PALOS VERDES ESTATES, Calif. – While senior Abbey Carlson improved significantly at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge on Monday, her Vanderbilt teammates struggled to match her performance.
Carlson, a senior from Lake Mary, Florida, rebounded from a substandard opening round with four birdies en route to an even-par 71 in the second round.
The rest of Vanderbilt’s contingent couldn’t keep pace with their senior teammate. Freshman Jayna Choi tallied the team’s next best score, a 4-over-par 75. The Commodores’ remaining players – sophomore Auston Kim, junior Louise Yu and junior Morgan Baxendale – spent the day unsuccessfully trying to get putts to drop. Yu’s 6-over-par 77 was the best round from the talented trio.
The lack of scoring moved Vanderbilt down the leaderboard. The Commodores are in 16th place, with a two-day 606.
Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen said Vanderbilt’s initial appearance in the deep Northrup Grumman tournament has been a difficult challenge.
“I was really proud of the bounce back Abbey showed today and it was good to see Jayna play better, but unfortunately, our other three just struggled,” Allen said. “We have great players on this team and we will remain positive. We talked about finding a way to persevere and let this experience make us better.”
The entire Vanderbilt squad has struggled to solve Palos Verdes Golf Club, a tough par-71 test overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Rain on Sunday and cool, windy conditions have only added to its severity. Through 36 holes, the 18th-ranked Commodores are still looking for their first sub-par round of the tournament.
“No doubt, this course can frustrate the heck out of you,” Allen said. “We’ve seen plenty of that the last two days.”
Carlson just missed going under par. After making the turn 1-over, she made birdies on Nos. 10 and 12. After consecutive bogeys on Nos. 14 and 15, Carlson came back to birdie No. 16, but add another birdie on the closing two holes.
Choi, from Collierville, Tennessee, posted three birdies in her 4-over-par 75. It marked an eight-stroke improvement from Choi’s opening round.
For Yu, Kim and Baxendale, Monday was a struggle. After combining for just one birdie over the first nine holes, none of the three could muster a string of birdies down the stretch. Kim and Baxendale both finished with scores of 8-over-par 79.
The final round Tuesday features a shotgun start at 11 a.m. CT. Live scoring is available at GolfStat.com.
Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge
Palos Verdes Golf Club, Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
par-71, 6,017 yards
Team Standings (36 holes)
16. Vanderbilt 606 304-302 (+38)
Vanderbilt Individual Scores
T-45. Auston Kim 150 71-79 (+8)
T-58. Louise Yu 152 75-77 (+10)
T-65. Morgan Baxendale 154 75-79 (+12)
T-65. Abbey Carlson 154 83-71 (+12)
T-78. Jayna Choi 158 83-75 (+16)
