PHOENIX, Ariz. – No. 1 Stanford women's golf fired a 1-over 289 to grab an early lead after round one of stroke play at the 2022 NCAA Championships at Grayhawk Golf Club. Freshman Rose Zhang is the solo leader following her 4-under 68, while sophomore Sadie Englemann is tied for third with a 1-under 71.
The wind, at times, gusted to 30 miles per hour throughout Friday's round and the Cardinal was seven strokes better than any other team who played in the day's second wave. Overall, Texas A&M sits in second at 4-over.
"We were prepared for that...we knew it was coming in," Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women's Golf Anne Walker said. "We talked about having to take advantage of the opportunities when we had them because we knew we were going to be really challenged by the wind. It was even more challenging that I think we thought, but I'm very proud of the team. I think it was a collective effort. Some players came up big therre at the end and some players came up big early. All around amazing day."
The Cardinal began its first round on the back nine and Zhang was 2-under 34 with two birdies and seven pars, but started her second nine with a bogey on one and three to fall back to even for the day. She would turn it around, though, with an eagle on No. 4 followed by birdies on No. 7 and No. 8 to take the outright lead at 4-under. On No. 9, her 18th hole of the day, Zhang's drive went into a bunker, but she was able to get out, and then get up and down to save par and maintain the lead.
"I feel like I played the best that I could (given the conditions)," Zhang said. "It was definitely a grind out there. Coach talked about it before the round - it was to be expected. The wind picked up on the back nine. I started off with a bogey on one and a bogey on three, and it was just a constant grind."
Not to be overlooked was Englemann and her 1-under 71. She was 2-over on the front nine, but fired a 3-under 33 on her back nine with three birdies and six pars. Englemann's three birdies all came on consecutive holes, Nos. 2-4.
"I got off to a little bit of a slow start," Englemann said. "Being in the national championship, it was a lot more pressure, a lot more nerves. But finishing two over on the front nine was honestly solid and kept me in it. Then I felt really comfortable the first three holes (of the back) and made three birdies in a row, and that gave me confidence for the rest of the round."
Brooke Seay and Aline Krauter fired identical 3-over 75s. Each was 1-under at the turn, but both had six pars, two bogeys and a double bogey on the back nine. Rachel Heck, playing just her second competitive round since missing over a month due to illness, shot a 4-over 76.
Stanford will tee off at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday morning for round two. They'll once again play with Oregon and South Carolina.
NCAA Championships (Grayhawk Golf Club, par 72)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanford | 289 (+1) | -- | -- | -- | 289 (+1) |
| 1. Rose Zhang | 68 (-4) | -- | -- | -- | 68 (-4) |
| T3. Sadie Englemann | 71 (-1) | -- | -- | -- | 71 (-1) |
| T45. Brooke Seay | 75 (+3) | -- | -- | -- | 75 (+3) |
| T45. Aline Krauter | 75 (+3) | -- | -- | -- | 75 (+3) |
| T55. Rachel Heck | 76 (+4) | -- | -- | -- | 76 (+4) |