CLE ELUM, Wash. — When the weather cools down and the wind picks up, the Stanford women's golf team heats up. That was the case once again on Tuesday during the second round of the NCAA Cle Elum Regional at Tumble Creek Club, where the top-ranked Cardinal pulled ahead of the field and got one step closer to winning its regional for the second year in a row.
With temperatures in the mid-40s and wind gusts around 20 miles per hour on Tuesday, playing conditions were arguably slightly worse than Monday's opening round. Scores across the 12-team field reflected that: the only team to finish better than par on Tuesday was Stanford, finishing with a 14-under 274 as a group. That is tied for the third lowest team score by Stanford in an NCAA Regional, trailing only the first and third rounds of last year's Pullman Regional.
Crushin' it in Cle Elum ??
— Stanford Women's Golf (@StanfordWGolf) May 7, 2024
Our 14-under on Tuesday is tied for the third lowest team round by Stanford in NCAA Regional history!#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/9bRS4VWmjZ
Duke opened the day leading by one stroke over Stanford, but that lead quickly evaporated and turned into a massive deficit. Stanford now holds a 12-stroke lead over the Blue Devils after Duke shot even with par in the second round. The next closest team to par for the day was Virginia, checking it at 8-over.
The top of the leaderboard could not get any better for Stanford, as Cardinal golfers occupy the top three spots heading into Wednesday's final round. Paula Martin Sampedro, Rachel Heck, and Kelly Xu are all in contention for an individual win, and all carry a lot of intrigue into their third round of competition.
In what has been a stellar first season for the freshman from Madrid, Spain, Martin Sampedro accomplished something on Tuesday she has not done yet as a Cardinal. She shot her second consecutive round in the 60s on Tuesday, matching her first round 4-under 68. This puts her one step closer to another first in her collegiate career, and that would be an individual win. During the second round, she birdied six times, including four on the back nine to take over the lead and fend off her hard-charging teammates.
Heck has done just about everything during her Stanford career, from winning an individual national championship to being part of a team national championship, and has eight career wins. Her ninth career win is in striking distance after a career-best round in the NCAA Regionals, shooting a 7-under 65 on Tuesday. Heck fired a clean round without any bogeys, including five birdies and an eagle on 14. Her 65 tied the Tumble Creek Club women's course record, set during the 2019 NCAA Cle Elum Regional by current assistant coach Brooke Riley. It trails only the 8-under 64 by Bailey Davis of Tennessee for the lowest round of any regional in 2024.
Just another milestone for @rachelheck2020.
— Stanford Women's Golf (@StanfordWGolf) May 8, 2024
Her 7-under 65 on Tuesday ties the Tumble Creek Club women's course record!
Who did she tie for that record? None other than current assistant coach @_brooke_riley during the 2019 NCAA Regional!#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/4IziCLEChK
After an early hiccup, Xu played clean golf to the tune of four birdies over her final 14 holes of golf to finish the day with a 3-under 69, vaulting herself into third overall in the field. Xu has been on quite the run as of late, with four straight rounds of 70 or better, the longest such streak of her career. Like Martin Sampedro, she is vying for her first collegiate win, and with the way she has been performing as of late, she is very much in contention.
Despite early struggles, both Megha Ganne and Sadie Englemann rebounded to land inside the top-20 through 36 holes. Ganne was 4-over on the front nine but went 3-under on the back nine with four birdies to finish with a 1-over 73. Englemann was 2-over through seven, but finished with an even 72, thanks in part to an eagle on 14.
The final round of the Cle Elum Regional begins at 9:00 am on Wednesday, with Stanford among the first tee off for the third day in a row. Wednesday's round will conclude the regional, with the top five teams advancing to the NCAA Championship in Carlsbad on May 17-22. Stanford is 36 strokes above the team cut line.
NCAA Regionals (Tumble Creek Club, par 72)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanford | 284 (-4) | 274 (-14) | -- | 558 (-18) |
| 1. Paula Martín Sampedro | 68 (-4) | 68 (-4) | -- | 136 (-8) |
| 2. Rachel Heck | 72 (E) | 65 (-7) | -- | 137 (-7) |
| 3. Kelly Xu | 70 (-2) | 69 (-3) | -- | 139 (-5) |
| 16. Megha Ganne | 74 (+2) | 73 (+1) | -- | 147 (+3) |
| T17. Sadie Englemann | 76 (+4) | 72 (E) | -- | 148 (+4) |