A year ago, the Stanford women’s golf team walked off the course at Omni La Costa with the wrong end of an upset. This year, they made sure the story ended differently.
On May 27, 2026, the Cardinal returned to that same resort in Carlsbad, California, and beat Southern California 4-1 in the match-play final to win the program’s fourth NCAA women’s golf championship — and its third in just five years. There was no late drama, no repeat of the heartbreak that ended their title defense in 2025. This time, Stanford simply refused to leave the door open.
“Winning a national championship has been the only goal for us since last year,” Meja Örtengren said afterward. “Every single day since that day last year has been working toward this moment.”
A No. 1 seed that played like one
Stanford earned the top seed for the match-play bracket for the sixth straight year, and they didn’t back into it. The Cardinal finished stroke play 13 shots clear of the next-closest team — USC, the very squad they’d meet again in the final.
Then they went to work. Stanford rolled past Pepperdine 5-0 in the quarterfinals and shut out a gritty Eastern Michigan team 5-0 in the semifinals before closing out the Trojans in the final. The only goal they fell short of was a perfect sweep through all three rounds of match play.
USC head coach Justin Silverstein didn’t sugarcoat it: there’s no shame, he said, in losing to a team as good as any he’s seen.
Ganne closes the book on a legendary career
The clinching point belonged to senior Megha Ganne, who beat USC’s Bailey Shoemaker 4 and 3 in the anchor match — fittingly, the second time that week she sealed a result for the Cardinal. Örtengren had set the tone earlier with a dominant 6-and-5 win over Jasmine Koo, and Paula Martín Sampedro added the second point by closing out Catherine Park.
For Ganne, it was the perfect final chapter. She finished individual runner-up at the championship, just two strokes shy of a solo national title, and took home the Inkster Award as the top-finishing senior. Her career scoring average of 71.01 ranks second in program history. Days later, she teed it up at the U.S. Women’s Open as a professional.
“That’s really all we can control,” Ganne said of the team’s preparation. “If we follow our routines we’ll end up on top.”
Meet the lineup fans should know
What makes this team special isn’t just the trophy — it’s the depth of talent, and how much of it is still to come. All five players earned All-America honors, the third straight year Stanford’s entire lineup has done so. Four landed on the First Team. You can explore and back college golf athletes on RallyFuel.
Megha Ganne — Three-time First Team All-American and reigning U.S. Women’s Amateur champion. Now turning pro.
Paula Martín Sampedro — The 2026 ACC Golfer of the Year and the No. 2-ranked amateur in the world. Her 70.19 career scoring average is the lowest in Stanford history through three seasons — and she has another year of eligibility left.
Meja Örtengren — Two seasons in, already a multiple-time winner and a perfect 3-0 in match play at the championship. Ranked sixth in the world amateur rankings.
Andrea Revuelta — One of the winningest golfers in program history through two years, with four wins, an Augusta National Women’s Amateur runner-up finish, and a world ranking of No. 3.
Kelly Xu — A two-time national champion who saved her best for last, posting a career-low scoring average as a senior. The title was clinched on her birthday.
Head coach Anne Walker, who has now guided all four of Stanford’s national championships, walked every hole alongside her leadoff player. “Paula never opened the door,” Walker said. “And from what I hear, that’s what they all did.”
The next chapter starts now
Here’s what should excite every fan: this story isn’t over. Ganne and Xu close out brilliant Stanford careers, but Martín Sampedro, Örtengren, and Revuelta are all returning — three of the top six amateurs on the planet, all still wearing Cardinal red, all still building their brands.
That’s the heart of the modern college game. These athletes aren’t just competing for trophies anymore; they’re building careers, audiences, and personal brands in real time — and the highest college golf NIL deals now rival entry-level professional contracts. The amateurs returning to Stanford carry world rankings that rival touring professionals, and the fans who back them now are the ones fueling the next generation of champions.
Whether they’re chasing another national title in Carlsbad or teeing it up at the next major as professionals, these players have given fans every reason to invest in their journey. The best teams are built long before the final putt drops — and so are the connections between athletes and the people who believe in them.
Stanford proved it on the course. Now it’s the fans’ turn.
Back the Stanford women’s golf athletes you believe in. Fuel the next champion.
Leave a Comment