KAILUA-KONA, Hawaii — On a fast-moving day at Nanea Golf Club, Stanford women’s golf made a big climb up the leaderboard, sitting with a tie of the lead at the Nanea Invitational. All teams played 36 holes on Monday instead of 18, with weather expected to roll in later in the week.
In a similar fashion to last year’s Nanea Invitational, the Cardinal had to move up the leaderboard quickly. Stanford was 11 strokes off the lead after 18 holes last year, and after this morning’s round, Stanford was again 11 strokes back of Arizona State. Things flipped in the afternoon, as Stanford shot a 280 (-12), tied for the third-lowest round of the day, while the Sun Devils posted a 291, allowing the Cardinal to join the Sun Devils atop the leaderboard.
Last week’s Stanford Intercollegiate champion and reigning Nanea Invitational champion is in position to repeat. Meja Örtengren finishes Monday with a share of the lead at 135 (-11), thanks in part to an incredible 65 (-8) in the second round. It seemed like every hole was a birdie for Örtengren, who had just one bogey with 12 birdies on Monday. Her modest 70 in the opening round put her in contention, but then she found another gear in the second round. Three times in the second round she had consecutive birdies, including three in a row to close out her front nine.
On her home course last week, Ă–rtengren shot a 199 (-14). She is on track to beat that score, in relation to par. Her career-low is 15-under, which she did during her first collegiate win in 2025. A win for Ă–rtengren would give her four in her career, tying her with teammates Paula MartĂn Sampedro and Andrea Revuelta for the most on the active roster.
Stanford’s next two best placers are competing individually, a testament to how deep their roster is. Kaila Elsayegh is working on one of her best tournaments, with a 140 (-6) through 36 holes, in a tie for sixth overall. Like Örtengren, much of her work came in the second round, where she ripped off five birdies and shot a 69 (-4), the lowest round of her career. The start to the season has been stellar for Elsayegh, who has not shot above a 72 in the first five rounds to open her sophomore campaign.
Nikki Oh also delivered a solid Monday, settling in one stroke behind Elsayegh in a tie for ninth. Both of her rounds were a bit more like a rollercoaster, with 12 birdies, but also six rounds that were a bogey or worse. Oh had four consecutive birdies in the opening round from holes 12-15, the longest streak of birdies by a Cardinal this season. In both rounds, Oh finished under par, the first time she has finished under par in consecutive rounds in her collegiate career.
Overall, seven of the nine Cardinal golfers are at par or better heading into the final round. Both golfers who are over par are just one stroke over par.
The final round of the Nanea Invitational takes place on Tuesday with a 10:30 a.m. PT shotgun start. Tuesday was originally slated to be the second round of the tournament, but with an expected storm system rolling in, all teams will play 54 holes over two days to ensure the tournament is completed.
Nanea Invitational (Nanea Golf Club, par 73)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T1. Stanford | 283 (-9) | 280 (-12) | -- | 563 (-21) |
| T1. Meja Ă–rtengren | 70 (-3) | 65 (-8) | -- | 135 (-11) |
| T12. Anna Song | 70 (-3) | 72 (-1) | -- | 142 (-4) |
| T18. Andrea Revuelta | 74 (+1) | 70 (-3) | -- | 144 (-2) |
| T18. Nora Sundberg | 69 (-4) | 75 (+2) | -- | 144 (-2) |
| T31. Paula MartĂn Sampedro | 74 (+1) | 73 (E) | -- | 147 (+1) |
| T6. Kaila Elsayegh (IND) | 71 (-2) | 69 (-4) | -- | 140 (-6) |
| T9. Nikki Oh (IND) | 70 (-3) | 71 (-2) | -- | 141 (-5) |
| T23. Jude Lee (IND) | 69 (-4) | 77 (+4) | -- | 146 (E) |
| T31. Leigh Chien (IND) | 74 (+1) | 73 (E) | -- | 147 (+1) |
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