May 7, 2018
Tallahassee Regional 1st Round Scores | 2nd Round Tee Times
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Vanderbilt women’s golf team received strong rounds from freshmen Louise Yu and Morgan Baxendale to earn an ninth-place team result after the first day of competition at the NCAA Tallahassee Regional on Monday.
The Commodores posted a total team score of one-over par 289. They will enter the second round just four strokes out of fourth place. Washington holds the first-round lead with a team total of 273.
Yu and Baxendale paced Vanderbilt’s first-round performance. Yu produced the team’s low round, firing a two-under par 70. Baxendale finished with birdies on two of her last three holes to record an even-par 72. They were supported by sophomore Abbey Carlson and junior Courtney Zeng, who shot one-over par 73 and two-over par 74, respectively. The fifth Commodore, freshman Virginia Green, registered a three-over par 75.
Vanderbilt will be paired with regional host Florida State and Georgia in second-round play Tuesday, with tee times at Don Veller Seminole Golf Club starting at 7 a.m. CT.
The Commodores are looking to advance to the NCAA Championships May 18-23 in Stillwater, Okla., by finishing among the top six teams in Tallahassee.
Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen, guiding his 10th squad into NCAA postseason play in 11 years on campus, said his squad could have played better but is positioned to rise up the standings on Tuesday.
“As much as we talked about treating this as just another round of golf, nerves still played a huge part,” Allen said. “We didn’t get a great start but we are certainly in a position to accomplish what we came here to do over the next two rounds.
“I think a couple of the girls just had trouble settling down, and that happens when you have four of the five playing in their first regional. But everyone is in a good frame of mind and we know we are capable of playing great golf the next two days,” Allen added.
The Commodores ranked among the top five teams in par-4 scoring, playing those holes in two-over par. They were three-over on the four par-3s and only one-under on the par-5s.
“We didn’t execute very well on the par-5s and that’s where we lost ground to the leaders. We’ll be better on those holes tomorrow,” Allen said.
Yu, from Duluth, Ga., was superb in her first initial postseason test. The recent SEC All-Freshman team recipient opened the round with a birdie on No. 10, then added three more birdies over her final 10 holes to card the 70. It marks the Commodores’ lowest round at a NCAA regional competition since current LPGA player Jennifer Hahn posted a 70 in the first round of the 2016 Shoal Creek Regional in Birmingham, Ala.
Baxendale, from Orlando, Fla., continued her solid form. The second-team All-SEC and SEC All-Freshman team honoree was two-over through 15 holes but fought back to even-par with birdies at No. 16 and No. 18.
Carlson, from Lake Mary, Fla., made three birdies during the round but finished with a pair of bogeys late to notch a 73.
Zeng, from Orlando, had two birdies on her first nine and made the turn at even-par, but finished with a 74 after failing to make a birdie over her last nine holes.
Green, from Fairhope, Ala., couldn’t get a birdie putt to drop over her last 12 holes en route to a 75.
NCAA Tallahassee Regional
First Round Scores
Team Results
1. Washington (-15) 273
2. Furman (-8) 280
3. Alabama (-6) 282
T-4. Clemson (-3) 285
T-4. Tennessee (-3) 285
T-4. Wake Forest (-3) 285
7. Florida State (-2) 286
8. Georgia (-1) 287
9. Vanderbilt (+1) 289
10. Arizona (+2) 290
11. UNLV (+7) 295
T-12. Missouri (+8) 296
T-12. Kennesaw State (+8) 296
14. Denver (+9) 297
15. College of Charleston (+19) 307
16. Coastal Carolina (+21) 309
T-17. Richmond (+26) 314
T-17. Albany (+26) 314
Vanderbilt Individuals
T-10. Louise Yu (-2) 70
T-24. Morgan Baxendale (E) 72
T-33. Abbey Carlson (+1) 73
T-42. Courtney Zeng (+2) 74
T-53. Virginia Green (+3) 75
