Ortengren, Ganne lead the way as Stanford closes in on top seed in match play in NCAA Championship at La Costa

 

   Atlantic Coast Conference champion Stanford, No. 1 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings throughout the wraparound 2025-2026 season, was closing in on the top seed in match play following Sunday’s third round of stroke play in the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, Calif.

   The Cardinal are a virtual lock to make it into the match-play bracket, something they’ve accomplished in every season since a layer of match play was added to determine the national champion in 2015.

   Stanford had taken a three-shot lead over Big Ten champion Southern California, No. 2 in the Scoreboard rankings, following a second straight 6-under-par 282 in Saturday’s second round.

   The Cardinal kept the heat on in Carlsbad with the best team round of the tournament, a 9-under 279 over the 6,330-yard, par-72 North Course layout at La Costa in Sunday’s third round that gave them a 21-under 843 total.

   Stanford was led by its dynamic duo of Meja Ortengren, a sophomore from Sweden and No. 6 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), and reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion Megha Ganne, a senior from Holmdel, N.J. and No. 10 in the Women’s WAGR, as they stood in third and fourth place, respectively, in the individual standings.

   Ortengren had a share of the individual lead after two rounds as she added a 4-under 68 in Saturday’s second round to her opening-round 70. Ortengren got it around in a solid 3-under 69 in Sunday’s third round and was alone in third place with a 9-under 207 total, a shot behind the co-leaders, Texas’ Farah O’Keefe, a junior home girl from Austin, Texas and No. 4 in the Women’s WAGR, and Southern Cal’s Catherine Park, a senior from Irvine, Calif. and No. 11 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Ganne had a share of the lead following an opening round of 4-under 68 and added a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round. Ganne added a 3-under 69 that left her a shot behind her teammate Ortengren in fourth place with an 8-under 208 total.

   Southern California, behind Park, wasn’t far behind its old Pac-12 rival as the Trojans posted a 7-under 281 in Sunday’s third round that left them five shots behind Stanford with a 16-under 848 total.

   Southern Cal had opened with a 7-under 281 before adding a 2-under 286 in Saturday’s second round.

   Park had the round of the day, a sizzling 7-under 65, as she gained a share of the lead with Texas’ O’Keefe at 10-under 206. Park had opened with a 2-under 70 and added a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round before going off Sunday.

   The Big 12’s Oklahoma State, No. 21 in the Scoreboard rankings, recorded a solid 3-under 285 to maintain its hold on third place in the team standings with a 10-under 854 total.

   A pair of Cowgirls, Ellie Bushnell, a senior from Granite Bay, Calif., and Marta Silvencho, a junior from Latvia and No. 47 in the Women’s WAGR, were among a trio of players tied for fifth place in the individual standings at 7-under 209.

   Bushnell signed for a 4-under 68 in Sunday’s third round. She had opened with a 68 before falling back a little with a 1-over 73 in Saturday’s second round.

   Silchenko, who had registered back-to-back 2-under 70s in the first two rounds, posted a 3-under 69 in Sunday’s third round to join the group at 7-under.

   Southeastern Conference power Texas, behind O’Keefe, was four shots behind Oklahoma State in fourth place with a 6-under 858 total.

   The Longhorns, No. 5 in the Scoreboard rankings, carded a solid 8-under 280 in Sunday’s third round to put themselves in solid position to earn one of the eight spots in the match-play bracket following Monday’s final round of qualifying for stroke play.

   O’Keefe had tallied back-to-back 3-under 69s in the first two rounds to grab a share of the lead at the halfway point and then added a 4-under 68 to maintain a spot at the top of the individual leaderboard alongside Park at 10-under.

   Big 12 champion Iowa State, No. 17 in the Scoreboard rankings, and SEC power Arkansas, No. 7 in the Scoreboard rankings, each ended up three shots behind Texas in a tie for fifth place at 3-under 861.

   The Cyclones continued their impressive postseason run by posting a 3-under 285 to remain very much in the picture for a spot in the match-play bracket.

