NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt’s Celina Sattelkau and Louise Yu are ready for one more memorable event this season.
The Commodore duo is headed to Scottsdale, Arizona, where they both will compete as individuals in the NCAA Championships at the Grayhawk Club starting Friday. Sattelkau and Yu advanced to the season’s final tournament thanks to their low scores at an NCAA Regional in Columbus, Ohio, earlier this month.
“We’re just really excited to represent Vanderbilt in this way,” Yu said. “This year has been tough and I’ve put in a lot of hours on the golf course. It’s an accumulation of all the work I put in this year and I’m just glad it’s showing – even though it’s the end of the season it’s showing now and hopefully Celina and I can carry this experience we take in Arizona into next year so we can go as a team.”
Yu shot 2-under-par her final round at the Columbus Regional and finished 1-over-par after 54 holes. She tied for fifth overall to secure one of the three spots up for grabs to advance to the national championship.
A senior from Duluth, Georgia, who plans to remain with the program for a fifth season in 2021-22, Yu graduated last week with a degree in human and organizational development. Now she’ll take part in her second NCAA Championships event after competing with the Vanderbilt in team play at the 2019 event in Fayetteville, Arkansas (Yu finished tied for 93rd overall).
“I learned from two years ago about my nerves and how to control them, especially in the first round,” she said. “On the first hole I think I made a triple (bogey). I think have really matured in my game. I’m going to take this as an experience and have fun with it.”
Sattelkau, a sophomore, has had a breakout season for the Dores. She finished third in stroke play at the SEC Championships with a 13-under-par and was named first team All-SEC which included five top-10 finishes. A 2-over-par score after 54 holes was good enough to keep her season alive.
A native of Neustadt, Germany, Sattelkau will be playing in one of the biggest events of her young career. She credits her strong season to a new-found focus on all aspects of her game – including the mental and physical approach.
“I’m just going to stick with what I’ve been doing all season,” Sattelkau said of her approach this week. “Golf is more than just your long game and putting, it’s mental, it’s physical and it’s so much more. I started to put so much more work into every single aspect and just continued to work at trying to get better every single day.
“For me I’m taking this being as a learning opportunity. It’s one of the first times for me not playing with a team in a long time. I think that will make a difference. But I know the team is behind us no matter what we do.”
Yu is scheduled to get in a practice round at 10 a.m. CT Thursday off the first tee while Sattelkau will head to the 10th tee at the same time. At 9:25 a.m. CT Friday, Yu will tee off from the 10th tee while Sattelkau’s first round is scheduled to begin at 2:25 p.m. CT from hole No. 10.
The NCAA Championships format consists of 24 teams and 12 individuals completing 54 holes of stroke play before the top 15 teams – along with the top nine individuals not on an advancing team – will compete for one additional day of stroke play to determine the top eight teams for match play competition and the 72-hole stroke play individual champion.
Of the 384 participants in NCAA Regionals, 132 advanced to this week’s NCAA Championships. Golf Channel will provide live coverage Monday-Wednesday.
The Tom Fazio-designed Raptor course at Grayhawk Golf Club plays at 6,500 yards and a par 72. The course unfolds over gentle hills and across shaded natural arroyos in a corner of the Sonoran Desert.
“I’m really excited for Lou and Celina and proud they get this opportunity to represent Vanderbilt University and our program at the national championship,” Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen said. “They have worked really hard this year and have overcome so many obstacles to get to this point.”
