Feb. 6, 2018
ORLANDO, Fla. – The women’s golf squad opened their spring campaign with a fourth-place team finish at the UCF Challenge.
The Commodores posted a third-round team score of 291 Tuesday, ending the 54-hole event in a tie with Wisconsin just behind Auburn, East Carolina and tournament champion Miami.
Virginia Green, a freshman from Fairhope, Ala., was Vanderbilt’s standout performer. She contended for medalist honors throughout the three-day event, concluding in a tie for third place. Green finished the tournament with an even-par total of 216.
Greg Allen’s squad showed plenty of fight after posting a disappointing 16-over par Sunday in the opening round. Collectively, the Commodores responded by shooting an even-par total over the closing 36 holes at the difficult Eagle Creek layout.
Allen left the course feeling positive after his squad matched the best UCF Challenge finish by a Vanderbilt team in more than a decade.
“I’m really proud of the effort and attitude this team showed Monday and Tuesday,” Allen said. “I thought we saw some really good things from our young team and we have plenty of reason to be excited about this spring.”
The Commodores played solid golf in the final, shooting a 3-over total of 291, but couldn’t manage a threat to Miami on top of the leaderboard. “Unfortunately, we could never get much momentum going today. It seemed every time we’d make a few birdies, we’d come back and make some bogeys,” Allen said.
The coach had to be pleased with his youngest players. All three Commodore freshmen – Green, Morgan Baxendale and Louise Yu – registered top-25 individual finishes.
No Commodore impressed more than Green, who easily produced the top result of her brief Vanderbilt career. Entering Tuesday tied for fourth among the 90 participants, Green moved up one spot during the day after posting four birdies in a round of 1-over 73.
Green’s third-place finish also was the highest by a Commodore at the UCF Challenge since Jenni Hahn claimed a share of medalist honors in 2015.
Green received strong support Tuesday from two teammates from central Florida, junior Courtney Zeng of Windermere and sophomore Abbey Carlson of Lake Mary. Zeng, who struggled mightily Sunday in the opening round, used three birdies to fashion a 1-under 71 Tuesday. Carlson opened the final round 3-over par through seven holes, but made two birdies and nine pars over the last 11 holes to record a 73. She finished tied for 12th in the individual race with a 3-over total of 219.
Baxendale, another Orlando resident playing for the Commodores, finished in a tie for 24th individually, shooting a three-day total of 6-over 222. She had three birdies in a final round of 2-over 74.
The fifth member of Vanderbilt’s scoring rotation, senior Alexandra Farnsworth of Nashville, shot a 6-over 78.
Yu, from Peachtree Ridge, Ga., limited to the individual competition, played well through the tournament. She was the Commodores’ low scorer in the final round, firing a 2-under 70 on the strength of four birdies. Yu finished in a tie for seventh place with a three-day total of 1-over 217.
The Commodores will return to competition March 2-4 in the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Invitational. The prestigious tourney will be held at the Long Cove Club on Hilton Island, S.C.
UCF Challenge Final Team Scores
Miami (Fla.) 295-285-288=868
East Carolina 293-296-283=872
Auburn 299-293-286=878
Vanderbilt 304-285-291=880
Wisconsin 297-287-296=880
Iowa State 293-294-294=881
UCF 299-290-294=883
Mississippi State 302-295-288=885
Penn State 303 295-290=888
SMU 301-293-294=888
Texas Tech 300 299-290=889
Old Dominion 305-297-288=890
Memphis 300-294-307=901
College of Charleston 313-296-297=906
UNC Wilmington 311-299-302=912
Tulane 297-308-311=916
Vanderbilt Final Individual Scores
T-3. Virginia Green 73-70-73=216
T-12. Abbey Carlson 75-71-73=219
T-24. Morgan Baxendale 77-71-74=222
T-57. Courtney Zeng 83-73-71=227
T-80. Alexandra Farnsworth 79-78-78=235
Additional Vanderbilt individuals
T-7. Louise Yu 74-73-70=217
Vanderbilt’s all-time results in the UCF Challenge
Year Team Result Top Individual
2017 T-4th (304-285-291=880) Virginia Green, T-3rd (216)
2016 T-6th (309-289-297=895) Cindy Ha, T-6th (220)
2015 4th (277-282-300=859) Jenni Hahn, T-1st (207)
2009 16th (298-297-295=890) Megan Grehan, T-23rd (218)
2008 15th (302-297-297=896) Liebelei Lawrence, T-27th (219)
2007 T-3rd (302-298-298=898) Jacqui Concolino, 2nd (217)