   The Razorbacks matched Iowa State’s 3-under 285 in Sunday’s third round to maintain its spot inside the top eight going into Monday’s Memorial Day windup of stroke play at La Costa. The Golf Channel will pick up coverage of the NCAA Women’s Championship at some point Monday.

   Most of the focus of Monday’s final round will be on the battle for those final spots in the match-play bracket and three teams, SEC power Florida, No. 3 in the Scoreboard rankings, perennial ACC power Duke, No. 10 in the Scoreboard rankings, and another Big 12 representative in Arizona State, No. 23 in the Scoreboard rankings, enter the day in a tie for seventh place at 2-over 866.

   The Gators, behind Siuue Wu, a sophomore from Hong Kong, recorded a 4-under 284 in Sunday’s third round to get it to 2-over.

   Wu, who had fired the low round of the week, a sizzling 8-under 64, in Saturday’s second round, checked in with a 2-under 70 Sunday that left her among a group of five players tied for eighth place in the individual standings at 6-under 210.

   The Blue Devils, owners of seven national championships, posted a 1-over 289 to get it to 2-over.

   Duke got a big boost from its fabulous freshman, Rianne Malixi of the Philippines and No. 14 in the Women’s WAGR. Malixi, winner of both the U.S. Girls’ Junior Amateur Championship and the U.S. Women’s Amateur Championship in a sensational summer of 2024, signed for a 4-under 68 in Sunday’s third round to move into the group tied for eighth place at 6-under.

   The Sun Devils posted a 3-under 285 to join Florida and Duke in the tie for seventh place at 2-over.

   Plucky Eastern Michigan, the Mid-American Conference runnerup and No. 27 in the Scoreboard rankings, was four more shots behind the trio tied for seventh place in 10^th at 6-over 870 and every much in with a shot at an unlikely spot in the match-play bracket.

   The Eagles hung in there with a 1-over 289 in Sunday’s third round.

    It’s another two shots back to West Coast Conference champion Pepperdine, No. 11 in the Scoreboard rankings, and another SEC entry in Missouri, No. 32 in the Scoreboard rankings, in a tie for 11^th place at 8-over 872. One hot round away for a chance to be among the eight teams still standing when match play gets under way Tuesday.

   The Waves kept their hopes alive with a solid 1-under 287 in Sunday’s third round while the Tigers, who are having the best season in the history of the program, registered a 1-over 289.

   Backing up Ortengren and Ganne for Stanford was Paula Martin Sampedro, a junior from Spain and No. 2 in the Women’s WAGR, as she carded her best round of the week, a 2-under 70, to join the group tied for 20^th place at 2-under 214.

   Martin Sampedro captured the title in last summer’s Royal & Ancient Women’s Amateur Championship, defeating Texas’ O’Keefe in the final at Nairn Golf Club in Scotland.

   Kelly Xu, a senior from Claremont, Calif. and No. 17 in the Women’s WAGR, posted a solid 1-under 71 for the Cardinal and was among the group tied for 36^th place with a 1-over 217 total.

   Rounding out the Stanford lineup was Andrea Revuelta, a sophomore from Spain and No. 3 in the Women’s WAGR who struggled a little in a 3-over 75 in Sunday’s third round that left her in the group tied for 83^rd place with a 6-over 222 total. Revuelta was the runnerup in last month’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship.

   Joining the Oklahoma State pair of Bushnell and Silchenko in the tie for seventh place at 7-under was Tennessee’s Kyra Van Kan, a sophomore from South Africa and one of the heroes of the Volunteers’ run to the SEC Championship.

   Van Kan had opened with a 3-under 69 and added a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round before tallying another 69 in Sunday’s third round.

   A couple of players competing as individuals, TCU’s Kirstin Angosta, a junior from Las Vegas, Nev., and Ivy League champion Thanana Kotchasanmanee, a freshman at Princeton from Thailand who has surged into the top 100 in the Women’s WAGR at No. 98, were part of the group tied for eighth place at 6-under.

   Angosta recorded a solid 1-under 71 to maintain her spot inside the top 10. Kotchasanmanee put together a solid 2-under 70 to continue one of the great postseason runs ever by an Ivy League player.

