After 373 days without a tournament, Stanford women’s golf will be back in action this Thursday against San Jose State and Cal at the Stanford Golf Course. With nearly all of their talent returning, plus the addition of three highly regarded freshmen, the Cardinal will look to make a statement in its opening event.
Before the COVID-19 pandemic, junior Aline Krauter and sophomore Angelina Ye were two of the best players in the country. In Feb. 2020, during the IJGA Collegiate Invitational — the Cardinal’s last team competition — Krauter posted a three-under-par total for the three-day competition, placing in a tie for eighth as an individual and leading the Cardinal to a top-five finish as a team.
Ye had similarly strong performances earlier in the season: a second place finish at the Molly Intercollegiate and a victory at the Stanford Intercollegiate. The strength of Krauter and Ye in early season competition earned both of them second-team All-American honors in the shortened season.
The Cardinal lineup for Thursday will also include three freshmen making their collegiate debuts: Rachel Heck, Rebecca Becht and Sadie Englemann. Each of the Cardinal freshmen boast impressive junior and amateur golf resumes.
In high school, Heck was a five-time AJGA All-American, the 2017 Rolex Junior Player of the Year and a top-50 finisher at two LPGA major championships. Becht was the two-time Belgian Overall Junior Strokeplay Champion, while Englemann was a four-time AJGA All-American. If their past results are any indication, this freshmen trio will give San Jose State and Cal all they can handle.
Rounding out Thursday’s lineup for the Cardinal are fifth-year Ziyi Wang, junior Calista Reyes and sophomore Brooke Seay. During last year’s abbreviated season, Wang improved her scoring average by over a shot to 73.42. Reyes and Seay were also trending in the right direction before the COVID-19 shutdown, as they finished in fourth and second place, respectively, in the Gunrock Invitational. All will look to pick up where they left off against San Jose State and Cal.
Thursday’s match will be 36 holes, with the morning session teeing off at 7:30 a.m. PT and the afternoon wave starting at 12:30 p.m. PT.