CARLSBAD, Calif. — Stanford women’s golf sits atop the leaderboard once again at the 2026 NCAA Championship at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad. The Cardinal overcame a difficult start to the day before turning it on late in their round to reclaim the top spot in the 30-team field, while landing two of its golfers in the top five halfway through stroke play.
Stanford struggled through the front nine, but saying the team was struggling is still a relative term. The Cardinal hovered around par for the front half of the round before turning it on once they reached the back nine. Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women’s Golf Anne Walker spoke after the round about how the final six holes were critical to the team’s success. The team put up a total of eight birdies during those holes, finishing with a 6-under round for the second consecutive day, and sitting at 12-under as a team to overtake USC (-9) for the top spot.
Only Oklahoma State (-7) joins Stanford and USC under par. The projected cutline to advance to Monday’s fourth round sits at +10, giving Stanford a comfortable 22-stroke cushion. The more important cutline is that to reach match play on Tuesday. The top eight teams advance to match play, with Texas currently holding the eighth spot at +2.
One of the quickest risers on Saturday came from Meja Örtengren, who put herself all the way into a tie for the individual lead thanks to a heater on the back nine. She was even through the first 11 holes of the round, but then found birdies on three of the next four holes, moving herself into outright second, just one stroke back of the individual leader at the time. Her success, leading to a 68 (-4) came at a time when Stanford desperately needed it, as it helped the Cardinal move from sixth as a team back to the lead.
Heading into Sunday’s third round, Örtengren is tied Farah O’Keefe (Texas) and Kajsalotta Svarvar (Ole Miss) for an individual national championship. 11 golfers are within two strokes of the lead, including the defending national champion, Maria Jose Marin (Arkansas).
Friday’s individual leader, Megha Ganne, remains firmly in contention through 36 holes, dropping down to third overall after shooting a 71 on Saturday. Much like Örtengren, she found her rhythm on the back nine, recording birdies on three of her final six holes of the round. Ganne had been the outright leader on the front nine through six holes after starting at a 1-under clip, but then went 3-over on her middle six holes, which spanned the turn. It’s the best position (tied for fourth) Ganne has been in through two rounds at the NCAA Championship.
Getting back on the right side of par was Paula Martín Sampedro, who shot a 71 to put herself even through the first two rounds of stroke play. She was the lone Cardinal who did not seem to struggle on the front nine, going bogey-free with consecutive birdies on 8 and 9. Those wound up being her holes birdies on the day, but it was good enough to move over 30 spots on the leaderboard. In her first two collegiate seasons, Martín Sampedro finished in the top five at the NCAA Championship. She is four strokes back of that positioning currently.
Stanford tees off at 6:30 am on Sunday for the third round of stroke play, the final round with all 30 teams in the field. The field will shrink to 15 teams following Round 3. Babygrande Golf is providing live coverage of Sunday’s third round.
2026 NCAA Championship (Omni La Costa Resort & Spa, par 72)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Round 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanford | 282 (-6) | 282 (-6) | -- | -- | 564 (-12) |
| T1. Meja Örtengren | 70 (-2) | 68 (-4) | -- | -- | 138 (-6) |
| T4. Megha Ganne | 68 (-4) | 71 (-1) | -- | -- | 139 (-5) |
| T27. Paula Martín Sampedro | 73 (+1) | 71 (-1) | -- | -- | 144 (E) |
| T46. Kelly Xu | 71 (-1) | 75 (+3) | -- | -- | 146 (+2) |
| T64. Andrea Revuelta | 75 (+3) | 72 (E) | -- | -- | 147 (+3) |