SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. – Vanderbilt women’s golf found low numbers hard to come by Saturday during the second round of the NCAA Championships on the Raptor Course at Grayhawk Golf Club.
In the 24-team field, the Commodores shot 18-over par and moved up to a tie for 23rd with SEC foe Alabama after logging a 614 through 36-holes.
“I thought today was another day with a great start, but we just couldn’t finish,” said head coach Greg Allen. “For some reason, I think we are losing focus on the middle of our last nine holes. If we can correct that tomorrow, then I truly believe we can put together a great round and move up the board.”
Stanford holds a four-stroke advantage over Pac-12 champion and No. 2 seed Oregon, who sits in second after becoming the only team to fire an even-par round. Auburn and UCLA round out the top three at 586 (+10). On Sunday, the top 15 teams through 54 holes advance to the final round of stroke play.
The par-72 course playing at 6,340 yards certainly challenged the field of top college golfers. No team is under-par through 36-holes and the average score among the individual field is 75.85.
Making improvement from the first round, senior Auston Kim had Vandy’s low round on the day with a 74 (+2). Alongside junior Celina Sattelkau, Kim is tied for 47th at 6-over after 36 holes.
“I was impressed with Auston today,” said Allen. “She played well early and battled through some adversity.”
Juniors Tess Davenport and Jayna Choi are each tied for 109th after both improving their second-round score to 77. Sophomore Virginie Ding carded a 77 after entering the Commodore lineup for the past 18 holes.
In the individual medalist competition, only five out of 138 players were under par after the second round. Stanford’s Rose Zhang, the top-ranked individual by Golfweek and Golfstat, still remains in first at 6-under par after carding five birdies and a bogey-free back nine after the second day. Virginia’s Beth Lillie and Auburn’s Megan Schofill are tied for second at 2-under.
“I’m going to bed tonight believing we still have a chance to make the cut,” said Allen. “I won’t stop believing that until they tell me we don’t have a Monday tee time.”
Vandy will be paired with SEC foes Arkansas and Alabama for the third round of stroke play. Fifth-year senior Louise Yu will return to the starting lineup and begin play for the Dores at 2:36 p.m. CT off the 10th tee. Live scoring for the event can be found here.
Round 2 Complete by Vanderbilt Athletics on on Exposure
