Nov. 5, 2017
Battle at the Beach Final Results
CABO SAN LUCAS, Mexico – The Vanderbilt women’s golf squad posted its best single-game score Sunday in the inaugural Battle at the Beach, finishing the tournament with a ninth-place team result.
The five-player Vanderbilt lineup combined for 18 birdies during the closing round over the difficult Club Campestre San Jose venue, but were not able to climb up the leaderboard. The Commodores finished Sunday with a 3-over total of 287, concluding the event with a three-day score of 876.
Courtney Zeng and Louise Yu paced the Commodores with even-par rounds of 71, with Alexandra Farnsworth adding a 1-over 72.
For a second consecutive day, Greg Allen was pleased with the team’s performance. The Commodores started fast, reaching 3-under and a sixth-place tie entering the closing holes. A string of three-putts late in the round halted the Commodores’ challenge for a higher result.
“I saw some really positive things from this group today and I’m so proud of the fight we showed,” Allen said. “We made a ton of birdies and had it going for much of the round today but just gave a few back down the stretch.
It was a streaky Sunday individually for the Commodores, with four different players posted back-to-back birdies during the round. Three players – Zeng, Yu and Farnsworth – were under par for much of the round. Zeng started her day with three birdies in her opening six holes, but finished even-par after a bogey-double bogey late in the round.
Yu got a different route to her 71. She started 2-over through seven holes, then fired four birdies in a six-hole stretch en route to the even-par performance.
Farnsworth also registered four birdies in an eight-hole stretch in shooting her second 72 of the tournament.
Morgan Baxendale and Abbey Carlson contributed rounds of 2-over par 73 for the Commodore effort. Baxendale opened with a disappointing front nine of 7-over, only to storm back with five birdies over her closing eight holes.
A sixth Commodore participating independently, Virginia Green notched a 75.
The Battle at the Beach result closed a fall campaign that featured across-the-board improvement from a year ago. The Commodores squad is likely to enter the spring schedule nationally ranked after several strong fall finishes, including a third in the deep Mason Rudolph Championships at Vanderbilt Legends Club in September.
“I’m really excited for this team. We know the potential this team has when we are clicking,” Allen said. “We’ll continue working hard during the offseason, continue to help our three freshmen mature and get a couple girls healthy.”
Battle at the Beach Final Results
1. UCLA – 282-285-272=839
2. Oklahoma – 281-281-280-842
3. Texas – 286-281-281=848
4. Virginia – 290-291-284=284
T-5. Houston – 283-297-290-870
T-5. Auburn – 288-292-290=870
T-7. Baylor – 290-285-296=871
T-7. Wake Forest – 290-296-285=871
9. Vanderbilt – 299-290-287=876
10. Mississippi State – 296-296-287=879
T-11. North Carolina – 294-300-294=888
T-12. TCU – 296-299-293=888
13. Tulane – 302-298-295=895
14. Ohio State – 301-298-303=902
Vanderbilt Individual Scores
T-33. Abbey Carlson 76-70-73=219
T-33. Courtney Zeng 77-71-71=219
T-42. Morgan Baxendale 75-74-73=222
T-42. Alexandra Farnsworth 72-78-72=222
T-42. Louise Yu 76-75-71=222
T-55. Virginia Green (IND) 76-76-75=227
