BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The streak survives. For the fifth straight year, Vanderbilt women’s golf will advance to weekend match play at the SEC Championships.
It was a close field heading into the final 18 holes, but the Commodores stepped up, finishing stroke play in fourth place at 23-over par 887 over three days. They will face Mississippi State in the quarterfinals of match play on Saturday at the Legacy Course at Greystone Golf Club.
“I’m so proud of this group for how they handled the pressure of the day,” said head coach Greg Allen. “We showed a lot of patience early in the round, making a lot of pars.”
Senior maturity and leadership led the Dores through the finish line of stroke play.
“And then our seniors really stepped up,” said Allen. “What a round by Tess and what a tournament by Celina. It seems like all she’s done this year is finish in the top 10.”
Even par on the day and 1 over on the week, senior Celina Sattelkau finished stroke play tied for sixth place with a 1-over-par 217 54-hole score. It was her sixth top-10 finish of the year.
Fellow senior Tess Davenport came alive today, securing the second-best round of anyone in the tournament on day three with a 3-under-par 69. She finished tied for 13th place after carding a 5-over three-day total of 221 strokes.
Freshman Tillie Claggett—tied for 23rd—finished stroke play at 8-over par after notching a 3-over-par 75 Friday. Junior Virginie Ding was next up for the Commodores. She finished stroke play at 12-over par after posting a third-round 75 to tiefor 35th place individually. Lynn Lim tied for 48th place with a 14-over three-round total of 230.
“Now it’s all about finding a way to get three points and beating Mississippi State. I really like our matchups,” said Allen. “The girls are pumped. We’ve spent a lot of time this season preparing for match play.”
Mississippi State finished stroke play three strokes behind Vanderbilt. It will be the first time the two programs will meet in match play in the SEC Championships.
The Commodores will tee off against the Bulldogs at 7:50 a.m. CT, looking to advance to their first-ever semifinals of the SEC Championships in the match-play era. Live scoring can be found HERE.
