NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Vanderbilt’s final event of the regular season begins Monday when the Commodores face a talent-rich field at the Clemson Invitational in Sunset, South Carolina.
“It’s hard to believe we’re about to play in our last regular season tournament,” said head coach Greg Allen. “I think we’re all ready to play the kind of golf we know we can play. It’s just a matter of time before that happens.”
Vandy will make its fifth appearance at the tournament in an 18-team field, where the Dores will face four of the nation’s top-25 teams at the 54-hole, three-day event at The Reserve at Lake Keowee.
In 2019, the Dores went wire-to-wire to win the team title in their fourth appearance at the Clemson Invitational. Individually, senior Auston Kim tied for third overall at 7-under par, while fifth-year senior Louise Yu tied for 18th with a 1-under par total.
The upcoming visit to Clemson marks Vandy’s first return to the event since its team title in 2019. The Dores are scheduled to tee off at 8:54 a.m. CT Friday and live stats can be found here.
Another Strong Field Awaits
The Dores will be part of another competitive field in women’s collegiate golf at the Clemson Invitational. Vandy will be tested by a field of 18 teams with 13 schools currently ranked inside Golfweek’s top 50.
Four of those programs are among Golfweek’s top 25 squads: No. 12 Florida, No. 15 Florida State, No. 17 LSU and No. 24 Virginia Tech.
The 18-team field also includes seven out of the 24 teams at the 2021 NCAA Championship – Florida State, LSU, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Michigan State, Kent State and Maryland.
Three of Golfweek’s top 25 individuals will chase the medalist crown, including LSU’s Ingrid Lindblad who currently sits in the top three.
History at the Clemson Invitational
Vandy is seeking its second Clemson Invitational team trophy after capturing the team title at the 2019 event. The Dores’ win at 21-under par helped them match a program record of tournament wins in a single season (2018-19), which is shared by the 2003-04 squad. The team also posted two tournament records for best team rounds – tie for the fourth-lowest round (Round 1, -11) and tie for seventh-lowest round (Round 2, -10).
Before its 2019 victory, Vandy’s best previous finish in Sunset was fourth in 2016 and 2018. Individually, Jennifer Hahn opened the first round in 2016 with the sixth-lowest individual round record in tournament history at 5-under par.
Movement in the Lineup
The Vandy lineup features Kim, L. Yu and a trio of juniors – Celina Sattelkau, Tess Davenport and Jayna Choi. Sophomore Ariel Yu returns to the course for the first time this spring, competing as an individual.
Kim, an ANNIKA Award candidate and confirmed Augusta National Women’s Amateur participant, moves back up to the top spot after a top-30 finish at the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge last week with a team-leading 71.50 scoring average for the season.
Yu moves up three spots to No. 2 after a 2-under par performance in the final round of last week’s Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge. 2021 NCAA Championship individual qualifier and SEC Golfer of the Week (March 10), Sattelkau, comes in at No. 3.
Both Davenport and A. Yu will make their 2022 spring debuts, while Choi makes it into the starting five lineup for the second time this spring. Davenport and Choi sit in fourth and fifth, respectively, while A. Yu is competing as an individual.
Last Time Out
At the Northrop Grumman Regional Challenge last week, the Dores faced a 16-team field at the Palos Verdes Golf Club in Palos Verdes Estates, California. Team champion Oregon (-4) was the only team to finish under par after the 54-hole event.
Vandy fired a 12-over-par 296 in the final round to finish the 54-hole tournament with a score of 895. The Dores were led by Kim and L. Yu who both finished in an eight-way tie for 30th after 54 holes. Showing improvement over the tournament, Sattelkau finished for a tie of 54th, while freshman Natasha Kiel tied for 60th. Sophomore Virginie Ding and Choi rounded out the Vandy contingent tied for 71st and 77th, respectively.
Kim Invited to Augusta
Kim has been invited to compete in the third annual Augusta National Women’s Amateur, which will be held next week (March 30-April 2).
This will be Kim’s second appearance in the ANWA after she was invited in January 2020. Her appearance was delayed a year by the COVID-19 pandemic, but made the cut and finished tied for 25th overall at the event in 2021.
NBC Sports will produce and broadcast three hours of live final-round coverage at Augusta National from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. (CT) next Saturday. They will also provide pre-event promotion across NBCUniversal’s portfolio, while GOLF Channel will deliver highlights, live reports and news coverage throughout the event, including onsite during the first two competitive rounds at Champions Retreat.
Additionally, GOLF Channel’s “Live From the Masters” will commence next Friday from Augusta National and wrap ANWA coverage next Saturday and the Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals next Sunday.
For full press release, click here.
Dores Duo Garner SEC Honors
As announced by the league office, Sattelkau earned SEC Golfer of the Week on March 10, while Natasha Kiel was named SEC Freshman of the Week on Feb. 10.
In her first start of the 2022 spring season, Sattelkau posted a season-low round of 2-under par during the final round and 1-under par for the tournament to match a career-best finish tied for third at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate, which aired Feb. 28-March 2 on GOLF Channel. Out of 90 individuals, the junior surged six spots after the second round to finish as the top SEC player in the field and was one of four to finish the 54-holes below par. The top-three finish marked her first since stroke play at the 2021 SEC Championships and third overall.
Kiel, a native of New Hope, Pennsylvania, was honored for her performance at the FAU Paradise Invitational in January where she made her first start on the road and finished with a career-low 208 (-8), which tied her for the 12th lowest 54-hole score in program history. In only her second career start, Kiel earned her first career top-five finish, tying for fifth overall, after closing out the tournament with a career-low round of 67 (-5).