FAIRFAX, Calif. — No. 1 Stanford women's golf made the trek north of San Francisco on Monday to begin play in the annual Juli Inkster Invitational at Meadow Club in Fairfax. The Cardinal entered as the defending champions and put on another solid showing after day one, battling through an occasional mist and swirling winds during 36 holes of golf. Stanford blew through the field during the second round and now leads the field by three strokes heading into the final round.
As the wind picked up on Monday, scores got higher, which began to take effect on the back nine of round one. Stanford was paced early by Megha Ganne, who had four birdies on the front nine and was in contention for the lead early. Then it was Sadie Englemann who took over on the back nine, where she recorded three birdies between holes 10-15. Both finished the opening round at 2-under 70, and were well within the top-five.
The second round was a different story for all Cardinal golfers, as Stanford posted its best round of the season, shooting 11-under 277, tied for the 11th-best round in program history and tied for the team's best-ever round at the Juli Inkster Invitational (2022 third round)
Paula Martin Sampedro started about as well as anyone could ask, starting with birdies on the first four holes and shooting 5-under on the front nine. She would record nothing but pars the rest of the way out, solidifying a 5-under 67, tying her best collegiate round. This vaulted her up the leaderboard, holding sole possession of third place.
Ganne and Englemann continued to match each other, putting up the same 2-under 70 as they put up in the first round. Joining them this time around was Caroline Sturdza, who turned in her best round of the season with a 2-under 70. Sturdza recorded five birdies in the round, including consecutive birdies on 15 and 16. Her round alone played a key role in Stanford going from 2-under to 11-under as a team.
Kelly Xu also played steady all day long, picking up the pace during the second round. In the second round, she fluttered around par all 18 holes, finishing even at 72, capping off a round in which the entire team shot par or better.
Three Cardinal are in the top-five after two rounds of golf: Martin Sampedro (third), Englemann (tied-fifth) and Ganne (tied-fifth). Martin Sampedro sits two strokes behind Kyra Ly of Oregon State and Camille Boyd of Washington for the individual lead, while Stanford is three strokes ahead of Washington for the team lead.
The final round of the 2024 Juli Inkster Invitational tees off at 8:30 am on Tuesday, with another shotgun start.
Juli Inkster Invitational (Meadow Club, par 72)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanford | 286 (-2) | 277 (-11) | -- | 563 (-13) |
| 3. Paula Martín Sampedro | 71 (-1) | 67 (-5) | -- | 138 (-6) |
| T5. Sadie Englemann | 70 (-2) | 70 (-2) | -- | 140 (-4) |
| T5. Megha Ganne | 70 (-2) | 70 (-2) | -- | 140 (-4) |
| T27. Kelly Xu | 75 (+3) | 72 (E) | -- | 147 (+3) |
| T32. Caroline Sturdza | 78 (+6) | 70 (-2) | -- | 148 (+4) |