cal No. 40.
"It is an honor to be invited by the membership of Menlo Country Club to compete against the Cal golf programs," said said Anne Walker, the Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women's Golf. "The club and both golf programs have a rich history of camaraderie and competition on the Stanford and Cal sides. It should be a great way to showcase the highest level of men's and women's collegiate golf in a unique format on a challenging and picturesque course."
On the men's side, senior Colin Morikawa of Cal is No. 3 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, while Stanford seniors Isaiah Salinda and Brandon Wu are No. 35 and No. 41, respectively. Morikawa is No. 3 in this week's Golfweek/Sagarin Rankings. Salinda checks in at No. 50 and Wu is No. 74.
Juniors Andrea Lee and Albane Valenzuela of Stanford are No. 5 and No. 6, respectively, in the World Amateur Rankings. In the Golfweek/Sagarin poll, Lee is No. 6, Valenzuela No. 29, Mika Liu No. 64 and Marianne Li of Cal No. 77.
Pairings:
Match 1 - 12:00 p.m. - Nate Menon / Kelsey Zeng (S) vs. Sofia Lundell / Marianne Li (C)
Match 2 - 12:12 p.m. - Henry Shimp / Maddie Chou (S) vs. KK Limbhasut / Elena Arias Quiros (C)
Match 3 - 12:24 p.m. - Ashwin Arasu / Mika Liu (S) vs. Ben Doyle / Amina Wolf (C)
Match 4 - 12:36 p.m. - David Snyder / Ziyi Wang (S) vs. James Song / Katherine Zhu (C)
Match 5 - 12:48 p.m. - Brandon Wu / Albane Valenzuela (S) vs Seb Crampton / Maria Herraez Galvez (C)
Match 6 - 1:00 p.m. - Isaiah Salinda / Andrea Lee (S) v. Collin Morikawa / Cindy Oh (C)
For results, visit GoStanford.com.