Oct. 11, 2013
The 17th-ranked Commodore women’s golf team got off to a fast start on Friday at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C., shooting a three-under par, 285, as a team to lead all 18 teams at the tournament, while freshman Antonia Scherer scorched the UNC Finley Course with a five-under par, 67, to lead all individuals.
Vanderbilt holds a one-stroke lead on second-place Duke heading into the second round on Saturday, and a six-stroke lead on third-place Auburn. The field this weekend features 10 of the top 25 teams in the nation, according to Golfweek’s latest rankings.
The Commodores counted Scherer’s 67, Kendall Martindale’s 70, which tied her for fifth on the individual leader board, Jenny Hahn’s 73 (T-22), and 75 from Morgan Ransom (T-42) and Simin Feng (T-42). Senior Rene Sobolewski shot a first-round 78 on Friday.
“We got off to a really good start and the girls made a lot of birdies, led by freshman Antonia Scherer,” said Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen. “It’s fun to see her go really low. She had a lot of great iron shots, and a lot of kick-in birdies. It was fun. Everyone came out of the gate really confident out there, and it was fun to watch. We have a lot of golf in front of us for the next few days, with a great field, so we still have some work to do. But, it’s really good to get off to a great start.”
Scherer, who leads the tournament by one shot over Clemson’s Ashlan Ramsey, carded six birdies and only one bogey in her opening 18 holes at the Finley Course. The 67 is a season-best for the Commodores, and it is Vanderbilt’s best single-round total since teammate Kendall Martindale shot a third-round 67 last season at the Lady Jaguar Intercollegiate.
“I was pretty confident,” said Scherer. “I played pretty well today and for the last couple of weeks, although I didn’t score very well. Today, I just made a couple of really good shots and I only missed one green, which is good because it’s hard to get tip and down out here. My ball striking was really good, which was the reason why I hit those greens and had mostly one and two putts today.”
The Commodores will tee off at 10:48 a.m. Saturday morning with Duke and Auburn in the second round of the tournament.
1. Vanderbilt – 285
1. Antonia Scherer – 67
T5. Kendall Martindale – 70
T22. Jenny Hahn – 73
T42. Morgan Ransom – 75
T42. Simin Feng – 75
T72. Rene Sobolewski – 78*
* Played as an individual
