WEST POINT, Miss. — Vanderbilt women’s golf is in third place at The Ally after a 2-over-par second round on Tuesday brought its tournament total to 8-under. With 18 holes remaining, the Commodores look to bring home their first win at the event and second of the fall season.
“We came here wanting to have a chance to win the golf tournament, and that’s exactly what we will have tomorrow,” said head coach Greg Allen.
Sara Im followed up her stellar first round with another leading one on Tuesday, posting a 3-under-par 69 consisting of four birdies. The sophomore remains tied for second place individually, trailing first by four strokes.
Ava Merrill carded a 2-under-par 70 second-round performance, complete with six birdies – five of which came on the front nine. By matching her opening-round total of six, Merrill now leads the tournament with twelve overall birdies.
“Today certainly wasn’t our best, but I’m proud of the fight we showed,” said Allen. “Sara and Ava really carried us today and continue to look sharp.”
Lynn Lim knocked in an eagle on the par-five No. 9 on her way to a 2-over second round. Tillie Claggett and Charlene Chung both notched rounds of 77 on Tuesday. Competing as individuals, Macie Brown shot an 80 and Claire Henson an 81.
“As a team, we need to do a better job tomorrow of keeping the ball in play,” said Allen. “We had too many penalty strokes today that really cost us.”
Vanderbilt sits just one stroke behind leaders Florida and Mississippi State. The three, along with Auburn at 5-under, have separated themselves from the pack, making Wednesday’s final round a four-horse race for the title. A win at The Ally would make this fall the first time in a decade that the Commodores won two events in autumn competition.
“It’s our last round of the fall, so we want to make it a good one and take momentum into the offseason,” said Allen.
Vanderbilt will tee off with Florida and Mississippi State at 9:00 a.m. CT on Wednesday.
Live scoring for the event can be found HERE.
