Back to Form – Stanford Cardinal

CARLSBAD, Calif. — After battling some tough ocean winds on Friday, top-seeded Stanford women’s golf returned to form on Saturday morning during the second round of the NCAA Championship in Carlsbad. With a 6:30 am tee time, the Cardinal found its groove early and shot up the leaderboard, moving up ten spots to finish with the lead heading into the third round of stroke play on Sunday.

After just the fourth team round of the season over par, Stanford proved that round to be an outlier. By going from 5-over to 10-under as a team, Stanford saw its biggest improvement from one round to the next in a tournament this season. It is also the ninth time this season the Cardinal has gone 10-under or better in a round this year. The 278 is the lowest team score shot at the NCAA Championship since it has been hosted at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.

“The team has played steadily since the very first shot on Friday,” said Margot and Mitch Milias Director of Women’s Golf, Anne Walker. “Their poise was very noticeable today with all five players staying in the mix to the end and finding a way to have a flurry of birdies to cap the day off. They believe in each other, and that belief was evident today, and their score reflects it. Halfway through this tournament, we are where we want to be.”

By comparison, the next closest team to Stanford’s 10-under on Saturday was Florida State. The ACC champions shot 4-under as a team. Through two rounds, Stanford is the only team in the field under par at 5-under. Northwestern is in second at par, while Oregon is third at 1-over.

Paula Martín Sampedro is once again in contention for an individual national championship at the halfway mark of stroke play. She finds herself in a tie for sixth through two rounds after posting a clean, 4-under 68 on Saturday morning. It was a vintage performance for the sophomore who has done nothing but be consistent in her two years on The Farm. She had two birdies on the front nine and then picked up back-to-back birdies on 14 and 15 to cap off a stellar round. She now sits at 3-under through Saturday, four strokes behind the leader.

Joining her near the top is junior Kelly Xu, who continues to show her veteran moxie on this tough course. She had just one blemish on her scorecard Saturday, posting a 3-under 69 for her second straight round at par or better. She is 3-under thus far in stroke play, like Martín Sampedro, and is in contention with some of the best in the country. It…