March 1, 2018
The youthful Vanderbilt women’s golf squad will get its stiffest challenge of the year this weekend when it competes in the Seventh Annual Darius Rucker Intercollegiate on Hilton Head Island, S.C.
The Commodore lineup will feature three talented true freshmen – Louise Yu, Morgan Baxendale and Virginia Green – joining sophomore Abbey Carlson and junior Courtney Zeng.
Head coach Greg Allen is looking forward to seeing his Commodore squad compete on Long Cove Club’s nationally acclaimed Pete Dye Course.
Tournament Information
Event: Seventh Annual Darius Rucker Intercollegiate
Location: Hilton Head, S.C.
Venue: Pete Dye Course, Long Cove Club
Course Details: Par 71, 6,260 yards
“I can’t wait to see how we compete. The Rucker Intercollegiate might be the toughest field we see all year, so I’m excited to see how this team will manage the weekend,” Allen said.
The prestigious Rucker Intercollegiate, co-hosted by the popular singer and University of South Carolina alum Darius Rucker, is loaded with talent. Nine teams ranked among the Top 20 by Golfstat are included the 18-team field, including No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Arkansas, No. 5 Duke, No. 6 Arizona State, No. 8 South Carolina and No. 9 Furman.
Allen said his squad, ranked No. 29 by Golfstat, has thrived facing this level of competition earlier this year.
“Our lineup is the same as the Mason Rudolph Championship in September. They’ve been tested already and handled it nicely. The Mason Rudolph also featured an outstanding field,” Allen said.
“Our goal will be the same as it is every tournament. We want to focus on the next shot and focus on things we can control. This group has a great attitude and they are really starting to develop the confidence we need moving forward,” he added.
All five Commodore players have made important individual contributions this year. Carlson, Baxendale, Zeng and Green have taken turns earning the team’s medalist honors, with Green claiming a third-place finish at the recent UCF Challenge and Carlson earning a fourth-place result at the Mason Rudolph. Yu also played superb golf at the UCF Challenge, finishing seventh overall.
The Commodores are paired with Virginia and Tennessee in the first round Friday. They will start off No. 10 at 9:10 a.m. CT.
The Darius Rucker Intercollegiate is renowned for its hospitality and pre-tournament activities, which include a Thursday night concert by the tournament host.
How Vanderbilt has fared in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate
Vanderbilt will look to earn a top-five team finish at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate for the fourth time.
The Commodores contended for the team title in the first three editions of the Rucker, earning runner-up finishes in 2013 and 2014, and a third-place result in 2012 inaugural tournament. The team has missed a top-10 finish for the last three years.
Individually, five Commodores have achieved top-10 finishes: Alexandra Farnsworth, (T-2 in 2016); Simin Feng (T-3 in 2014); Kendall Martindale (T-5 in 2013), Irina Gabasa (T-9 in 2013) and Marina Alex (T-10 in 2012).
Vanderbilt’s all-time results at the Rucker Intercollegiate follows –
Year Team Results
2017 T-15 294-302-316=912
2016 11 282-300-307=889
2015 12 301-296-298=905
2014 2 293-290-289=872
2013 T-2 296-282-302=880
2012 3 299-294=593
Annual Individual Results
2017 Courtney Zeng T-38. 73-73-78=224 (+11)
2016 Alexandra Farnsworth T-2. 67-72-75=214 (+1)
2015 Kendall Martindale T-20. 75-75-72=222 (+9)
2014 Simin Feng T-3. 74-69-69=212 (-1)
2013 Kendall Martindale T-5. 73-72-72=216 (+3)
2012 Marina Alex T-10. 76-70=146
Updating Commodores on the LPGA Tour
Former Commodore standouts Jacqui Concolino and Marina Alex, both coming off strong closing rounds last Sunday at the Honda LPGA Thailand tournament, are competing in the HSBC Women’s World Championship this week.
The HSBC Women’s Championship, played at the par-72 Sentosa Golf Club in Singapore, is scheduled Feb. 28-March 3. It will be televised nightly on Golf Channel.
Alex is tied for 13th after shooting 3-under 69 in the first round Wednesday. Concolino is tied for 41st after a 1-over 73.
Last week in Thailand, Concolino and Alex finished T-26 and T-31, respectively. Both struggled through the first two days of competition only to catch fire in the closing 36 holes: Concolino shooting 66-68 and Alex going 65-67.
Through three events, Alex is No. 18th on the LPGA’s Race to CME Globe ranking, largely on the strength of a fifth place finish two weeks ago at the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open. Concolino is No. 38 on the CME Globe charts.
The LPGA Tour shifts back to the United States March 15-18 for the Bank of Hope Founders Cup in Southern California.