   Rounding out the quintet tied for eighth place in the individual standings was Mississippi’s Kajsalotta Svarvar, a sophomore from Sweden and No. 66 in the Women’s WAGR, as she matched par with a 72 in Sunday’s third round to remain at 6-under for the tournament.

   Malixi wasn’t the only freshman in the Duke lineup as her roommate, Avery McCrery, the Wilmington, Del. native who captured the Girls Junior PGA Championship at Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. in 2024, struggled a little with a 4-over 76 in Sunday’s third round and was in the group tied for 72^nd place with a 5-over 221 total.

   Katie Li, a junior from Basking Ridge, N.J., contributed a 1-over 73 for the Dookies as they try to land one of those coveted spots in the match-play bracket that left her among the group tied for 51^st place with a 3-over 219 total.

   Another Jersey girl, Megan Meng, a scholastic standout at Hopewell Valley Central in Pennington, was in the lineup for Northwestern and the sophomore posted a 1-over 73 to join Duke’s McCrery in the group tied for 72^nd place at 5-over.

   The team field was cut in half to 15 teams following Sunday’s third round and Meng and the defending national champion Wildcats, out of the Big Ten, gutted out a 6-over 294 to make that cut on the number at 12-over 876.

   It seems unlikely that Northwestern would rally Monday to make the top eight in match play. But the same grit that brought them a national championship was on display Sunday as the Wildcats made sure to take their season to the final day of stroke play at the scene of their greatest triumph.

 

 

 

 

Ortengren helps Stanford take over team lead after two rounds of NCAA Championship at La Costa

 

   They switched places Saturday with No. 1 Stanford, the Atlantic Coast Conference champion, taking over the top spot while No. 2 Southern California, the Big Ten champion, dropped to second place, three shots behind the Cardinal at the halfway point of qualifying for match play in the NCAA Championship at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa’s North Course in Carlsbad, Calif.

   As a fan, you’d like to see it stay that way because it would mean the top two teams in Division I women’s college golf, the old Pac-12 rivals, would only be able to meet in the Final Match.

   But, trust me, the coaches and players are just doing whatever they can to make sure they land somewhere, anywhere among the eight teams when the match-play bracket is set at the conclusion of 72 holes of stroke play Monday evening.

   There will be a cut to the top 15 teams following Sunday’s third round with those survivors battling it out Monday for those eight spots in the match-play bracket. Match play gets under way Tuesday.

   Led by Meja Ortengren, a sophomore from Sweden and No. 6 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), Stanford carded a second straight 6-under-par 282 over the 6,330-yard, par-72 La Costa North Course layout for a 12-under 564 total.

   Ortengren, who had opened with a 2-under 70, added a 4-under 68 in Saturday’s second round to get a share of first place in the individual standings with Texas’ Farah O’Keefe, a junior home girl from Austin, Texas and No. 4 in the Women’s WAGR, and another talented Swede, Mississippi sophomore Kajsalotta Svarvar, No. 66 in the Women’s WAGR, each landing on 6-under 138.

   Stanford senior Megha Ganne, the reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion from Holmdel, N.J. and No. 10 in the Women’s WAGR, was right behind her teammate Ortengren in the individual standings in a tie for fourth place with Arizona State’s Beth Coulter, a senior from Ireland, and TCU’s Kirstin Angosta, a junior from Las Vegas, Nev., each ending up at 5-under 139.

   Ganne, who had grabbed a share of the individual lead with an opening round 4-under 68, added a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round.

   Southern Cal had taken the lead in the team chase with a 7-under 281 in the opening round and the Trojans added a 2-under 286 in Saturday’s second round that left them three shots behind Stanford with a 9-under 567 total.

   Big 12 power Oklahoma State, No. 21 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, was two shots behind Southern Cal in third place with a 7-under 569 total.

   The Cowgirls, behind Marta Silchenko, a junior from Latvia and No. 47 in the Women’s WAGR, added a 2-under 286 in Saturday’s second round to their opening-round 283.

   Silchenko signed for a second straight 2-under 70 to join a group of five players tied for seventh place in the individual standings with a 4-under 140 total.

   Iowa State, continuing to validate its victory in the Big 12 Championship, and Southeastern Conference power Arkansas were another seven shots behind Oklahoma State in a tie for fourth place at even-par 576.

