Quote:Quote:Unlike the last three years, we don't have the favorite to win the individual stroke play crown (guessing Lindblad from LSU or Woad from FSU). I think it is too much to consider Heck to be in the mix (but wouldn't it be a great story?). After all, she has hardly played and kind of came out of nowhere to win the regionals; from the #5 line no less. But I do think we have the best depth in the field and I'd be really shocked if we didn't finish in the top 3 of the team stroke play. The top 8 teams then move on to match play, and that's just a crap shoot. I do think this team stacks up well with any of our teams - there really is no weak link.
Stanford absolutely has the players to finish in the top 8 and advance to match play. It's pretty much what you expect from the #1 team in the country playing for a coach who has proven year after year that she is able to get her team to rise to the challenge of a national championship tournament.
But there are other strong teams in the field. Personally I think the favorite is Wake Forest, defending national champion. USC was the runner up. They brought back 4 of the players from that team (which knocked out Stanford) and added one of the best freshman in the country, Bailey Shoemaker. They will be formidable. Auburn, LSU, South Carolina, Florida State all have rosters loaded with top players.
There are of course concerns because we as fans need something to fret about. Englemann has struggled with her game lately. I don't know if it is physical, mechanical, mental. All of the above? She has some things to work on.
Martin Sampedro has been the latest Stanford freshman star. She has finished in the top 10 in 8 of 9 tournaments which is remarkable! But she has not been a strong finisher. She has yet to break 70 in a final round. All of the highest scores in her Stanford career have come in tournament final rounds.
I also think that the match play toughness of this year's team is yet to be proven. Players like Shannon Aubert, Casey Danielson, Mariah Stackhouse, Brooke Seay were at their best in match play. Seay is going to end her Stanford career undefeated in NCAA match play (4-0). The team really could have used her experience.
Here is the NCAA match play record of the Stanford lineup:
Heck 2 wins, 2 losses
Englemann 1 win, 4 losses
Xu 2 wins, 0 losses
Ganne 0 wins, 2 losses
Martin Sampedro no experience yet
I think the success of the team will be determined by the seniors Heck and Englemann. When Stanford won in 2015, the anchors were 2 seniors, Stackhouse and Lauren Kim. When Stanford won in 2022, the anchors were junior Seay and senior Aline Krauter, both of whom were 3-0 in match play. When the men won in 2019, they were led by seniors Isaiah Salinda and Brandon Wu both of whom were 3-0 in match play.
The big unknown is the golf course. No one has seen it before. No one has putted on the greens. How fast will they be? How rough will the rough be? Where is the trouble? Where are the birdie opportunities? Where do you need to play it safe? No one school has the advantage of prior experience.
The finalists in the first year at Grayhawk in 2021 were Mississippi and Oklahoma State, neither of whom are traditional powers. As teams got more familiar with the course in 2022 and 2023 we saw the usual suspects rise to the top, Stanford and Wake Forest. We'll see what happens in year 1 at La Costa.
Rose Zhang just won her second professional LPGA tournament today. Maybe the Karma Gods are going to balance the scales this year for all that the golf team has put up with injury wise. I hope Rachel really shines this coming week to make up for last year's absence and empowers the team's performance to be the icing on the cake for a stellar career a transition for the team to the next group of dominant players which arrive next year to complement the talented players that return.