ALBUQUERQUE, N. Mex. — A heavyweight showdown between two of the best teams in the country went down in the desert on Wednesday afternoon at Twin Warriors Golf Course. Top-ranked Stanford women’s golf squared off against second-ranked Texas in the final round of the inaugural NB3 Collegiate Match Play. Needing to win by two points to secure an overall tournament win, Stanford beat Texas 3-2, giving Texas the women’s team championship, despite the Card going 3-0 in match play.
The first win of the day came from freshman Meja Ortengren, who beat the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year Farah O’Keefe 1up. It was a clean round for Ortengren, compiling five birdies and never trailed in her match despite O’Keefe going over par just once. O’Keefe came charging hard at the end, though. Ortengren led by three strokes with three to play, but O’Keefe birdied on 16 and 17 to force an 18th hole, which Ortengren halved to secure the win. For the week, Ortengren went 3-0 in her first true taste of collegiate match play.
Kelly Xu continued her strong week by beating Angela Heo 3&2 for her second win of the NB3 Collegiate, going 2-0-1. She also had five birdies during her round, but she caught fire on the back nine, with four birdies during a five-hole span (holes 11-15). Much like Ortengren’s win over O’Keefe, Xu faced strong competition in Heo, who scored only one bogey on the round.
The drama intensified on the back nine as Paula Martin Sampedro tried to win it outright for the Cardinal. She engaged in a back-and-forth battle with Cindy Hsu that saw her trailing by two strokes with three to play. Martin Sampedro then knocked down a birdie putt and watched as Hsu bogeyed on 17 to tie the score heading into the final hole. Needing to win the hole for the Card to win the women’s trophy, Martin Sampedro and Hsu both tapped in for par, tying the match individually.
The Cardinal is back in action on its home course Oct. 18-20 at the annual Stanford Intercollegiate, hosted by Dr. Condoleezza Rice. Play begins at 7:30 am on Friday and Saturday, with a shotgun start at 8:30 am on Sunday.
Once again, all teams competing at the Stanford Intercollegiate are supporting the PlayforHer fundraiser to support breast cancer awareness. This year’s event is dedicated to Arizona State Head Coach Missy Farr-Kaye and her late sister, Heather Farr. Heather was diagnosed at the age of 23 and lost her battle five years later. Coach Missy is a two-time survivor of breast cancer. Supporters can help raise money by pledging to sponsor each birdie your favorite team makes, or even better, the entire field! In 2023, there were 763 total birdies made, and on average, each team made 40 birdies. The team with the most birdies will receive an award for helping make an impact through the game of golf. Consider supporting and learn more about the cause HERE.