Ganne, Cardinal Win 2023 Carmel Cup

PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. — A new season is underway for Stanford women's golf, and it got off to a near-identical start to how last year began. The top-ranked Cardinal wrapped up the Carmel Cup in style on Sunday afternoon, winning the tournament for the second-consecutive season, while Megha Ganne took home the individual championship, giving Stanford its second-straight champion in the event.
 
The headliner all weekend long for the Cardinal was the performance of Ganne, who stole the show en route to her first collegiate tournament win. She was steady as can be during all three rounds, but perhaps her most consistent round came on Sunday. She finished with a 5-under 67, and she never had a bogey during her final 18 holes of golf, wrapping up the win without much doubt. She entered the day with a three-stroke lead for first, and her 67 was good enough to pad that lead by an additional stroke. Her three-round total of 201 is the best tournament of her career as a Cardinal, seven strokes better than the 2022 Carmel Cup. The 201 is also tied for the fifth-lowest 54-hole score in Stanford history.
 
In wrapping up the win, Ganne secured the second-straight individual title for a Stanford golfer in the Carmel Cup, after Rose Zhang won the event last year.
 
On Sunday, it was Kelly Xu who emerged as the second-leading golfer of the pack for the Cardinal. She continued to improve all weekend, and saved her best golfing for the back nine on Sunday, where she compiled three bogeys and finished the round with a 69, just one stroke shy of her collegiate best. She finished 12th overall in the field and third in the Cardinal lineup.
 
Perhaps the biggest improvement of the weekend came from Caroline Sturdza, who turned in her best round of the weekend on Sunday. She started with three-consecutive birdies and recorded five total on Sunday, completing the final 18 holes with a 1-under 71, her lowest score of the weekend and her best round since the 2021-22 season.
 
Paula Martin Sampedro finishes her first collegiate tournament tying for sixth overall, rounding out her inaugural performance with a 2-over 74. Sadie Englemann was the other golfer to score on Sunday for Stanford, posting a 1-under 71, highlighted by an eagle on the 18th hole.
 
Stanford put things on cruise control Sunday in the final round, finishing with another 352, matching their round one score. Going 8-under on Sunday gave them plenty of cushion as they closed out the tournament, as Arkansas finished just 1-under par in the final round. Stanford finished 22 strokes under par for the tournament, securing the win by eight strokes over the Razorbacks and 12 strokes over Texas A&M.
 
Stanford will next be in action on September 28 with the annual Big Match against California, taking place at Menlo Country Club. The next tournament for the Cardinal will be the Stephen's Cup on Oct. 9-11 at Trinity Forest Golf Club in Dallas, Texas.
 

Carmel Cup (Pebble Beach Golf Links, par 72)