In a remarkable display of talent, Paula Martín Sampedro of Stanford University secured medalist honors at the 2026 ACC Women’s Golf Championship. She finished with an impressive score of 14-under par (202), solidifying her position as the second consecutive Cardinal player to earn the conference’s individual title.
Stanford Commanding Performance
Martín Sampedro’s outstanding performance contributed significantly to Stanford’s overall team success. The Cardinal finished the tournament at 33-under par (831), breaking the previous 54-hole team record by six shots. That record was previously established by Virginia in 2015 and Stanford itself last year.
Match Play Format and Qualifiers
Stanford not only dominated the individual competition but also secured the No. 1 seed for the match play semifinals. They will face off on Saturday, April 18, at 1:30 p.m. ET on ACC Network Extra. The competition is set to be intense, with the following teams also qualifying:
- Second Place: SMU (11 strokes behind Stanford, finishing at 22-under par)
- Third Place: Wake Forest at 14-under par (850)
- Fourth Place: Duke at 13-under par (851)
- Fifth Place: NC State at 12-under par (852)
Wake Forest clinched their spot by edging North Carolina, who finished at 8-under par (856), by just one stroke.
Individual Highlights
Notable individual performances include:
- Chloe Kovelesky from Wake Forest finished third overall at 9-under par (207).
- Duke’s Rianne Malixi secured a runner-up position at 11-under par.
- Mackenzie Lee from SMU achieved a fourth-place finish at 8-under par (208) with a remarkable 5-under par in the final round, which tied for the best score of the day.
Match Play Schedule
The match play format begins with first-round action at 7:30 a.m. ET on Saturday. Both matches will be played concurrently. The semifinal games will follow at approximately 1:30 p.m. ET, with the final match scheduled for 9 a.m. ET on Sunday, all available via ACCNX.
Stanford, led by Martín Sampedro, aims to capitalize on their strong performance and dominate the forthcoming match play, seeking to add another championship title to their storied program.
