Holmdel's Ganne announces commitment to Stanford University

Megha Ganne of Holmdel, coming off a year when she reached the semifinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur and competed in the U.S. Women’s Open Championship – all at the age of 15 - has made a verbal commitment to attend Stanford University.

Ganne, now 16, and a rising junior at Holmdel High School, notified Stanford coach Anne Walker about her intentions, despite the fact that she still has two years of high school to complete and will not attend Stanford until the fall of 2022.

“Stanford has always been my number one choice since I was very young. The opportunity to be surrounded by the brightest minds in the classroom and the best players on the course is one that I’m so grateful for. This commitment is nothing short of a dream come true,” she stated.

Under Walker, now in her ninth season, Stanford won the 2015 NCAA National Championship and has produced 20 All-Americans. Tiger Woods played his collegiate golf for the Stanford men’s team.

Ganne turns 17 next March. Her 2019 season was stellar; she was runner-up in her age division in the Drive, Chip and Putt at the Augusta National Golf Club. Last summer, she qualified for the U.S. Women’s Amateur and advanced to match play as the No. 48 seed. From there, she defeated some of the top amateur players in the world to reach the semifinals, before losing to No. 5-ranked and eventual runner-up Albane Valenzuela of Switzerland, a Stanford senior, in 19 holes.

This spring, she was scheduled to compete in the prestigious Augusta National Women’s Amateur in the first week in April, a week before The Masters, but the COVID-19 pandemic caused a cancellation of the event.

“The ANWA was obviously something I was looking forward to, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s not that important. I’m glad they made that decision. But the field will stay the same for next year and I have a guaranteed spot for next year,” Ganne said.

She is excited for this year’s U.S. Women’s Amateur, which is slated for August 3-9 at the Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Md.

“I’m looking forward to returning to the U.S. Women’s Amateur. I learned a lot from last year, and made a lot of changes in my game. I focused on things I needed to work on. I have a lot of strengths, but definitely a lot of weaknesses, too. If anything, I’m more than ready this year,” Ganne noted.

“I’ve tried to work the ball both ways a little bit more. I used to be a draw player only. And that wasn’t a bad thing. I was consistent. But now moving it left to right and having a straighter ball flight makes a big difference. It opens up a lot more things for my game,” she said.

Chipping was a key component in Ganne’s success in 2019.

“Living in New Jersey and going through the winter, it’s hard to get a feel for the short game. With courses being closed for over a month due to COVID-19 it made it tough to work on, but that’s really what I focus on over the summer. It’s about the short game as I go to different courses. I spend a lot of the time around the greens.”

She also plans to compete against a stacked field in the upcoming North & South Women’s Amateur at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, July 12-18.

“That field is probably the best field in amateur golf. That could be as difficult as the Women’s Amateur,” Ganne said.