Vanderbilt Women's Golf Heads to Stanford Regional Eyeing Fifth Straight Advancement
Dates: May 11-13
Location: Stanford Golf Club in Stanford, CA
Teams:
1. Stanford
2. Pepperdine
3. Vanderbilt
4. Arizona State
5. Missouri
6. Arizona
7. Cal State Fullerton
8. Illinois
9. Oregon State
10. Cal Poly
11. South Dakota State
12. Navy
Format: The NCAA organizes six regional tournaments, and each field consists of 12 teams and six individuals. After three rounds of stroke play at a regional tournament, the top five teams from each location advance to the national championship. The top individual on a non-advancing team from each regional site advances as well.
The Course: Home to the top-ranked Cardinal men’s and women’s golf teams, the Stanford Course is a par-70 George C. Thomas and Billy Bell Jr. design that dates to the early 1930s. Alums from Tiger Woods, Tom Watson, and Michelle Wie to Mickey Wright and Lawson Little developed their games at this sprawling layout that was ranked on Golf Digest’s Top 100 Courses in America list in the 1970s. Grand oak trees line the fairways, and elevated tee boxes provide beautiful views of the surrounding mountain scenery, especially on the 18th tee, where you can see San Francisco in the distance. There is a strong layout variety at Stanford, with holes moving in each direction and a mix of wide-open tee shots and others that are quite narrow. Though it’s a pleasant walk with few houses on the course, it can be strenuous given the elevation changes and the distance between some holes.
Vandy’s Roster:
Ava Merrill–Junior
#46 ranked nationally, 70.5 scoring average, 0 wins, 2 Top 3’s
A. Tolentino-Sophomore
#131 ranked nationally, 71.7 scoring average
L. Lim-Senior
#87 ranked nationally, 71.5 scoring average, 1 win this year at the Clemson Invitational
S. Im-Junior
#174 ranked nationally, 72.1 scoring average
Kathryn Ha-Freshman
#148 nationally, 72.0 scoring average
How Vandy Got Here:
Led by Jackie Steinmann, WGCA National Coach of the Year nominee Greg Allen, the Commodores are looking to make their fifth straight progression through the regionals. After winning the Mason Rudolph Championship and Ron Moore intercollegiate in back-to-back tournaments, the women survived a gauntlet of a spring schedule, capped by advancing to the match play of the SEC tournament for the first time since 2023.
Opponents:
1. Stanford
#1 overall seed in the tournament, ACC Champions, won six stroke play tournaments out of the seven played. Match play record of 86-3. Scoring average of 274.7. Four players ranked in the top 20 nationally: Paula Martín Samprdro (#4 ranked, 63.8 scoring average, 2 wins), Andrea Revuelta (#6 ranked, 68.8 scoring average, 1 win), Megha Ganne (#9 ranked, 69.2 scoring average, 1 win), and Kelly Xu (#18 ranked, 69.4 scoring average)
2. Pepperdine
#11 national seed, WCC Champions, three wins, and two other top-five finishes to add on to it. Match play record of 92-23-1. Scoring Average of 282.5. Two players ranked in the top 25 nationally, Kylee Choi (#24 nationally, scoring average of 70) and Eunseo Choi (#25 nationally, scoring average of 69.8, 2 wins)
4. Arizona State
#22 ranked nationally, zero wins this year. Played against Vandy in the Mason Rudolph Women’s Championship, where they finished fourth. One player ranked in the Top 100 nationally is Patience Rhodes. Patience is ranked #17 nationally with a scoring average of 69.4.
5. Missouri
#31 ranked nationally, four wins and seven Top 3’s this year. Led by freshman Ebba Liljeberg, the 81st-ranked player in the country, with a scoring average of 71.2, including one win and four Top 3’s.
6. Arizona
#33 ranked nationally, no wins but two Top 3’s. Led by Charlotte Back, who is the #33-ranked player in the county, with a scoring average of 70.1.
7. Cal State Fullerton
#43 ranked nationally with one win and six Top 3’s, this team just finds a way to end up at the top halves of leaderboards. Led by Davina Xanh, the #109-ranked player nationally, who has racked up one win and three Top 3’s. Don’t be shocked if you see this team move on to the next round.
8. Illinois
Ranked #47 nationally, the Illini have racked up two wins this year. They have no players ranked inside the Top 100; their highest-ranked player is Anna Ritter, ranked at #186 with a scoring average of 72.1
9. Oregon State
Coming in ranked #50 nationally, the Beavers have one victory and four Top 3’s this season. Led by Kyra Ly, who is ranked #115 nationally with a scoring average of 71.5
10. Cal Poly
After one victory and three Top 3’s, the #95-ranked and Big Sky champions have qualified for a regional. Led by Nicole Koong, who comes in ranked #246 nationally with a 72.6 scoring average.
11. South Dakota State
Qualifying by winning the Summit League, the Jackrabbits come into California ranked #154 nationally with two wins and four Top 3’s. The highest-ranked Jackrabbit is McKenzie Mages, who comes in ranked #376 nationally with a scoring average of 73.8.
12. Navy
While also preparing to serve our country, the Navy has racked up a win and two Top 3’s in nine events played. They are led by Emma Tang, who is ranked #507 nationally after compiling two wins this year.
