Stanford Freshman Megha Ganne Hoping Third Time’s the Charm at Augusta
Freshman Megha Ganne calls in for our interview from Stanford’s state-of-the-art golf training complex. Hitting balls next to her is her teammate and the No. 1 amateur in the world, Rose Zhang.
Just another casual Thursday afternoon.
“It’s a very happening facility,” Ganne says.
Ganne and her teammate Zhang are logging some additional hours as they get ready for another trip to golf’s mecca: Augusta, Ga., for the annual Augusta National Women’s Amateur.
Ganne, 19, is making her third start at the premier amateur event. In both 2021 and 2022, she missed the cut after 36 holes at Champions Retreat Golf Club. Only 30 players get to compete in the revered final round at Augusta National. Last year, Anna Davis took home the prestigious title and Ganne, a close friend of the Auburn commit, was one of the first to greet her when she came off the course.
She was confident in her game coming into her two previous ANWA appearances, but this time around there are a few key factors that have Ganne feeling more prepared than ever.
Hailing from Holmdel, N.J., Ganne is in the midst of her first warm-weather winter season. Ganne’s golf beginnings trace back to the First Tee of Metropolitan New York, which she joined at age 7. There, Ganne met her longtime coach, Katie Rudolph. Rudolph has said she’s been calling Ganne the best player in the world since she became part of the program.
Back in Jersey, Ganne would hit into nets, putt indoors, and hone her mental game with Rudolph in the months leading up to the spring season. It was a robust winter routine, but nothing can compare to the world-class setup she now has at her fingertips.
“It's amazing,” Ganne says. “After so long of not being able to play during the winter, I appreciate it so much more.”
At Stanford, she’s finally been able to get a true grasp on her game through the winter months. Having unlimited access to one of the finest college golf facilities in the country doesn’t hurt either.
“Just having the weeks and months of reps during the winter brings you a sense of comfort and familiarity that you don't have when you’re practicing indoors,” she says. “So just that underlying sense of comfort is something that feels a little bit different this year.”
Ganne’s first six months as a freshman at Stanford have been pivotal for her development as a player. The Holmdel High School alum says short game was particularly difficult to practice during the wintertime, so she’s been utilizing Stanford’s facilities to perfect bunker shots and fine-tune her trajectory control when pitching and chipping.
But being surrounded by such talented teammates and peers has made the most significant impact on Ganne.
“It's more than I ever could have wanted,” Ganne says. “Just this team and this environment, it's just the best place to be at this age.”
Ganne—who intends to stay at Stanford all four years—joined a star-studded team this fall. The 2022 squad won the NCAA D-I National Championship over Oregon, the second title in program history. Zhang clinched the NCAA Individual title as well, and she has now been the world’s No. 1 women’s amateur for 133 consecutive weeks, having recently passed Lydia Ko’s record. Rachel Heck, although currently injured, is also a member of the Stanford squad, and she competed alongside Ganne and Zhang at the 2022 Curtis Cup, where Team U.S.A. went on to a dominant victory over Great Britain & Ireland.
“Rose is obviously of such a high standard. We're all very grateful to have her on this team, but also every single player on this team has something to bring to the table that I've been able to learn from them. So it's just such a great group of women that I'm surrounded with and I couldn't be luckier,” Ganne says.
“On this team specifically, I really appreciate people's work ethic. I think sometimes you can get complacent and think that you're doing everything you can, until you see someone else doing something different or slightly more. It just pushes you to step it up and I think everyone is constantly expecting everyone else to raise the bar and that's what makes this team special.”
The Stanford work ethic is clearly rubbing off on Ganne. She has had top-10 finishes in four of her six tournament appearances so far this season. A runner-up finish during her college debut at the Carmel Cup this fall highlighted that run. Ganne shot 69-69-70 at Pebble Beach.
Ganne has always been a fierce competitor. In 2021, she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Open at age 17, shared the first-round lead and ultimately played in Sunday’s final pairing with Lexi Thompson and Yuka Saso. That same year, Ganne was awarded AJGA Girls Player of the Year.
Ganne can undoubtedly compete on some of the game’s biggest stages, but at this week’s ANWA, she says that mental fortitude and smart shotmaking will be particularly key for her.
“The conditions are always difficult and everyone in that field is very talented. So you just have to try to have the upper hand and think your way around the course,” Ganne says.
With two appearances under her belt, she is more than familiar with Champions Retreat and Augusta National, and she knows she can score at both courses. The entire ANWA field gets to play Augusta on Friday, the day before Saturday’s final round. Last year, Ganne says she made birdies through the entirety of Amen Corner.
Ganne is also accustomed to the ritual of visiting Augusta National during the first week of April. This trip will be the Ganne family’s seventh (yes, seventh) visit to the storied venue at this time of year. In 2015, 2017, 2018 and 2019, Ganne competed in the annual Drive, Chip and Putt competition hosted the Sunday before Masters week.
“I can’t remember the last time I’ve spent a spring break not at Augusta,” she says. “That’s kind of crazy to think about.”
Hopefully, Ganne can leave her most recent visit with a little extra hardware to bring home.