Both Stanford golf programs competed away from the Farm this weekend. The men’s team placed 15th at the annual Amer Ari Intercollegiate in Kona, Hawaii, on Saturday, while the women’s team remained in-state, finishing seventh against a competitive field at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge on Tuesday.
On the men’s side, Stanford’s best scorer was Daulet Tuleubayev. The sophomore, who was a pivotal element of last year’s NCAA title-winning season, competed as Stanford’s only individual in the three-day tournament. His 4-under 212 performance tied him for 32nd overall.
As a team, the Cardinal finished 4-over 868, led by sophomore Ethan Ng’s even score of 216. After tallying 2-over 76 on Thursday, Ng closed with back-to-back 1-under 71s over the final two days to finish as Stanford’s highest team scorer. Seniors Henry Shimp and David Snyder also produced 71s on Saturday.
The following day, the women’s team opened its spring season at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge in Palos Verdes, California. Competing for the first time since November, the team looked much different than it did in the fall, with seniors Andrea Lee and Albane Valenzuela electing to turn professional and forgo the remainders of their NCAA eligibility.
Despite these lineup changes, Stanford women’s golf seemed to pick up right where it left off in the fall. Facing several of the best teams in the country, the No. 7 Cardinal defeated a number of top-20 teams, including No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 5 Arizona and No. 9 Florida, to finish seventh overall.
“To finish seventh in the toughest field of the year is a huge boost of confidence for the players on this team,” said women’s golf head coach Anne Walker on Tuesday.
Stanford’s highest finisher was senior Ziyi Wang, who registered a 2-under 69 performance on Tuesday to place a career-high seventh overall, her fifth career top-10 finish. Wang, the only senior on the team, concluded the tournament with a 2-under 211.
“The last two days were especially strong and showed that we have the players to continue to compete on the national stage,” Walker said. “We will keep working hard and I am sure we will see some more great finishes ahead.”
Stanford women’s golf will head to Mexico for its next tournament, the Guadalajara International Invitational, beginning on Sunday. Meanwhile, the men’s team is back in action on Monday for The Prestige at PGA West in Indian Wells, California.
Contact Alejandro Salinas at asalinas ‘at’ stanford.edu.