NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Virginie Ding, one of the top high school players in Asia, will join the Vanderbilt women’s golf team next season after signing a National Letter of Intent on Sunday.
Ding, from the West Island School in Hong Kong, is the second member of Vanderbilt’s signing class. She follows Ariel Yu, a highly regarded competitor from The First Academy in Orlando, Florida, who inked a letter on National Signing Day.
Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen is delighted to add Ding to a 2020-21 squad that should return everyone except graduating senior Abbey Carlson.
“We are very pleased to add Virginie, or Ginnie as she is known, to the Vanderbilt program,” Allen said. “She comes from a very impressive family that values a great education. She comes with a strong resume in the classroom, but she’s equally outstanding on the golf course.”
Ding, who started playing golf at the age of four, is regarded among Hong Kong’s top prep seniors. She has claimed multiple tournament titles in Asia, including the 2018 Pondok Indah International Junior Championship in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the 2019 Hong Kong Ladies Amateur Championship. She was also runner-up at the 2019 Hong Kong Junior Classic. Ding cemented her status among the region’s best young golfers when she was selected to play in the 2017 China National Games.
Ding also qualified to play in the 2019 Hong Kong Ladies Open off her winning performance in the Hong Kong Ladies Amateur.
Ding has enjoyed plenty of success during summer months competing in the United States. She qualified for the 2018 and 2019 U.S. Girls Junior championships. Last year, she finished in a tie for 17th at the U.S. Girls Junior by advancing to the second round of match play.
“Ginnie has competed against the best junior golfers in this country, and competed at a high level,” Allen said. “From my time with Ginnie, she demonstrates perseverance and sets high standards for herself on and off the course.”
