PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — The 2023-24 season arrived on Friday morning for Stanford women's golf. After winning the Carmel Cup in 2022, the Cardinal set out to defend its crown as September opened up, with the first round taking place at the historic Pebble Beach Golf Links. As was the case one season ago, Stanford came out of the tee box hot, ending the first day of competition in the overall team lead, while also featuring the leading golfer in the field.
Megha Ganne got off to a fast start on Friday, holding off the rest of the field to finish round one in the lead after shooting a 6-under 66. Her first round 66 is the lowest round of her young career at Stanford, besting her 67 that she shot at the NCAA Pullman Regionals in 2023, and three strokes better than her 69 that she fired in the opening round of the Carmel Cup last year.
Stanford loaded up on golfers in the top-four, with two others joining Ganne for great starts. Paula Martín Sampedro made her Stanford debut on Friday and finished tied for fourth after her 2-under 70 landed her inside the top five. She was joined by Rachel Heck, who begins her fourth season as a Cardinal with a 70.
Depth was a strength for Stanford on Friday, with no golfer finishing with a score above 75, or 3-over. In the play-six, score-five format of the Carmel Cup, Sadie Englemann and Kelly Xu each shot a 1-over 73, while Caroline Sturdza shot a 3-over 75.
After beginning last year's Carmel Cup with a team score of 358, the Cardinal shaved off six strokes for a team score of 352, 8-under through 18 team holes of golf. That is one stroke better than Arkansas (-7), and comfortably ahead of both Texas A&M and Mississippi State, who are tied for third at 4-over.
Not only did the Cardinal finish the day on top in their first tournament of the season, Stanford also received a top honor nationally. Announced during competition on Friday, Stanford holds the top spot in the preseason Mizuno WGCA Coaches Poll. The Cardinal received the top ranking ahead of Wake Forest, the defending NCAA national champions, Texas A&M, LSU, and USC. Stanford snagged 11 of the 21 first place votes to pace the field.
Round two gets underway early Saturday morning, with the first tee time scheduled for 6:40 am PT and the final group going at 8:24 am PT, while the final round of the Carmel Cup will take place on Sunday.
Carmel Cup (Pebble Beach Golf Links, par 72)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanford | 352 (-8) | -- | -- | 352 (-8) |
| 1. Megha Ganne | 66 (-6) | -- | -- | 66 (-6) |
| T4. Paula Martín Sampedro | 70 (-2) | -- | -- | 70 (-2) |
| T4. Rachel Heck | 70 (-2) | -- | -- | 70 (-2) |
| Sadie Englemann | 73 (+1) | -- | -- | 73 (+1) |
| Kelly Xu | 73 (+1) | -- | -- | 73 (+1) |
| Caroline Sturdza | 75 (+3) | -- | -- | 75 (+3) |