Oct. 4, 2017
As Vanderbilt women’s golf climbs in Top 25 polls, head coach Greg Allen sees room for improvement for the Commodores.
Allen’s youthful squad is ranked No. 15 nationally by Golfweek/Sagarin on the strength of solid early-season performances at the Mason Rudolph Championship and Ocean Course Invitational.
Allen sees plenty of growth ahead for his team. “I feel like we are heading in the right direction and I’m pleased with the early progress, but there is still a lot of work to do and a lot of golf to be played,” the 11-year veteran coach said.
Vanderbilt’s current No. 15 rank marks the team’s highest by Golfweek since the Commodores concluded the 2013-14 season No. 11 nationally.
This fall, the newest roster additions have provided the Commodores a huge lift. Sophomore Abbey Carlson and three freshmen – Louise Yu, Morgan Baxendale and Virginia Green – have played key roles. The young Commodores, blended with the quality experience returning with senior Alexandra Farnsworth and junior Courtney Zeng, has the coach excited for the future.
“What I really love about this group is the attitude, effort and focus they bring to practice every day and their desire to get one day better every time they show up,” Allen said.
The Commodores are coming off a solid fourth place finish at the Mason Rudolph Championship, the team’s annual home invitational held in mid-September at Vanderbilt Legends Club. Golfweek credits the Mason Rudolph, which featured No. 1 Arkansas, No. 3 Alabama, No. 4 Arizona State and No. 6 Northwestern, with the best field in collegiate women’s golf this fall.
The Commodores return to competition Oct. 13-15 at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational in Chapel Hill, N.C. The team’s final fall tourney is the Battle at the Beach, scheduled Nov. 3-5 at San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.
Yu, Carlson in Golfweek’s individual rankings
Yu and Carlson are listed among the Top 100 collegiate golfers in the current Golfweek poll. Yu, from Duluth, Ga., is ranked No. 59 after shooting a 212-total at the Mason Rudolph Championship, her first collegiate tourney. Carlson, from Lake Mary, Fla., is ranked No. 72 following a career-best fourth place individual result at the Mason Rudolph.
