DUBLIN, Ohio – All-American and Stanford University senior Megha Ganne has been named the recipient of the 2026 Inkster Award presented by Workday, recognizing the highest-ranked women’s Division I (DI) collegiate golfer in her final year of eligibility for the 2025-2026 college golf season.
The award is named after Juli Inkster, a World Golf Hall of Fame member and LPGA legend who was a three-time All-American at San José State (1979-1982). Inkster elected not to turn professional until finishing her four-year commitment to her school, winning 17 individual titles during her college career.
The Inkster Award winner was announced onsite at the Memorial Tournament presented by Workday, a PGA TOUR event in Dublin, Ohio.
Ganne finished as the top-ranked DI women’s college golfer in her senior season, according to Clippd, ranked fourth overall. She is also currently ranked 10th in the World Amateur Golf Rankings.
As a result of winning the 2026 Inkster Award, Ganne will receive:
- Sponsor invitation to compete in the 2026 The Standard Portland Classic (Aug. 13-16) at Columbia Edgewater Country Club in Portland, Ore.
- As a presenting sponsor of the Inkster Award, Workday will provide $50,000 to the Juli Inkster Foundation to help support Ganne’s transition to her professional golf career. The $50,000 will support Ganne’s mentorship retreat with Inkster and assist with her travel expenses.
- She will join Inkster on a two-day mentorship retreat in Northern California.
- “I have followed Megha’s career since she was a junior golfer and throughout her time at Stanford. She has had such a decorated amateur and collegiate career, earned her college degree and excelled on the golf course, helping to lead the Cardinal to two NCAA national championships,” said Inkster. “That says a lot about not only her performance on the course, but also about her goals and passions away from it and putting education as a priority. I look forward to continuing to mentor Megha as she navigates the next stage in her professional and personal journeys.
“I also want to thank the Women’s Golf Coaches Association and Workday for partnering with me on this award,” continued Inkster. “To have a player be honored for her commitment to her school, coaches and her teammates is what this award is all about.”
“I’m thrilled to be the recipient of this year’s Juli Inkster Award presented by Workday and to receive this award,” said Ganne. “Juli is a player I have long looked up to, and I aspire to follow in her footsteps. Thank you to Workday and Juli Inkster for this mentorship and opportunity to help kick-start my professional career.”
The fourth-year senior and four-time All-American wrapped up her college career by helping to lead Stanford to the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships last month, clinching the winning point for the Cardinal and the second team championship for Stanford during her collegiate career. During the 2025-26 season, she recorded one win, four top-10 finishes and 6 top-20 finishes.
The 2025 U.S. Women’s Amateur Champion, Ganne turned professional last week and made her professional debut at the U.S. Women’s Open. She will be competing full-time on the Epson Tour in 2026 as a result of earning status via finishing as the top-ranked DI women’s collegiate golfer in the LPGA Collegiate Advancement Pathway program.
“We are thrilled Megha is the 2026 Inkster award recipient. Juli has been a great friend of the program over the past decade, and we admire her character, her career, her leadership, and her love of the game; she is the epitome of a world-class person and athlete,” said Anne Walker, the Margot and Mitch Milas Director of Women’s Golf Stanford University.
“Megha will be a fantastic ambassador for the Inkster award. She embodies many of the same characteristics that have made Juli so successful. I do not doubt that the time Juli and Megha spend together will be full of laughter, stories, and gritty golf matches! I’m excited for Megha to have Juli by her side this next year as a mentor, and I’m thrilled for Juli to have Megha representing her, the Inkster Award, and her legacy.”