Megha Ganne Stages Dramatic Comeback to Reach U.S. Women’s Amateur Final
Megha Ganne rallied from four down with seven holes to play to defeat Australia’s Ella Scaysbrook in 19 holes Saturday, advancing to her first U.S. Women’s Amateur championship match at Bandon Dunes.
The Stanford senior will face Michigan State graduate Brooke Biermann in Sunday’s 36-hole final after Biermann also needed extra holes to defeat Kansas’ Lyla Louderbaugh.
Ganne’s theatrical comeback shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows her background. Before golf took center stage in her life, she was a regular in school productions.
“I starred in over a dozen plays and musicals in grade school,” Ganne said. “My most memorable roles included the Queen of Hearts in ‘Alice in Wonderland’ and Pinocchio in ‘Shrek The Musical.’ That was a formative part of my childhood, but I haven’t done one since freshman year of high school.”
While her acting career is on hiatus, Ganne’s flair for drama transferred perfectly to Bandon’s windswept links. Four down after Scaysbrook drained a 40-foot birdie putt at the par-4 11th, Ganne’s hopes were fading fast.
That’s when she drew on experience from the 2019 U.S. Women’s Amateur – her only other semifinal appearance. As a 15-year-old (the youngest in that match-play field by four years), she battled back against Stanford senior Albane Valenzuela before losing in 19 holes.
Walking to the 12th tee, Ganne gave herself a pep talk: “There is no reason you should think bad of yourself right now. If you told yourself at 15 this is where you would be, you would be pretty proud of yourself. You’re exactly the type of person that could make this happen right now. Let’s just go do it.”
The comeback began when Scaysbrook left her second shot in a bunker at the par-3 12th and conceded. At the par-5 13th, Scaysbrook missed a 4-footer for birdie to lose another hole.
“That was the first putt I’ve seen her miss all day,” Ganne noted.
The margin shrunk further at the par-3 15th when Scaysbrook’s chip took an unfortunate bounce into the sand, forcing another concession. Ganne completed the comeback on the par-4 17th when Scaysbrook fanned her approach off the side of the cliff.
Both players traded bogeys at the par-5 18th, sending the match to extra holes on the par-4 10th.
Meanwhile, Biermann was writing her own dramatic script. Leading 3 up with four holes to play, she watched Louderbaugh charge back with a par from the carry bunker at the short par-4 16th, followed by birdie putts of 15 and 25 feet on the final two holes.
But Louderbaugh’s second shot at the 10th went long, and after failing to make par, she conceded the match.
“Coming down the stretch, she threw everything she had, which was great golf, and with that, you just have to stay calm,” said Biermann, who has now played three matches extending beyond 18 holes.
It’s a remarkable turnaround for Biermann, who had never made the cut in five previous USGA championships.
“I told my dad, I just need to get over that hurdle, and the hurdle was the cut,” Biermann explained. “I know myself. I’ve played in several match play events, and I’ve gotten to the semifinals multiple times. I love match play. Like that’s where the fun begins. So, I believe that I could do this.”
Once Biermann’s match concluded, Ganne completed her comeback when Scaysbrook sailed her approach even longer than Louderbaugh had on the 10th. Ganne didn’t even need to attempt her birdie putt.
“All you need to do is just go hit good shots and something will happen for you if it’s meant to be,” Ganne said. “Today was meant to be.”
This marks only the third time in U.S. Women’s Amateur history that both semifinals went to extra holes. The last occasion was 2018, a full 118 years after the first instance at Shinnecock in 1900.
For Ganne, a seven-time U.S. Women’s Amateur competitor, Sunday represents her biggest stage yet. The final act awaits: will it be a historic triumph or heartbreaking tragedy?
