[Spiny_Norman]

As the first Stanford players are on the 9th hole, the Cardinal has maintained its position at the top. They are 6 strokes ahead of the 2nd place teams. If Stanford does win the stroke play, it will be the 3rd consecutive year as the #1 seed for match play.

So let’s talk about match play. It’s a different game compared to stroke play. You are still playing the golf course, but the standard is not par, it’s how you do against your opponent. You can play great and lose or struggle and still win. Stanford has qualified for match play every year since 2015 when the NCAA switched to this format (except for 2020 when the tournament was cancelled) so we have seen a lot of different results.

Three keys to success – scrambling well, putting well and being patient. It’s so tough on your opponent when you force a halve or even win a hole from off the green when they are in birdie range. Making putts keeps the pressure on your opponent. You hope it will lead to them making mistakes. When Stanford has won (both the men and women), the players have been so solid around the hole. And there will be an ebb and flow to the match. When you make a mistake or lose a hole (maybe your opponent just made a great shot), don’t let it become 2 or 3 lost holes in a row. Refocus and get back to your game plan.

Another unique aspect of match play is that the coaches have a very real impact on the potential result. The coaches choose the head-to-head match ups. Who do you want to send out first? Your best players to set the tone? Or do you save them to be anchors? Where do you put freshmen who may not have prior experience? Lots of factors to consider. And no one has more experience with this than Anne Walker. In Coach Walker we trust.

Fatigue can also be a factor for teams that advance to the semifinals. They will play 2 matches in one day tomorrow. Heat, physical fatigue and mental stress can really take a toll on players.

Among Stanford’s 5 players, Zhang, Englemann and Seay have prior experience at NCAA match play. In 2022, Zhang was 2-1, Englemann was 0-3 and Seay was 3-0. In 2021, Englemann was 0-1 and Seay was 1-0. Don’t assume from this that Englemann is not a good match play golfer. I looked at her matches. In 2 of them, she was 2 under par. But her opponents were better.

You might ask, “Who would Stanford prefer to play?” It doesn’t really matter. All 8 of the teams are really good. Any of them could win. Arizona won from the 8 seed in 2017. Washington and Mississippi have both won from the 4 seed. The #1 seed has only won once - last year when Stanford took home the trophy.

[Spiny_Norman]

As the first Stanford players are on the 9th hole, the Cardinal has maintained its position at the top. They are 6 strokes ahead of the 2nd place teams. If Stanford does win the stroke play, it will be the 3rd consecutive year as the #1 seed for match play.

So let’s talk about match play. It’s a different game compared to stroke play. You are still playing the golf course, but the standard is not par, it’s how you do against your opponent. You can play great and lose or struggle and still win. Stanford has qualified for match play every year since 2015 when the NCAA switched to this format (except for 2020 when the tournament was cancelled) so we have seen a lot of different results.

Three keys to success – scrambling well, putting well and being patient. It’s so tough on your opponent when you force a halve or even win a hole from off the green when they are in birdie range. Making putts keeps the pressure on your opponent. You hope it will lead to them making mistakes. When Stanford has won (both the men and women), the players have been so solid around the hole. And there will be an ebb and flow to the match. When you make a mistake or lose a hole (maybe your opponent just made a great shot), don’t let it become 2 or 3 lost holes in a row. Refocus and get back to your game plan.

Another unique aspect of match play is that the coaches have a very real impact on the potential result. The coaches choose the head-to-head match ups. Who do you want to send out first? Your best players to set the tone? Or do you save them to be anchors? Where do you put freshmen who may not have prior experience? Lots of factors to consider. And no one has more experience with this than Anne Walker. In Coach Walker we trust.

Fatigue can also be a factor for teams that advance to the semifinals. They will play 2 matches in one day tomorrow. Heat, physical fatigue and mental stress can really take a toll on players.

Among Stanford’s 5 players, Zhang, Englemann and Seay have prior experience at NCAA match play. In 2022, Zhang was 2-1, Englemann was 0-3 and Seay was 3-0. In 2021, Englemann was 0-1 and Seay was 1-0. Don’t assume from this that Englemann is not a good match play golfer. I looked at her matches. In 2 of them, she was 2 under par. But her opponents were better.

You might ask, “Who would Stanford prefer to play?” It doesn’t really matter. All 8 of the teams are really good. Any of them could win. Arizona won from the 8 seed in 2017. Washington and Mississippi have both won from the 4 seed. The #1 seed has only won once - last year when Stanford took home the trophy.