PULLMAN, Wash. — The top-ranked team in the country finds itself leading the Pac-12 Championship through 18 holes of golf. Stanford women's golf was the only team to find any type of real success during the first round at Palouse Ridge, with weather playing a real factor in scoring on Sunday.
Temperatures were nearly freezing when play began, with it climbing into the low 40s when Stanford teed off around 10 am. It eventually warmed up into the 50s, but winds remained steady at 15-20 miles per hour all day long in Pullman. 55 golfers entered the field from the 11 teams in the conference, and only five were sub-par on Sunday.
Fortunately for Stanford, two of those five are Cardinal, and another two were even at par, giving Stanford four golfers in the top-10.
Megha Ganne and Rachel Heck find themselves perched near the top of the leaderboard at 1-under, both shooting 71s on Sunday. For Ganne, it was a round full of ups and downs, which included five birdies and four bogeys. She was 2-under through seven holes after consecutive birdies on six and seven, but never was able to get lower than that score. Ganne has now been at par or better in nine of her last 10 finished stroke play rounds.
Heck was the biggest surprise for Stanford and potentially a shot in the arm to position this team well for the NCAA Championship. Entered as the fifth golfer in Stanford's lineup, Heck began the day with a bogey but found success in the middle of the round. From holes 7-15, she piled up four birdies to help get her back on the low side of par, ending with a 71 and her third-best round of the season.
Kelly Xu and Paula Martin Sampedro remain in the mix through day one, both shooting even-72s and landing tied for sixth. Their days went in similar fashions with two birdies and two bogeys, but it was consecutive bogeys on 10 and 11 for Xu that gave her a boost to climb the ladder. By finishing at par on Sunday, Martin Sampedro has been at par or better in 17 of the first 19 rounds in her collegiate career.
With many high scores on Sunday, Stanford finds itself in a great position, though a lot of golf remains. Oregon is next closest to the Cardinal, but they were 5-over as a team on Sunday, giving Stanford a seven-stroke lead over the field. Washington State is third at 9-over and has one of two golfers in the field at 2-under (Madelyn Gamble). Tying her with a 70 on Sunday was Catherine Park of USC.
The second round begins on Monday at 9:00 am with split tee times, while the Cardinal will not get underway until 10:40 am in the final group to tee off.
Pac-12 Championship (Palouse Ridge Golf Club, par 72)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanford | 286 (-2) | -- | -- | 286 (-2) |
| T3. Megha Ganne | 71 (-1) | -- | -- | 71 (-1) |
| T3. Rachel Heck | 71 (-1) | -- | -- | 71 (-1) |
| T6. Paula Martín Sampedro | 72 (E) | -- | -- | 72 (E) |
| T6. Kelly Xu | 72 (E) | -- | -- | 72 (E) |
| T30. Sadie Englemann | 76 (+4) | -- | -- | 76 (+4) |