DALLAS, Calif. — Rounding out play in the Stephens Cup, Stanford women's golf drew South Carolina in match play. With a win, Stanford would wrap up third place in this year's tournament, and that's exactly what they did. The Cardinal dropped the first point of the match but proceeded to win the next four, closing out South Carolina 4-1 and leaving Trinity Forest Golf Club on a high note.
Caroline Sturdza def. Hannah Darling, 2&1
The only Cardinal to take the lead on the first hole and never relinquish it was Caroline Sturdza, who bested Hannah Darling on the first hole with a par. Sturdza maintained a one stroke lead until winning holes seven and nine to go up three strokes at the turn. Despite it closing back down to a two-stroke lead on the 14th hole, Darling never got closer than that, with Sturdza knocking down a birdie putt on 17 to secure the point.
Kelly Xu def. Vairana Heck, 4&3
Despite the margins being narrow early between Kelly Xu and Vairana Heck, Xu was able to pull ahead late and win in dominant fashion. The match was tied through six holes, but Xu birdied on seven and recorded par on eight to jump two strokes ahead of Heck. She then won consecutive holes again on 12 and 13 to balloon the lead to four strokes, and coasted from there, ending the match on the 15th hole.
Louise Rydqvist def. Sadie Englemann, 6&4
Sadie Englemann fell behind against Louise Rydqvist of South Carolina in the third hole and was never able to recover, after a strong run from Rydqvist. Englemann held her own for eight of the 14 holes golfed, but dropped six, including three of the final five holes, which ended the match early. While the first point on the day went to South Carolina, it would be the last point going to the fourth seed.
Megha Ganne def. Maylis Lamoure, 1up
Megha Ganne had to endure possibly the tightest match of the day. She trailed virtually the entire front nine, including being two strokes down through eight holes. Ganne then went on an impressive run where she beat Maylis Lamoure on three consecutive holes (9-11) to turn a deficit into a one stroke lead. It would get tied back up by the 15th hole, but another birdie for Ganne on 16 gave her a one stroke lead. Ganne then recorded pars on the final two holes, including the 18th which gave her fits on Tuesday, to lock up a point.
Paula Martin Sampedro def. Mia Sandtorv Lussand, 2&1
Ending at nearly the same time as Ganne was Paula Martin Sampedro, capping off a solid weekend for the freshman in her second collegiate tournament. The score was tied through three holes between her and Mia Sandtorv Lussand, but Martin Sampedro birdied on both 4 and 5 to open up a two-stroke lead. It began to narrow late in the match, with Sandtorv Lussand pulling within one stroke after winning the 14th and 15th holes, but Martin Sampedro birdied on 17 to clinch the point and end it in style.
The Cardinal return home to host the Stanford Intercollegiate on Oct. 20-22. Stanford has won the Intercollegiate each of the last two seasons and five times overall, tied for the most in the history of the event.
