LEXINGTON, Ky. — It all came down to the final putt, as junior Lynn Lim sank a three-footer on the par-3 ninth to send Vanderbilt women’s golf back to the NCAA Championships by a single stroke on Wednesday at Keene Trace Golf Club.
A day after racing back into contention with a 6-under second round, Vanderbilt chased down TCU for the fifth and final qualifying spot with a 5-under final round. The Commodores closed the regional at 2-over-par, one shot ahead of the Horned Frogs.
“What a comeback by a group of absolute dawgs,” said head coach Greg Allen. “I am so proud of the fight this group showed the last two days. Not once did they ever hang their head after the first round and they never stopped believing. They showed great composure all day today and, like yesterday, it was a complete team effort.”
Ava Merrill and Angelina Tolentino led the Dores with 2-under 70s Wednesday. Tillie Claggett went 1-under at 71 and Lynn Lim came home at even-par to score for the Dores. Sara Im finished 2-over for the day.
Once again beginning its day on Champion Trace’s back nine, Vanderbilt shot even par on the challenging first nine. Tolentino had a pair of birdies to hit the turn at 2-under. As the Dores headed to the front side, Vandy built its lead behind a 7-under effort on holes No. 1-6. Two Dores birdied the par-5 fifth while Lim eagled the hole.
Merrill sank back-to-back birdie putts on the seventh and eighth to set the stage for a dramatic finish. Claggett birdied the par-3 ninth to give Vandy a two-stroke cushion as the final group hit the tee box. Lim provided the clinching putt to send the Dores back to California.
“Ava was really clutch on our back nine and her birdies on seven and eight ended up being the difference,” said Allen. “It was a lot closer there at the end than we wanted. TCU made some birdies and we made a few bogeys, but it’s really nice to see this group getting back to playing golf to our standard. Now we want to make sure we are not satisfied with just advancing. We want to get to La Costa and make some noise!”
Florida State won the regional at 15-under for the week. Georgia Southern, Kansas State and Southern Cal will join the Dores and Seminoles in advancing to the NCAA Championships.
Vanderbilt will be one of the 30 teams headed to Omni La Costa Resort in Carlsbad, California, for the NCAA Championships beginning May 16. 2025 marks the fourth-straight season the Dores have qualified for the championship round.
