SAN DIEGO — Success early in collegiate careers has been a staple under Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women’s Golf Anne Walker. From her first season with Mariah Stackhouse, to NCAA champions in Rachel Heck and Rose Zhang, freshmen make statements on The Farm. Tuesday afternoon saw another freshman etch her name in Stanford lore, with Meja Ortengren dominating the San Diego State Classic, securing her first collegiate win while helping the Cardinal remain perfect in the 2024-25 season.
Scores across the board were higher on Tuesday’s final round at Bernardo Heights Country Club. Had it not been for a late surge of birdies by Stanford, the Cardinal would have finished around par as a team after shooting 18-under as a team in the second round. Still, Stanford shot a 3-under 285 as a team on Tuesday to secure its fourth title of the season, going 31-under on the par-72 course. It is the third-best team performance in program history, trailing only the 50-under Stanford shot at the 2023 NCAA Pullman Regional and the 2022 Gunrock Invitational.
Leading the way all week was Ortengren, who tied the program record for lowest round in relation to par during Monday’s second round with a 10-under 62. Even she was human during the final round, with just three birdies en route to a 1-under 71. She was under par all three rounds and finished the tournament shooting 68-62-71-201, the lowest score since Megha Ganne’s 201 in her 2023 Carmel Cup win.
With the victory, Ortengren becomes the first Stanford freshman to win a tournament since Rose Zhang won four times during her freshman season en route to becoming the NCAA individual champion. Ortengren is also the third different Cardinal to win during the 2024-25 season, joining Paula Martin Sampedro and Megha Ganne.
Paula Martin Sampedro was able to climb all the way up to outright second with her 2-under 70 during the final round, leading the team. She began her day with a double bogey on the first hole, but then was clean the rest of the round, with four birdies. Finishing the tournament with a 7-under 209, Martin Sampedro tied a season-low, matching the score she put up during her first collegiate win at The Molly Invitational.
Kelly Xu moved up one spot and finished tied for fourth after the third round, finishing even at par with a 72 on Tuesday. She had four birdies on her round, with three of those coming on the back nine. Xu caps off her first tournament of the spring with a 5-under 211.
Ganne moved one spot as well, finishing in a tie for sixth with a 4-under 212 for the classic. Her scorecard did not have many marks on Tuesday, with just two bogeys and two birdies en route to her 72.
Performing as an individual, Nora Sundberg hung on for a share of tenth place with a 1-under 215, shooting 72-68-75 across the three rounds.
Stanford will take a few weeks off before returning to action in match play with the annual Battle of the Bay against San Jose State. The Cardinal and Spartans will duel on Tuesday, February 25, at CordeValle Golf Resort in San Martin beginning at 10 am. It will be Stanford's final match play event before the ACC Championship, which concludes with match play in a similar format to the NCAA Championship.
San Diego State Classic (Bernardo Heights Country Club, par 72)
| Name | Round 1 | Round 2 | Round 3 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Stanford | 278 (-10) | 270 (-18) | 285 (-3) | 833 (-31) |
| 1. Meja Ortengren | 68 (-4) | 62 (-10) | 71 (-1) | 201 (-15) |
| 2. Paula Martin Sampedro | 70 (-2) | 69 (-3) | 70 (-2) | 209 (-7) |
| T4. Kelly Xu | 68 (-4) | 71 (-1) | 72 (E) | 211 (-5) |
| T6. Megha Ganne | 72 (E) | 68 (-4) | 72 (E) | 212 (-4) |
| T41. Leigh Chien | 74 (+4) | 72 (E) | 83 (+11) | 229 (+13) |
| T10. Nora Sundberg* | 72 (E) | 68 (-4) | 75 (+3) | 215 (-1) |
* - competing as an individual