Rapid Reaction: Northwestern women’s golf defeats Stanford to clinch its first-ever NCAA Championship

The Cardiac ‘Cats are coming home with the grand prize.

Northwestern women’s golf made history Tuesday, defeating top-ranked Stanford 3-2 to win the program’s first NCAA national championship. After edging out No. 2 Arkansas and No. 5 Oregon in back-to-back 3–2 thrillers, the Wildcats met their toughest test yet — a loaded Stanford squad with all five players ranked inside the top 19 nationally. But the ’Cats rose to the challenge and when Dianna Lee buried a five-foot birdie on the 18th hole, she delivered the clinching point in a title run for the ages.

Ashley Yun vs. Megha Ganne

Match one featured a showdown between Northwestern’s Ashley Yun (No. 29, Clippd) and Stanford’s Megha Ganne (No. 12). Ganne came out strong, winning three of the first four holes — including two birdies — to seize early control. She kept the pressure on, taking advantage of a few missed mid-range putts from Yun to go 5UP through eight.

Yun stopped the run with a win on the 9th but still trailed by four after 11. The two players traded holes down the stretch, with Ganne maintaining her advantage. On the par-4 14th, Ganne rolled in a long birdie putt to clinch a 5&4 victory and secure the first point of the match for Stanford.

Lauryn Nguyen vs. Paula Martín Sampedro

In a marquee matchup between two of the nation’s best, Lauryn Nguyen (No. 30) took on Stanford’s Paula Martín Sampedro (No. 8). After falling 1DOWN early, Nguyen responded with birdies on the 4th, 6th and 7th holes to grab a 1UP lead. The two continued trading blows — Nguyen won the 8th, but Martín Sampedro answered on the 9th — and Nguyen held a 1UP advantage at the turn.

The back nine remained tight. The players halved the next three holes, including matching birdies on the par-3 12th. They tied the 13th and 14th as well, before Nguyen capitalized on the par-4 15th to extend her lead to 2UP with three holes to play.

However, a missed short putt on the 16th opened the door and Sampedro took advantage, trimming the deficit to 1DOWN heading to the final two holes. On the par-3 17th, the Stanford standout buried a clutch six-footer for birdie to tie the match heading to the 18th.

But Nguyen responded with ice in her veins, sinking a birdie on the final hole to clinch the match and deliver a crucial point for the ’Cats.

Hsin Tai Lin vs. Meja Örtengren

In match three, first-year Hsin Tai Lin delivered a highlight-filled front nine to take early control against Stanford’s Meja Örtengren.

After falling 1DOWN when Örtengren birdied the opening hole, Tai Lin responded immediately. She drained a stunning 50-foot birdie putt on the par-5 2nd, then followed it with steady pars on holes 3 and 4 to flip the match and take a 2UP lead.

Tai Lin kept the momentum going with a clutch up-and-down for par at the par-5 6th, followed by a chip-in birdie on the par-4 7th to extend her advantage to 3UP. The players halved the 8th and Örtengren took the 9th, trimming Tai Lin’s lead to 2UP at the turn.

The players halved the 10th, but Tai Lin continued her strong play with another birdie on the 11th to push her lead to 3UP. She followed that up with a steady par to win the 12th, extending her advantage to a commanding 4UP as the match entered its final stretch. Örtengren managed to take the 14th, but Tai Lin remained in control with a 3UP lead and four holes to play. After both players made par on the 15th, Tai Lin closed it out on 16, sinking a five-footer for par to win the match 3&2 and deliver a point for the ’Cats.

Elise Lee vs. Kelly Xu

In the fourth match, Elise Lee faced Stanford’s Kelly Xu in a back-and-forth battle. Xu struck first, winning the 2nd hole to take an early lead. Lee responded with a win on the par-4 5th to even the match.

The two halved the next three holes, though Lee narrowly missed a short putt on the 6th that could have given her the lead. Xu capitalized with a win on the 8th to go 1UP, but Lee bounced back on the 10th to square the match once again.

The match remained tightly contested as Lee and Xu halved holes 11 through 14 in a tense stretch of steady play. On the 15th, Lee capitalized on a short miss by Xu to go 1UP with three to play. But Xu responded quickly, sinking a birdie putt on the 16th to pull even once again. She then rolled in another clutch birdie on the 17th to take a 1UP lead heading to the final hole.

Lee had a chance to extend the match but just missed her birdie attempt on the 18th. With that, Xu secured the match 1UP and tied the overall score at 2–2.

Dianna Lee vs. Andrea Revuelta

In the anchor match, Dianna Lee faced off against Stanford’s Andrea Revuelta and wasted no time setting the tone. Lee birdied the par-5 2nd to take the early lead.

Revuelta answered with a birdie of her own on the 3rd to square the match, but Lee responded quickly — winning the par-4 5th and following it up with another birdie on the par-5 6th to go 2UP. Revuelta narrowed the margin with a birdie on the 7th, but Lee bounced back with a par on the 8th to restore her 2UP advantage.

The two halved the 9th, but Stanford’s Revuelta began to chip away, draining a long birdie on the 10th to cut Lee’s lead to one. Lee responded with authority, sticking a precise approach on the 11th and converting the putt to move back to 2UP. She followed that with a win on the 12th to stretch her lead to 3UP, capping off a composed and confident stretch of golf.

After the two halved the 13th, Lee missed a short par putt on the 14th, allowing Revuelta to cut the deficit to 2DOWN. Revuelta kept the pressure on, draining a long birdie on the 15th to pull within one with three holes to play.

On the 16th, both players had chances to win the hole but missed makeable par putts, halving the hole and sending the match to the 17th with Lee still 1UP. On 17, both made solid pars — with Lee sinking a clutch five-footer — to maintain her narrow lead heading to the 18th.

Both players found the fairway off the tee, then followed with solid layups. Their approach shots each settled around 20 feet from the pin — Lee’s just barely holding the edge of the green.

Revuelta two-putted for par, setting the stage. Lee’s first putt slid past the hole, leaving five feet for par — and the national championship.

With everything on the line, Dianna Lee buried it, clinching Northwestern’s first NCAA women’s golf title in program history.

What a finish for the ’Cats — and what a way to cap off an unforgettable season!