   The Cyclones, No. 17 in the Scoreboard rankings, had opened with a 4-under 284, but backed off a little with a 4-over 292 in Saturday’s second round.

   The Razorbacks, No. 7 in the Scoreboard rankings, added a 2-over 290 in Saturday’s second round to their opening round of 2-under 286.

   Arkansas was led by reigning NCAA individual champion and winner of last month’s Augusta National Women’s Amateur Championship Marie Jose Marin, a junior from Colombia and No. 5 in the Women’s WAGR.

   Jose Marin, who had matched par in the opening round with a 72, moved up the leaderboard with a 4-under 68 that left her in the group tied for seventh place at 4-under. She can be very tough when she gets the scent.

   A couple of Stanford’s ACC rivals, SMU, which fell to the Cardinal in the ACC’s match-play final, and Duke and its seven national championships, were tied for sixth place, a shot behind Iowa State and Arkansas with a 1-over 577 total.

   The Mustangs, No. 16 in the Scoreboard rankings, had matched par in the opening round with a 288 and added a 1-over 289 in Saturday’s second round. The Blue Devils, No. 10 in the Scoreboard rankings, shaved five shots off their opening round of 3-over 291 with a solid 2-under 286.

   The SEC’s Texas, No. 5 in the Scoreboard rankings, was a shot behind SMU and Duke in eighth place with a 2-over 578 total after adding a 2-over 290 in Saturday’s second round to its opening round of even-par 288.

   The Longhorns, coming off a dominant victory in the Chapel Hill Regional, were led by O’Keefe as she recorded a second straight 3-under 69 to gain a share of the individual lead at 6-under.

   Gritty Eastern Michigan, the Mid-American Conference runnerup, and Arizona State, another Big 12 entry, rounded out the top 10 in the Scoreboard rankings as each was three shots behind Texas in a tie for eighth place with a 5-over 281 total.

   The Eagles, No. 27 in the Scoreboard rankings, had opened with a 2-under 286, but fell back a little with a 7-over 295. The Sun Devils, No. 23 in the Scoreboard rankings, added a 4-over 292 to their opening round of 1-over 289.

   Backing up Ortengren and Ganne for Stanford was Paula Martin Sampedro, a junior from Spain and No. 2 in the Women’s WAGR, as she was in the group tied for 27^th place at even-par 144.

   Martin Sampedro, the reigning Royal & Ancient Women’s Amateur champion, added a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round to her opening round of 2-over 74.

   Kelly Xu, a senior from Claremont, Calif. and No. 17 in the Women’s WAGR, was among the group tied for 46^th place with a 2-over 146 total for Stanford. Xu had opened with a 1-under 71, but struggled a little with a 3-over 75 in Saturday’s second round.

   Xu recently learned that she will join Texas’ O’Keefe on the United States Curtis Cup team when it takes on Great Britain & Ireland next month at Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles, Calif.

   Rounding out the Stanford lineup was Andrea Revuelta, a sophomore from Spain and No. 3 in the Women’s WAGR as she matched par in Saturday’s second round with a 72 after opening with a 3-over 75 and was in the group tied for 64^th place with a 3-over 147 total.

   Ole Miss’ Svarvar continued her solid postseason as she posted a second straight 3-under 69 to join Stanford’s Ortengren and Texas’ O’Keefe in a tie atop the individual leaderboard at 6-under.

   Arizona State’s Coulter, who will be representing GB&I in the Curtis Cup Match next month at Bel-Air, added a 2-under 70 in Saturday’s second round to her opening-round 69 to get her share of fourth place at 5-under.

   TCU’s Angosta, competing as an individual, had the same splits, adding a 2-under 70 in Saturday’s second round to an opening-round 69 to join Stanford’s Ganne and Arizona State’s Coulter in the trio tied for fourth place at 5-under.

   Princeton’s Thanana Kotchasanmanee, a freshman from Thailand and No. 98 in the Women’s WAGR, continued her strong postseason run while competing as an individual.

