May 7, 2010
Day Two Results | Live Scoring
Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen had his cleaning supplies out on Friday night after the Commodores’ one-under par, 287, in the second round of the NCAA East Regional in Greenville, N.C. Under Allen’s tutelage, if a player makes four birdies, he cleans and shines their shoes, and if a player makes six birdies, he cleans their clubs. Needless to say, on Friday after the round, Allen happily had his cleaning apron on as Vanderbilt vaulted into sixth place heading into the final round of regional play at the Ironwood Country Club.
Allen’s upperclassmen, senior Brooke Goodwin and junior Megan Grehan, paced the Vanderbilt effort with a pair of 70’s on Friday. More importantly, Goodwin and Grehan’s shoes will be spit shined for Saturday’s round, with Goodwin making five birdies and Grehan four in their second time around the par-72, 6,321-yard Ironwood course.
“We made the birdies that we didn’t make yesterday,” said Allen. “It’s a huge confidence for our upper classmen to lead us in scoring. They played both nines very well, and made a lot of birdies.”
Marina Alex, the SEC Player of the Year, had a roller coaster round on Friday, making six birdies, three bogeys, two doubles, and nine pars. Although she finished the round at one-over par, Alex birdied four out of her last eight holes.
“Marina made a couple of bad swings, and a couple of double bogeys, which she hasn’t done all season,” said Allen. “She even mentioned to me that her two double bogeys were more than she’s had all year. So, for her to have the round she had on Friday and for us to have the success we had as a team, I was really pleased with one under today. But, Marina is ready to go tomorrow.”
Vanderbilt was one of three teams to finish under par on Friday, joining Tennessee and Duke . The Commodores, who entered Friday’s round in 12th place, quickly moved up the leaderboard after a few teams ahead of them fell back to earth in the second round. The Commodores ended the day in sixth place with a total of 579 (292-287), which currently qualifies the team for the NCAA Championship (top eight finish), and are 11 strokes back of the leader, Duke, who shot a torrid 10-under par on Friday (290-278=568).
Freshman Anna Leigh Keith was the team’s final counter at two over par, 74, and fellow freshman Lauren Stratton ended the day at five-over par, 77.
For the tournament, Goodwin leads the Commodores with a one-under par, 143, which puts her in a tie for 12th. Grehan is at 144 (74-70, T-21), Alex sits at 145 (72-73, T-29th), Keith at 149 (75-74, T-59), and Stratton at 150 (73-77, 66).
Vanderbilt’s strong showing on Friday puts them in a good position for the team’s first appearance at the NCAA Championships since 2007. Allen knows that tomorrow’s round will be pressure packed, but he thinks his team is ready for the challenge.
“It’s going to be like the last round of the SEC Championship,” said Allen. “All of our experiences that we’ve encountered this year are going to pay off for us. We’ve seen it all, and it’s fun to be a part of. This team has such good chemistry. They really go out and compete for one another, and they are ready and focused for tomorrow.”
Allen hopes his team will have to carry-on their clubs for their flight home Saturday evening. He would love to have them cleaned and ready for their next challenge – the NCAA Championships May 18-21 in Wilmington, N.C.
