CARLSBAD, Calif. – When informed of her NCAA semifinal opponent on Tuesday afternoon, Megha Ganne was pumped. The Stanford junior had a date with the world No. 1 amateur, Florida State junior Lottie Woad, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Ganne could relish the underdog role.
That heavyweight bout delivered.
And down went Lottie.
Ganne rattled home seven birdies, including the 10-footer on the 20th hole, to earn the clinching point for top-ranked Stanford in a 3.5-1.5 victory over the Seminoles and punch the defending NCAA champions’ ticket back to the final, where they’ll face Northwestern, a 3-2 winner over Oregon.
“I was trying to calm it down right before the birdie putt, taking some breaths, because I was really juiced on that green,” said Ganne, who saw Woad pour in six birdies of her own in a match that was tied six different times and where no lead was more than 1 up.
Woad missed mid-range birdie chances on No. 18 and the two extra holes, the par-4 first and par-4 15th, the latter being where Ganne had erased Woad’s final lead in regulation. Woad, who is nearing an LPGA card through the new LEAP program, could’ve potentially hit her last college golf shot.
“I was so grateful to be playing Lottie,” Ganne later explained. “I think she’s an incredible player and world No. 1 for a reason, so I was honestly just so excited about the matchup. I have so much respect for her, and I knew a day like today with seven birdies is exactly what it would take.”
It was an electric day that will be remembered for decades in this sport – eight of the most accomplished teams in the country, a bevy of superstars, six hotly contested matches, a premier test in Omni La Costa in near-perfect conditions, and a whole lotta golf.
Stanford, undefeated in stroke play this season and 21 shots better than this week’s field after 72 holes, had just survived Virginia’s best upset bid in the quarterfinals and would now get the fourth-ranked Seminoles, six-time winners who boasted not only Woad but also the second-ranked amateur and recent Annika Award winner in Mirabel Ting.
Ting’s match against Andrea Revuelta, who overcame a dislocated right shoulder in January to win both conference and regional medals, also went extras, though it ended in a draw with Ting standing on the 15th tee, watching from afar as Ganne was mobbed by a few teammates on the green.
Florida State’s Alexandra Gazzoli topped fellow freshman Meja Ortengren in the anchor match, the third that saw overtime, with a nervy two-putt on the 19th hole. Stanford’s Paula Martin Sampedro and Kelly Xu, who joined Ganne on last year’s title-winning squad, had the other two points for the Cardinal.
“We were treated with really special golf today from the world’s best players,” Walker said, “and I’m happy that a place like La Costa gave them a stage to perform on.”
Added Florida State head coach Amy Bond: “If you were a spectator out here today and you didn’t enjoy yourself, then you’re missing it. This was huge for college golf.”
And that match was just half of the post-intermission fireworks.
Oregon, a semifinalist for the second straight year, seemed destined to advance to its second NCAA final in four seasons. The Ducks fought through back injuries to Karen Tsuru and Tong An, who were both subbed out for a round apiece during stroke play, and then held on against Texas after Longhorns standout Lauren Kim squandered her 4-down comeback against An by three-putting the 20th hole.
But Northwestern proved too savvy, too disciplined, too inspired. During the semifinal pairings, Wildcats head coach Emily Fletcher had the option of picking who would be last out opposite Oregon stud Kiara Romero – her best player in senior Lauren Nguyen, who celebrated her 22nd birthday on Tuesday, or junior Dianna Lee, a top-75 player in her own right but who has been battling a cold.
It didn’t take long for Fletcher to throw Lee, a San Diego native, in the anchor spot.
“We put her out last and gave her a little bit of extra rest, and we knew she would just keep plodding along,” Fletcher said. “We just stayed out of her way.”
Lee quickly shook the notion of a potential sacrificial lamb by winning the first hole and jumping 2 up through three. Romero carded four birdies, yet she also had three bogeys and a double before not even finishing the deciding par-5 closing hole, where the tee box had been pushed way up to entice players to go for it. Not many did, opting instead for a mid-iron into the fat of the fairway, but Romero, who had just won the par-4 17th after Lee three-putted from 35 feet, pounded driver to give herself a 6-iron in. Lee also played aggressively and sent her second shot up around the green.
Seemingly with the advantage, Romero proceeded to push her iron shot into the back-right bunker, where she drew an awful lie that caused her to leave her next two shots in the sand. She then picked up her ball, conceding the hole and the match.
In a fitting end to an emotional day, Lee finally cracked in her post-match interview.
“It’s absolutely everything to me and to my team,” a choked-up Lee said. “From Day 1, this is all I ever really wanted to do. And our team has so much support and belief in each other, and I knew that all I needed to do today was just focus on myself because I knew that my teammates had their own backs, too. Coming out today and finishing off the last point is so special.”
Added Fletcher: “I told this group all week that they just needed to believe in themselves the way that they believe in each other.”
And believe they did.
Now, with Northwestern the sizable underdog against the Stanford juggernaut, that belief is set to be tested perhaps more than it ever has.
NCAA FINAL MATCHES
Megha Ganne vs. Ashley Yun, 5:15 p.m. ET
Paula Martin Sampedro vs. Lauryn Nguyen, 5:25 p.m.
Meja Ortengren vs. Hsin Tai Lin, 5:35 p.m.
Kelly Xu vs. Elise Lee, 5:45 p.m.
Andrea Revuelta vs. Dianna Lee, 5:55 p.m.
