Stanford remains firm on its path towards its second consecutive NCAA title. Andrea Revuelta and Paula Martín will compete this Wednesday for the most important title of the university year. The two players from Madrid have not lost in their respective quarter-final and semi-final matches. Three wins and a draw. Only the last step remains, the most difficult one.
Since Duke won consecutively between 2005 and 2007, no university has repeated as NCAA champions. Stanford is on the brink, having also won the title in 2024. For Paula, it could mean her second NCAA champion trophy in as many years at Stanford, for Andrea, who is completing her debut year in the United States, it would be the first.
The Cardinals were already one of the top contenders for the title before the tournament began, but it’s not always easy to play with the favourites’ tag around your neck. So far, they have been close to perfection. In the stroke play phase, they finished with a -28 overall, which is the historical record for the event, with four players finishing the year in the top ten, including Paula Martín. A choral display. However, the all-or-nothing team competition is played in match play, and there the story changes completely.
Well, the Californian team defeated Florida State this Tuesday in a more than thrilling NCAA National Championship semi-final, resolved with a great dose of unparalleled drama: three matches were decided in a simultaneous playoff. The final score was 3.5-1.5 for Stanford, which thus qualified for the grand final, where they will face Northwestern. A few hours earlier, in the quarter-final duel, Stanford had dispatched Virginia by an identical score.
The encounter was worthy of an anticipated final. Andrea Revuelta, Megha Ganne, and Meja Örtengren took their matches to the playoff, prolonging the tension to the limit. Revuelta, who had levelled her match on the 17th, saved par with a spectacular chip when she seemed on the brink of defeat. The Spaniard was always trailing in the match but managed to hold her own and take it to the tiebreaker. Meanwhile, Örtengren forced the tiebreaker thanks to a birdie on the 18th hole.
Stanford had already turned the duel in their favour thanks to the solid performances of Paula and Kelly Xu. The player from Madrid dominated Kaylah Williams by 5&3, with a brilliant back nine that allowed her to close the match comfortably. Meanwhile, Xu won three consecutive holes against Sophia Fullbrook to win by 5&4, adding her sixth match play victory in this tournament, just one short of the historical record.
Örtengren conceded in the first of those three playoff matches, and Virginia made it 2-1 with two other matches playing the tiebreaker. The decisive point came with Megha Ganne, who starred in a titanic duel against Lottie Woad, the number one in the world amateur ranking. Both reached the 20th hole after a constant exchange of blows. Woad missed her birdie putt and left the door open for Ganne, who did not forgive and holed hers from almost the same position, unleashing the Cardinal team’s celebration. Andrea, who was playing her second playoff hole, did not need to finish her match, which ended in a draw.
As mentioned, Stanford will seek to become the first team to win consecutive NCAA titles since Duke achieved it between 2005 and 2007. To do so, they must overcome Northwestern, who defeated Oregon 3-2 and will play their second final in history.
The excitement continues this Wednesday in Carlsbad, where Stanford aims to close their season with a new title and enter the history books of university golf.
