FORT WORTH, Texas — Top-ranked Stanford women’s golf is the best team in the country for a reason. The team reminded the rest of the NCAA why during the first two rounds of the Charles Schwab Women’s Collegiate Invitational. In a stacked field with several NCAA Championship contenders, the Cardinal holds a commanding lead over the field with 18 holes remaining.
Much like last year’s installment of the event, scores were up across the board at the ever-tough par-70 at Colonial Country Club. High winds plagued many in the field, making conditions tricky on the course. It’s partially why Stanford failed to lead after the first round, but as is so often the case, and as it went last year, the Cardinal rallied back strong as the tournament went on.
In what can be described as one of the deepest collegiate fields of the season, with 11 ranked teams, Stanford is the only team with multiple golfers in the top five through 36 holes. The Cardinal’s 1-under as a team in the second round was the only team round under par on Monday. At 2-over through two rounds, Stanford holds a seven-stroke lead over No. 5 Texas.
Could Tuesday be the day Kelly Xu scores her first career win? She is among some of the best golfers in the country through two rounds. Only Xu and World Amateur No. 1 Kiara Romero shot par or better in both rounds on Monday, with Xu firing a 70 and 68 to finish the day 2-under. Xu trails Farah O’Keefe (WAGR No. 4) and Romero by one stroke for the individual lead and is tied with Rianne Malixi (WAGR No. 14) for third. Both rounds for Xu ended strongly, closing out the first round with a birdie on her final hole, and then adding two birdies over her final five holes in the second round to get one off the lead.
All day long, it was Xu and Meja Örtengren jockeying for position in the top five. Örtengren was the Card’s leader through the first 18 holes, with a 68 in the opening round, including three birdies, two of which came in her final four holes. She cooled off a bit in the second round, with 2-over 72, settling for even par through 36 holes. Still, the sophomore from Sweden finds herself in outright fifth and just three strokes behind O’Keefe and Romero for first.
One of the biggest bounce-backs for Stanford came from Paula Martín Sampedro, who shot a 1-under 69 in the final round to finish the day 2-over. Despite two birdies in the first round, she had three bogeys and a double-bogey in a 3-over 73. Her second round got off to a much better start, with birdies on 1 and 2, adding another on 17. She finds herself tied for ninth after finishing eighth in the tournament one year ago.
The final round of the Charles Schwab Women’s Collegiate Invitational begins at 6:15 a.m. PT on Tuesday. By virtue of their Monday finish, Stanford will not tee off until 7:40 a.m. PT.
Charles Schwab Women's Collegiate Invitational (Colonial Country Club, par 70)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanford | 283 (+3) | 279 (-1) | -- | 562 (+2) |
| T3. Kelly Xu | 70 (E) | 68 (-2) | -- | 138 (-2) |
| 5. Meja Örtengren | 68 (-2) | 72 (+2) | -- | 140 (E) |
| T9. Paula Martín Sampedro | 73 (+3) | 69 (-1) | -- | 142 (+2) |
| T14. Andrea Revuelta | 74 (+4) | 70 (E) | -- | 144 (+4) |
| T46. Anna Song | 72 (+2) | 76 (+6) | -- | 148 (+8) |
| T65. Kaila Elsayegh | 78 (+8) | 74 (+4) | -- | 152 (+12) |