“We took her to this little tournament, and she was the only girl and they had tons of prizes. They gave them all to her. In my mind, that got her hooked,” said Sudha Ganne, Megha Ganne’s mother. And would you look at that? A spark. That’s all some people need to ignite wildfire and that was exactly the case with Megha Ganne. And that’s why Megha Ganne’s performance at the ongoing Augusta National Women’s Amateur is less surprising and more awe-inspiring. So, what exactly is she doing that we are talking about her?

First of all, at the ongoing Augusta National Women’s Amateur! Heading into the first round, Ganna didn’t seem like a solid choice. For instance, she missed cuts in two appearances (2021, 2022). She seemed to follow strongly, however, and finished T9 in 2023. But she turned the table anyway. The 20-year-old is leading the charge with a solid score of -9. Starting solid in the first round, Ganne made one eagle, 7 birdies, and the rest even pars. With that, Megha Ganne broke the tournament’s scoring record with a score of nine-under-par 63. It may be true that the ANWA doesn’t hand out monetary prizes, but if Ganne continues with her performance, she is surely going to have a lot of perks on her hands. On that note, who exactly is Megha Ganne? Well, buckle up, because it’s going to be a very interesting ride.

Well, the Indian-origin golfer was born in Long Branch, New Jersey to Sudha Ganne and Hari Ganne. Sudha Ganne is a doctor in endocrinology and Hari Ganne owns an IT business. Before golf, however, Megha Ganne played sports like tennis and swimming. This, according to Sudha Ganne, was a result of the family’s interest in keeping their kids on the playgrounds rather than in front of TV screens. And it seemed to work. By the time Megha Ganne turned 12, she had picked up her clubs.

However, people have always been confused about her ethnicity. By the time 2021 rolled, Megha Ganne was struggling with a very unique issue: Google had been putting the Uruguayan flag next to her name for two years. And when Ganne talked about this situation in 2021, she sounded good-natured. “You’d think with this happening that they would have changed it by now. Much love to Uruguay, but that’s not where I’m from.” Now, it’s resolved. But besides her games, there’s something else that keeps her busy during the days. And, folks, it’s her studies.

“That said, Megha is also academically focussed… she can speak to you after her school at 3 p.m.” said Sudha Ganne about her daughter. Ganne graduated from Holmdel High School and then started her journey at Stanford University in the fall of 2022. And, throughout the years, she has been pretty busy with her education. Back in 2021, having played the second round in the U.S. Women’s Open, what was more difficult?

Playing the second round at the U.S. Women’s Open or her calculus homework. Her answer was charming, folks. She replied, “Probably the calculus. I don’t know how I’m going to manage to fit that into my schedule in the next few days. Hopefully, my teacher gives me a little bit more time to do that, but yeah, it’s hard to balance both.” Now, Megha Ganne is a sophomore at Stanford University and has a lot to look forward to. And, on that note, let’s take a look at her career.

Megha Ganne is a promising player on the greens

“I’ve been calling her ‘the best player in the world’ since she was 7,” said Kattie Rudolph, an instructor and COO of The First Tee of Metropolitan New York. Rudolph, interestingly, was coaching Ganne as a young girl and believed she possessed the skills of a fine-skilled golfer. And, honestly, looking at her portfolio, you may think the same. In 2019, she competed in the U.S. Women’s Open and followed it with Low amateur at the U.S. Women’s Open in 2021. Her finish? A respectable T14.

As a Freshman from the 2022 to 2023 seasons, Ganne earned the title of Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and received multiple All-American honors. She achieved a scoring average of 72.09, with four top-10 finishes, including a second-place finish at the Carmel Cup. Ganne also showed her skills in the NCAA Pullman Regional, where she recorded a low round of -5.

Similarly, in the 2023-2024 seasons, Gannew was named a WGCA First Team All-American and played an important role in her team’s success. She made one win and seven top-10 finishes, including a first-place finish at the Carmel Cup, where she recorded a low tournament score of -15. After that in the 2024-2025 season, Megha Ganne made a strong impact with a scoring average of 70.07 over 15 events, achieving one win and four top-10 finishes. It includes a first-place finish at the Nanea Invitational. She also tied for third at the Stanford Intercollegiate with a solid score of -8.

Looking at this, does she look strong on the Augusta National? Yes, she does. Will she win? We will see, folks! Our wishes rest with her!