KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii — No. 1 Stanford women’s golf closed out its fall season in style, matching the program record for best 18-hole round in relation to par while winning the Nanea Invitational.
Stanford entered the day trailing No. 21 Arizona State by one stroke, but flipped the script in a major way. The Cardinal won by 19 strokes, incredible considering it began the tournament 11 strokes off the lead after 18 holes.
The record books have some new entries after Wednesday’s performance. Stanford shot 23-under as a team in the final round, tying the program record set in 2022 during the first round of the Gunrock Invitational. By shooting 44-under as a team, Stanford sets a new program record on a par-73 course, and going 44 strokes under par is the third-best 54-hole score in relation to par in program history.
The Nanea Invitational created one of the most exciting battles for the win that led to a three-way tie, including Meja Örtengren. She entered the day seven strokes back of the lead, but was on fire, shooting a 7-under 66, forcing herself into a tie with the leaders.
All morning long, Örtengren kept climbing. She moved all the way up to the lead at -10 overall thanks to three consecutive birdies on 17, 18, and 1. Örtengren went to the clubhouse with the lead, but Cindy Hsu of Texas and Anna Davis of Auburn each had one hole remaining. They both birdied, creating a trio at the top to share for the win. For Örtengren, it is her second collegiate win, both coming within the calendar year.
What made the race for the win even more hectic were the other players involved. Kelly Xu and Andrea Revuelta both held a share of the lead with six holes to go, as Revuelta was matching Örtengren shot for shot. Revuelta, who shot a 6-under 67 and finished at -9 overall, bogeyed on her penultimate hole, dropping her from atop the leaderboard. Xu had consecutive bogeys on 15 and 16 that, despite birdies on her final two holes, prevented her from earning a share of the lead.
Meanwhile, Megha Ganne and Paula Martín Sampedro were both vying for a share of the lead. Ganne was two strokes over par after the first round but made up 10 strokes over the final two days, ending with a clean round and a 6-under 67. Martín Sampedro overcame a double bogey on her first hole to shoot a 4-under 69. Both golfers finished at -8 overall, earning ties for fifth, along with Xu.
Stanford’s entire lineup finished inside the top five for the first time in program history. The only comparable instance of this occurring for Stanford came during the 2024 NCAA Cle Elum Regional, when the top four in Stanford’s lineup finished 1-2-3-4.
Stanford won’t be back in action as a team until February with the Arizona Thunderbird Intercollegiate on Feb. 9-10. The team has three stroke play tournaments and one match play date scheduled before the ACC Championship in April.
Nanea Invitational (Nanea Golf Club, par 73)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanford | 282 (-10) | 281 (-11) | 269 (-23) | 832 (-44) |
| T1. Meja Örtengren | 71 (-2) | 72 (-1) | 66 (-7) | 209 (-10) |
| 4. Andrea Revuelta | 71 (-2) | 72 (-1) | 67 (-6) | 210 (-9) |
| T5. Kelly Xu | 69 (-4) | 69 (-4) | 73 (E) | 211 (-8) |
| T5. Paula Martín Sampedro | 71 (-2) | 71 (-2) | 69 (-4) | 211 (-8) |
| T5. Megha Ganne | 75 (+2) | 69 (-4) | 67 (-6) | 211 (-8) |
| T16. Anna Song | 74 (+1) | 72 (-1) | 70 (-3) | 216 (-3) |
| T26. Leigh Chien | 70 (-3) | 75 (+2) | 74 (+1) | 219 (E) |
| T32. Kaila Elsayegh | 72 (-1) | 70 (-3) | 79 (+6) | 221 (+2) |
| T35. Nora Sundberg | 73 (E) | 79 (+6) | 70 (-3) | 222 (+3) |