PHOENIX — The leaderboard got crowded at the top during the second round of the 2024 PING/ASU Invitational. Top-ranked Stanford women's golf entered the day in second place and two strokes back of the lead, but dropped two overall positions despite remaining two strokes off the lead. It was an even day for the Card, who fall to fourth place but have a great shot to win the tournament on Saturday.
Holding steady at the top of the Stanford lineup is Paula Martin Sampedro, who once again began to find her rhythm in the middle of the round. After starting the day 1-over through seven, she finished the front nine with consecutive birdies and added one more on the 12th hole. Her even-72 for the day puts her tied for eighth overall, four strokes back of the lead and in position to keep her top-10 streak alive.
Had it not been for a bogey on the final hole, Kelly Xu would have been right there with Martin Sampedro in round two. Xu was mostly par on the day, with her lone birdie coming on 14, which led to a 1-over 73 for Xu. She is 1-under for the tournament through two rounds, and tied for 17th overall.
Continuing what has been a great second half of her season, Caroline Sturdza was once again improving as the tournament continued. One bad hole put a cloud over her first round, but she rebounded nicely, with three birdies and an otherwise solid round that saw her shoot a 1-under 71. If the final round of the Juli Inkster Invitational had been finished, Sturdza would be at par or better in three of her last four rounds.
On the individual side of things, Rachel Heck turned in a great second round to improve her positioning on the leaderboard. She was off her game in the first round, but came out of the gates and birdied three of the first five holes. Heck ended the day with five birdies in the round and moved up nearly 30 spots. She does not factor into the team score this weekend for the Cardinal, as she is playing as an individual.
A total of five teams are separated by just three strokes at the top of the leaderboard, with UCLA and Northwestern tied for the lead at 7-under. Baylor led the field with a 9-under round to move up into third place, while Stanford holds fourth and Oklahoma State is fifth. Ellie Bushnell (7-under) of Oklahoma State maintains her overall lead on the field, with a two-stroke lead over a trio of golfers.
The final round of the PING/ASU Invitational tees off at 8:00 am with teams beginning on the first and tenth tee boxes. This will be the final round for Stanford in team competition until the Pac-12 Championships on April 21-23 in Pullman, Washington.
PING/ASU Invitational (Papago Golf Club, par 72)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4. Stanford | 283 (-5) | 288 (E) | -- | 571 (-5) |
| T8. Paula Martín Sampedro | 69 (-3) | 72 (E) | -- | 141 (-3) |
| T17. Kelly Xu | 70 (-2) | 73 (+1) | -- | 143 (-1) |
| T30. Megha Ganne | 70 (-2) | 75 (+3) | -- | 145 (+1) |
| T38. Sadie Englemann | 74 (+2) | 72 (E) | -- | 146 (+2) |
| T47. Caroline Sturdza | 76 (+4) | 71 (-1) | -- | 147 (+3) |
| T55. Rachel Heck | 78 (+6) | 70 (-2) | -- | 148 (+4) |