   Kotchasanmanee, who shared medalist honors with Oklahoma State’s Livchenko in the Chapel Hill Regional, added a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round to her opening-round 69 to join the group tied for seventh place at 4-under.

   Rounding out that quintet tied for seventh place at 4-under were Tennessee’s Kyra Van Kan, a sophomore from South Africa, and Florida’s Siuue, a sophomore from Hong Kong.

   Van Kan, one of the heroes of the Volunteers’ run to the SEC crown, added a 1-under 71 in Saturday’s second round to her opening-round 69. Siuue had opened with a 4-over 76, but erupted with the round of the championship through two days, a sizzling 8-under 64, in Saturday’s second round.

   Avery McCrery, a freshman from Wilmington, Del. whose scholastic career began at the Tower Hill School, continued to be solid for Duke in her debut in the NCAA Championship.

   McCrery added a 2-over 74 in Saturday’s second round to her opening round of 1-under 71 and was among the group tied for 38^th place with a 1-over 145 total as the Blue Devils climbed into contention for one of the spots in the match-play bracket.

   Katie Li, a junior from Basking Ridge, N.J., was also solid for Duke as she registered a second straight 1-over 73 and was in the group tied for 46^th place at 2-over 146.

   Also representing the Garden State at La Costa was Meghan Meng, a sophomore for defending national champion Northwestern who was a scholastic standout at Hopewell Valley Central in Pennington.

   Meng added a 4-over 76 in Saturday’s second round after matching par in the opening round with a 72 and was among the group tied for 81^st place with a 4-over 148 total.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Southern California leads Stanford by one following opening round of NCAA Championship at La Costa

 

   They play in different conferences these days, but it doesn’t really matter.

   The women’s college golf rivalry between Southern California and Stanford transcends the bounds of conference affiliation.

   Their rosters have been populated by the very best amateur players in the world for a while now, so the fact that the Women of Troy claimed the Big Ten championship this spring and the Cardinal captured the title in the Atlantic Coast Conference this spring means little now.

   They arrived for the opening round of the NCAA Championship Friday at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, Calif. with Stanford, having obliterated the field in winning the team title in the Stanford Regional on its home course, ranked No. 1 in the Scoreboard, powered by clippd, rankings, and Southern Cal, having beaten several of its Big Ten rivals in a May chill in the Ann Arbor Regional, ranked No. 2.

   It would be an understatement to say these two teams are on a collision course in Carlsbad, but a lot will depend on how the match-play bracket plays out when 72 holes of stroke play concludes on a Memorial Day Monday with The Golf Channel cameras rolling.

   Southern Cal struck the first blow Friday as the Trojans grabbed the team lead with a 7-under-par 281 over the 6,330-yard, par-72 La Costa layout, but Stanford was right on the Trojans’ heels in second place with a 6-under 282 total.

   They met in the semifinals in 2023 with Southern Cal stunning the Cardinal in the semifinals at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. in the final act of the brief, but spectacular Rose Zhang era at Stanford. Southern Cal fell in the final to Wake Forest.

   The following year, with Stanford’s Rachel Heck, fully recovered from a bout with thoracic outlet syndrome, leading the way, the Cardinal got some revenge, defeating Southern Cal in the semifinals on their way to a third national championship with the NCAA Championship relocating to La Costa, where it returns for a third straight year this spring.

   Stanford was led Friday by one of its senior leaders, Megha Ganne, the Holmdel, N.J. native who is putting the finishing touches on one of the great women’s amateur careers ever.

   The reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion and No. 10 in the Women’s World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), Ganne posted an opening round of 4-under 68 over a La Costa layout that’s probably pretty familiar to her by now to get a share of first place in the individual standings with Oklahoma State’s Ellie Bushnell, a junior from Granite Bay, Calif.

   Capturing the NCAA’s individual crown would be gravy for Ganne. She’s got her sights set on finishing out her career at The Farm with a second NCAA team crown for the Cardinal.

   Southern Cal’s victory in the Ann Arbor Regional was its eighth team title in the wraparound 2025-2026 season and its seventh straight in a magical spring run.

