May 5, 2016
Vanderbilt senior Jennifer Hahn is the first-round individual leader at the Shoal Creek Regional after firing the tournament’s only under-par round on Thursday, ending the day with a two-under par, 70. As a team, the Commodores are in fifth place with a team total of 14-over, 302, heading into the second round on Friday.
Hahn carded four birdies and two bogeys in her impressive first round at Shoal Creek, which tied for the second-most by a competitor on the day. The senior from Henderson, Nevada, who led the field in par-three scoring (2.5 average) and was second in par-four scoring (4.0), has a two-shot lead on Kacie Komoto of Northwestern and Maddie McCrary of Oklahoma State.
What made Hahn’s round more impressive were the wind conditions for the day, which really picked up after the Commodores made the turn.
“I started pretty well,” said Hahn. “I started birdie, birdie, par and birdie. I was three-under through four really quickly. I was playing pretty well. I made a swing error on hole 15, which lead to a bogey. Then the wind started picking up on the back nine. At that point, I knew pars were good numbers, especially with the longer holes we had coming. I just really tried to make pars with the wind.
“At this course, it’s kind of hard to tell what the wind is doing,” said Hahn. “It swirls a lot, so you have to pay attention to the trees. I know one of my teammates said the wind was helping her, but as she got to the top of her backswing, it switched. It’s really tough to judge the wind, especially when it swirls like that.”
The Commodores are currently in fifth place, two strokes back of Tennessee, who is in fourth place. Vanderbilt counted Hahn’s 70, a 75 from sophomore Alexandra Farnsworth, a 76 from freshman Courtney Zeng, and an 81 from sophomore Cindy Ha.
Northwestern leads the tournament after round one with a first round total of eight-over, 296, three shots better than second-place Florida State. The top six teams and the top individual not affiliated with those six teams advance to the NCAA Championship in Eugene, Oregon, May 20-25.
“I was really pleased with how we looked in the practice round yesterday and thought we had a good game plan for the golf course,” said Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen. “Jenn was brilliant today. She putted like a champ. Farney and Courtney really hung in there. Kate and Cindy struggled, but their attitude is great. There’s a lot of golf to be played, but I love our mindset right now. The girls are loose and having fun.”
The second round of the Shoal Creek Regional continues Friday.
5. Vanderbilt – 302
1. Jennifer Hahn – 70
T15. Alexandra Farnsworth – 75
T25. Courtney Zeng – 76
T75. Cindy Ha – 81
T88. Kate Sborov – 85
