NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt women’s golf team, fresh off its season-opening win at the Cougar Classic in South Carolina, returns home to host 14 of the nation’s top teams for the Mason Rudolph Championship (Sept. 20-22) at the Vanderbilt Legends Club.
Opening round action starts early Friday at the Vanderbilt Legends North Course, site of the 2012 NCAA Women’s Championships. Admission and on-site parking are free through the event.
Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen annually looks forward to the Mason Rudolph Championship, which honors the program’s former director of golf emeritus and 13-time PGA Tour winner in a career that spanned two decades.
“Hosting the Mason Rudolph is one of the highlights of the year for me,” Allen said. “I love getting to show off the Vanderbilt Legends Club and all the great southern hospitality that our people spread.
“We only get to play at home once a year, so it’s a big deal for us. We are coming into the weekend with a lot of confidence after Charleston and we’re well prepared. Now it’s just going to be a matter of how we handle the outside noise and distractions.”
Allen’s squad will be represented by reigning Mason Rudolph individual champion Abbey Carlson, Auston Kim, Louise Yu, Morgan Baxendale and Tess Davenport. Three more Commodores – Virginia Green, Jayna Choi and Celina Sattelkau – will compete in the medalist competition.
Commodores Enter Off a Winning Performance
The Commodores enter their home tournament off an impressive performance at the Cougar Classic in coastal South Carolina. Facing five other nationally-ranked squads in a field of 17, Vanderbilt claimed its first Cougar Classic team title with a 54-hole total of 27-under-par 837. The Commodores edged two other top-10 opponents — defending NCAA runner-up Wake Forest and Florida — for the team title.
Individually, the Commodores also impressed at the Cougar Classic. Kim captured medalist honors with arguably the best performance of her collegiate career. Firing rounds of 65, 69 and 66, the sophomore from St. Augustine, Florida, won by seven strokes with a 16-under-par 200. Yu was the runner-up for medalist honors at the Cougar Classic with a career-best 54-hole 9-under-par 207. Yu’s tournament was highlighted by a final-round 8-under-par 64, the lowest score in program history.
The Mason Rudolph Championship Field
The Commodores are one of three teams entered this weekend that are ranked in the preseason top-25 poll released in late August by the Women’s Golf Coaches Association. Joining the seventh-ranked Commodores are No. 13 Auburn and No. 18 Northwestern.
Other teams entered in the Mason Rudolph are Mississippi State and Missouri from the SEC, Charlotte, Chattanooga, Clemson, Florida Atlantic, Houston, Louisville, Mercer, Middle Tennessee, North Carolina and UCF.
The Vanderbilt Legends North Course
A former NCAA women’s national championship venue, the Vanderbilt Legends North Course again serves as the host course for the women’s tournament. The par-72 layout, designed by hall of famer golfer Tom Kite and world-renowned architect Bob Cupp, is expected to play up to 6,400 yards.
Looking for a Mason Rudolph Championship Repeat
The Commodores swept team and medalist honors at the 2018 Mason Rudolph Championship, which was shortened to 36 holes by inclement weather.
With a 17-under-par 599, Vanderbilt captured the team title by a 10-stroke margin over runner-up Arizona State. It was the Commodores’ third Mason Rudolph team title and first since 2014.
Carlson was splendid in winning the 2018 individual competition. Firing back-to-back rounds of 6-under-par 66, Carlson won medalist honors by five strokes over Wake Forest standouts Emilia Migliaccio and Siyun Liu. It was Carlson’s first collegiate individual victory. Kim trailed Carlson with a strong seventh-place result.
Weekend Weather
The field is expected to enjoy a break from the recent heat wave that has engulfed middle Tennessee. On Friday and Saturday, clear skies, slight winds and temperatures in the 80s are expected. The final round calls for temperatures reaching 90 degrees, with just a 10% chance for afternoon rain.