   The large group tied for 13^th place at 2-under 70 included three Trojans, Bailey Shoemaker, a junior from Dade City, Fla. and No. 54 in the Women’s WAGR, Kylie Chong, a sophomore from Torrance, Calif. and No. 61 in the Women’s WAGR, and Catharine Park, a senior from Irvine, Calif. and No. 11 in the Women’s WAGR.

   It seems like a long time ago when Park, then a freshman, finished in a tie for second place behind her fellow Irvineite Zhang in the individual chase of the 2023 NCAA Championship at Grayhawk.

   Big 12 representative Oklahoma State, No. 21 in the Scoreboard rankings and with Bushnell leading the way, was a shot behind Stanford in third place in the team standings with a 5-under 283.

   Big 12 champion Iowa State, No. 17 in the Scoreboard rankings, was another shot behind Oklahoma State in fourth place with a 4-under 284 total.

   The Cyclones were led by Karisa Chul-Ak-Sorn, a senior from Thailand who was part of a nine-player logjam tied for third place at 3-under 69, a shot behind the co-leaders Ganne and Bushnell.

   Southeastern Conference power Texas A&M, No. 7 in the Scoreboard rankings, and upstart Eastern Michigan, the Mid-American Conference runnerup and No. 27 in the Scoreboard rankings, were tied for fifth place, each landing on 2-under 286.

   Another SEC representative, Missouri, No. 32 in the Scoreboard rankings and making just the second appearance in the NCAA Championship in program history, was a shot behind Texas A&M and Eastern Michigan in seventh place with a 1-under 287.

   Rounding out the top 10 in the team standings following the opening round was a trio tied for eighth place at even-par 288 that included a couple of SEC entries in Texas, No. 5 in the Scoreboard rankings, and LSU, No. 34 in the Scoreboard rankings, and SMU, the ruunnerup to Stanford in the ACC’s match-play final and No. 16 in the Scoreboard rankings.

   Texas was led by Farah O’Keefe, a junior home girl from Austin, Texas and No. 4 in the Women’s WAGR, as she was among the large group tied for third place at 3-under.

   Backing up the trio of Shoemaker, Chong and Park for Southern California was Jasmine Koo, a sophomore from Cerritos, Calif. and No. 13 in the Women’s WAGR, as she landed among the group tied for 24th place with a 1-under 71.

   Rounding out the Southern Cal lineup was Elise Lee, a sophomore from Irvine, Calif. and No. 53 in the Women’s WAGR who was in the group tied for 134^th place with a 6-over 78.

   A year ago, Lee was in the lineup for Northwestern when the Wildcats stunned top-ranked and top-seeded Stanford in the Final Match at La Costa.

   Really nice effort by Princeton’s Thanana Kotchasanmanee, a freshman from Thailand who broke into the top 100 in the Women’s WAGR at No. 99 after she got a share of medalist honors in the Chapel Hill Regional.

   Kotchasanmanee opened with a 3-under 69 to join the large group tied for third place.

   Northwestern’s Ashley Yun, a junior from West Covina, Calif. and No. 32 in the Women’s WAGR, was also in the group at 3-under as the Wildcats opened defense of their national championship.

   Rounding out the group tied for third place at 3-under were Mississippi’s Kajsolatta Svarvar, a sophomore from Sweden and No. 66 in the Women’s WAGR, Florida’s Elaine Widjaja, a sophomore from Indonesia, Baylor’s Yurang Li, a junior from Fullerton, Calif., Arizona State’s Beth Coulter, a senior from Ireland, and Tennessee’s Kyra Van Kan, a sophomore from South Africa and one of the heroes of the Volunteers’ run to the SEC team crown.

   Nice start for Duke freshman Avery McCrery, the Wilmington, Del. native who began her scholastic career at the Tower Hill School and was making her debut at nationals. McCrery opened with a 1-under 71 that left her among the group tied for 24^th place.

   McCrery’s teammate, Katie Li, a junior from Basking Ridge, N.J., opened with a 1-over 73 and was in the group tied for 60^th place.

   Another Jersey girl, sophomore Megan Meng, who starred scholastically at Hopewell Valley Central in Pennington, N.J., was in the lineup for Northwestern and matched par with a 72 that left her among the group tied for 41^st place.