Inside Stanford girls’s golf, the Bay Space sports activities dynasty simply getting began

“I selected it due to that setting,” mentioned freshman Megha Ganne, who picked up a share of the first-round lead at 17 years previous on the U.S. Girls’s Open at The Olympic Membership in San Francisco. “I do know I’m going to be taught a lot from my teammates.”

Stanford’s program might be outlined by its consistency. Walker described Zhang’s sport as “boring” and meant it as a praise. Unanimously ranked No. 1 heading into the 2022-23 season, the Cardinal are anticipated to choose up the place they left off. Stanford got here near a clear sweep of the complete season, however settled for a nationwide championship and each particular person title.

Zhang, who has been the world’s No. 1 newbie golfer for 103 consecutive weeks, started her 2022 marketing campaign by setting a Pebble Seaside course-record nine-under 63 par within the Carmel Cup this previous weekend. Stanford topped the event with a 12-under par total.

In her freshman season, Zhang received the NCAA particular person title, the Annika Award — handed to her on her nineteenth birthday — and completed both first or second in eight of her 10 begins. She was the primary particular person to ever win the U.S. Girls’s Newbie earlier than the Rolex Ladies Junior Championship, which she ended up profitable by six photographs as nicely.

Final October, she turned the primary Stanford golfer — man or lady — to win her first three collegiate begins. That features somebody by the title of Tiger Woods.

“Regardless that she is the world No. 1 and our high participant the complete yr, she handles her enterprise like she’s the tenth participant on the planet,” mentioned Walker. “She’s simply superb.”

Zhang is one in every of 4 Cardinal golfers already ranked on the planet’s high 40, and one in every of simply three three-time winners of the McCormack Medal for the yr’s high newbie participant; nobody has received 4. After claiming her third final season, she had a busy summer season throughout Europe, the place she received the Smyth Salver as the most effective newbie on the AIG Girls’s Open.

“It’s fairly troublesome to have such a busy faculty season after which have a summer season schedule the place you’ve gotten a variety of professional occasions that take a toll in your physique,” she mentioned whereas in Paris for the World Newbie Group Championships. “It’s lengthy, however nice. I’m having fun with each single second of it, however it’s fairly tiring.”

For this season, the Cardinal misplaced Aline Krauter however return everybody else. The additions to their younger roster are anticipated to compete instantly. Many preseason watch lists predict Ganne, already probably the most hyped freshman within the nation, to be a 3rd or second group All-American.

Ganne has the benefit of befriending her future teammates over the previous few years; the No. 37 newbie girls’s golfer on the planet was with Stanford junior Rachel Heck on the U.S. Newbie Championship in New Jersey, her dwelling state, forward of the NCAA golf season, considering her extremely anticipated first yr at Stanford whereas observing as a spectator.

“I’ve a relationship with virtually everybody on the group,” Ganne mentioned over the cellphone. “It makes me tremendous snug getting into.”

Ganne just isn’t solely becoming a member of the most effective program within the nation, she’ll presumably have a powerful likelihood to earn money off of her title, picture, and likeness. Zhang turned the primary pupil athlete to earn an NIL take care of Adidas final season, and can rep the corporate exterior of Stanford occasions, since it’s a Nike college. Her portfolio consists of American Specific, Callaway, Uswing Sun shades, Amundi Asset Administration and Beats by Dre. She and Heck are Beats’ first two girls’s golf ambassadors.

“She’s earned that,” Walker mentioned of Zhang. “She’s being rewarded for her success.”

Like most NIL offers, they’re tied to NCAA eligibility, so that they terminate as soon as the athletes graduate or go professional. These sorts of offers can preserve athletes competing at school as a substitute of leaping straight to the professionals.

Zhang mentioned it can consider how lengthy she stays at Stanford, although it wasn’t the “most necessary” factor on her thoughts whereas evaluating her future. She has fielded questions on her subsequent steps since committing to Stanford, however lately mentioned she was going to take pleasure in her sophomore season and take it from there.

“It’s unbelievable to be part of a group,” she mentioned. “I’ve gained 10 new finest buddies on the group. It’s a journey we’ve all caught with collectively.”