STANFORD, Calif. - Stanford closed out another dominant season in 2022-23, maintaining the nation's No. 1 ranking throughout the season and producing an NCAA semifinal finish. Despite falling short in its bid to repeat as NCAA champions, the Cardinal racked up seven event wins, including team titles at the NCAA Pullman Regional and NCAA Championship. Stanford, which made its 31st overall NCAA appearance in 2023 and 13th in a row for the second-longest active streak in the country, is also the only program to reach the NCAA match play quarterfinal stage in all eight seasons of the current format.
Zhang's Historic SeasonIn addition to Stanford's team success, Rose Zhang put the finishing touches on arguably the most decorated amateur career in the history of collegiate golf during two dynamic seasons (2022-23) on The Farm.
Named the Honda Cup sport award winner for golf for the second straight season and a Top Three finalist for the Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year, Zhang finished her career as a two-time NCAA individual champion. The first female to accomplish that feat, Zhang twice set the NCAA single-season scoring average record, with a 68.80 sophomore-season scoring average besting a 69.68 freshman average.
In addition to finishing her career as a two-time ANNIKA Award recipient, Zhang was also a two-time WGCA Golfer of the Year, becoming the first repeat honoree since Duke's Amanda Blumenherst in 2008. A two-time First Team WGCA All-American, Zhang also established the NCAA career scoring average record with a 69.24 average in 62 career rounds. Zhang was also a two-time Golfweek Player of the Year recipient.
A two-time Pac-12 Golfer of the Year, Zhang joined UCLA's Bronte Law (2015-16) as the only repeat conference winner and one of three two-time recipients overall. However, Zhang's resume of wins, awards and scoring records stands out in comparison to her predecessors.
In just 20 collegiate events over her two seasons, Zhang delivered a school-record 12 victories, matching Arizona's Lorena Ochoa (2001-03) for the most in conference women's golf history. Only Arizona State's Phil Mickelson finished with more, claiming 16 titles from 1988-92.
As a sophomore in 2023, Zhang won a staggering 8-of-10 events, becoming only the fourth woman to sweep through the postseason with record-setting Pac-12 and NCAA Regional crowns and an unprecedented NCAA title defense. Zhang's eight single-season wins tied her for the most in women's collegiate golf history and matched Tiger Woods (1995-96) for the most in school history.
The former Cardinal standout played her final collegiate match on May 23, announced her decision to turn pro on May 26 and captured the inaugural Mizuho Americas Open title in a two-hole sudden-death playoff on June 4, delivering one of the most historic moments in the sport while becoming the first player to win her LPGA debut since Beverly Hanson in 1951. Zhang finished her first tournament at 279 overall (-9), carding rounds of 70-69-66-74 and earning automatic tour membership with the victory, becoming the fourth sponsor invite to win on the LPGA Tour since 2003 and first since Lydia Ko in 2013.
Three weeks later, Zhang finished in a tie for eighth at the KPMG Women's PGA Championship, despite playing in her first major and making only her second LPGA Tour start as a pro.
Back on April 19, Zhang reached 136 consecutive weeks as the world's leading female amateur golfer, surpassing the previous record of 135 set by Leona Maguire of the Republic of Ireland in 2018. Zhang also captured the 2023 Augusta National Women's Amateur, defeating Georgia's Jenny Bae on the second hole of a sudden-death playoff. Zhang also won the U.S. Girls Junior and U.S. Women's Amateur in her illustrious amateur career.
A 2023 CSC First-Team Academic All-American, Zhang plans to remain enrolled at Stanford and continue pursuing her degree in communication while training at the world-class Siebel Varsity Golf Training complex.
Pac-12's Best: Zhang and Ganne
Stanford was well represented among the Pac-12's annual year-end conference awards, with Rose Zhang repeating as Golfer of the Year and Megha Ganne honored as Freshman of the Year.
Stanford has delivered four straight Pac-12 Golfer of the Year recipients, with Zhang winning in back-to-back seasons and following Rachel Heck (2021) and Albane Valenzuela (2019).
Ganne became the fourth Freshman of the Year honoree, joining Zhang (2022), Heck (2021) and Andrea Lee (2017).
Ganne enjoyed a consistently strong rookie campaign, helping Stanford maintain its No. 1 team ranking for much of the 2022-23 campaign. A WGCA Honorable Mention All-American, Ganne led all Pac-12 freshmen and ranked third on the Cardinal with a 72.09 scoring average, with 17 of her 31 rounds at par-or-better.
An All-Pac-12 selection, Ganne also recorded four top-10 finishes and seven top-20 performances, headlined by a runner-up finish (-8) at the Carmel Cup in her collegiate debut in September 2022.
Sadie Englemann was also named to the All-Pac-12 Team, joining Ganne and Zhang.
Englemann Elevates Her Game
While Stanford missed lineup regulars Rachel Heck and Brooke Seay due to injury for the entirety of the spring, Sadie Englemann seized her chance to fill the void.
Named a WGCA Second Team All-American, Englemann also earned a spot on the All-Pac-12 Team. Englemann delivered six top-10 finishes, opening the fall with back-to-back top-eight efforts before heating up again in March during a stretch in which she finished tied for third (Juli Inkster Invitational), fourth (Anuenue Classic) and tied for second (Silicon Valley Showcase).
Englemann's best finish came at the NCAA Pullman Regional, where her runner-up performance resulted in a 15-under 201, representing the fifth-best score in program history over 54 holes.
Englemann finished with a 71.26 scoring average over 34 rounds and also contributed a victory in NCAA match play competition when she bested Pepperdine's Kaleiya Romero 2&1.
Heck, Seay, Xu Complete Lineup
The Cardinal's dominance in 2023 was even more impressive considering injuries limited play for Rachel Heck and Brooke Seay.
Heck, the 2021 NCAA individual champion and ANNIKA Award winner, competed in only five events while Seay missed six months between her final fall event and the NCAA Championship in late May.
Xu was impressive in her debut, boasting a 72.68 scoring average to go along with two top-10 finishes and three top-20 outings. Xu's best finish came at the Silicon Valley Showcase, where she tied for second. Xu's low tournament was a 10-under performance at the NCAA Pullman Regional.
Walker Leads The Cardinal
Anne Walker, who was named the Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women's Golf in 2012, has established herself as one of the premier college coaches in the country. In addition to leading the Cardinal to its first two NCAA titles in school history (2015, 2022), Walker has mentored some of the most recognizable names in the sport.
Stanford has enjoyed unprecedented team and individual success under Walker. The Cardinal has qualified for NCAA Championships in all 10 possible seasons during Walker's tenure, including six appearances in the national semifinals, while earning the distinction of being the only program in the country to reach the NCAA match play quarterfinal stage in all eight seasons of the current format.
A two-time WGCA National Coach of the Year (2015, 2022) and three-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year (2015, 2021-22), Walker has mentored the likes of Rachel Heck, Andrea Lee, Mariah Stackhouse, Albane Valenzuela and Rose Zhang, a heralded group that has combined to win three NCAA individual titles, three ANNIKA Award honors, three WCGA Golfer of the Year Award nods and four Pac-12 Golfer of the Year Award accolades.
Under Walker's guidance, Stanford has captured 39 full-field victories and has produced 28 All-Americans. Stanford has had at least one first-team All-American in all 11 seasons with Walker at the helm.