STANFORD, Calif. — No. 3 Stanford women’s golf is getting a lot of home cooking on Stanford Golf Course. With a home-course advantage this week at the Stanford Intercollegiate, hosted by Dr. Condoleezza Rice, the Cardinal are on pace to shatter the women’s team course record. Through two rounds, Stanford holds a commanding lead entering the final round on Sunday morning.
The Stanford Golf Course women’s team record is held by Stanford – twice in 2021: first, at the 2021 Stanford NCAA Regional, and later at the 2021 Stanford Intercollegiate (28-under). Stanford only needs to shoot 3-under as a team to match that record. If they shoot 6-under or better, they’ll have the third-best team score in program history.
The biggest riser of Saturday was Kelly Xu, who turned in the best round of the morning for the Cardinal with a 4-under 67. Her front nine was spotless, with three birdies on the first nine holes of the day. Her lone blemish came on 11 with a bogey, but by the end of the round, she rebounded with consecutive birdies on 17 and 18. Those final two birdies moved her into a tie for fourth by the end of the round, at one point moving up as high as second place.
Xu finds herself knotted up with fellow senior Megha Ganne, who shot a 3-under 68 to join Xu at fourth. Like Xu, Ganne registered three birdies on the front nine, and they both birdied seven and nine. Ganne went back-to-back after nine, though, with another birdie on 10 to push herself into the lead. She couldn’t add another circle to her card, but she sits at 5-under for the tournament and just three strokes back of the individual leader.
That individual leader? None other than Paula Martín Sampedro, who is in a great position for her third career win. She shot a 3-under 68 like Ganne, but sits at 8-under through two rounds, with a one-stroke lead over Meghan Royal of UCLA. It was an average start for the junior Spaniard, who was even on the front nine. An eagle on 12 got her going on the back nine, though, and she closed out the round with a birdie on 18 to finish 3-under on the back nine. The eagle was Stanford’s first and to this point only eagle of the Intercollegiate.
Despite winning two tournaments last year, Martín Sampedro has never won outright at the collegiate level. Her wins at The Molly Intercollegiate and the Juli Inkster Invitational were both shared victories.
Stanford is in control of the field by 11 strokes over No. 4 Oregon, and holds a 20-stroke lead over Arizona (5-under) in third.
The final round of the Stanford Intercollegiate takes place on Sunday morning, with the entire field beginning at 8:30 a.m. on every hole with a shotgun start. Stanford will have its lineup on holes 1-4, with the leaders on the first tee. A win would give Stanford its fourth Intercollegiate win in the last five years.
This year’s tournament is being dedicated to Northwestern’s head coach, Emily Fletcher, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010 and completed treatment in 2011. She is a 15-year survivor and a national champion, after her Huskies beat Stanford in the match play finals of the NCAA Championship. Funds raised in honor of Coach Fletcher will be given to Stanford oncologist Dr. Jennifer Caswell-Jin to support her unique efforts in developing a breast cancer vaccine. Consider supporting and learn more about the cause HERE.
Stanford Intercollegiate (Stanford Golf Course, par 71)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanford | 271 (-13) | 272 (-12) | -- | 543 (-25) |
| 1. Paula Martín Sampedro | 66 (-5) | 68 (-3) | -- | 134 (-8) |
| T4. Kelly Xu | 70 (-1) | 67 (-4) | -- | 137 (-5) |
| T4. Megha Ganne | 69 (-2) | 68 (-3) | -- | 137 (-5) |
| T8. Andrea Revuelta | 69 (-2) | 69 (-2) | -- | 138 (-4) |
| T19. Meja Örtengren | 67 (-4) | 73 (+2) | -- | 140 (-2) |
| T19 Nora Sundberg (I) | 71 (E) | 69 (-2) | -- | 140 (-2) |
| T24. Anna Song (I) | 69 (-2) | 72 (+1) | -- | 141 (-1) |
| T39. Kaila Elsayegh (I) | 72 (+1) | 72 (+1) | -- | 144 (+2) |
| T70. Leigh Chien (I) | 74 (+3) | 75 (+4) | -- | 149 (+7) |