WESTFIELD, Ind. — After a 6-under par 282 second round on Tuesday, Vanderbilt women’s golf sits in sole possession of third place heading into the final day of the NCAA Westfield Regional at The Club at Chatham Hills. Head coach Greg Allen’s forecast of low rounds at the course came true as the Commodores turned in three even-or-better rounds that propelled them up the leaderboard.
All-SEC First Team senior golfer Celina Sattlekau led the Dores’ charge on Tuesday, flashing a second round 6-under par 66—tying her with three others for best round of the day—that included seven birdies. Five of Sattelkau’s birdies came on the front nine alone including carding four straight between Nos. 3-6. Heading into the final round at 9-under on the week, she is tied for third overall with Virginia’s Amanda Sambach; the pair trail Mississippi State’s Hannah Levi and Julia Lopez Ramirez by one and two strokes, respectively.
“What a special round of golf Celina gave us today,” said Allen. “Her putter heated up and it was fun to watch.”
Fellow senior Tess Davenport finished 1-under par on Tuesday with a 71 total. She is tied for 27th overall heading into Wednesday’s final round. Virginie Ding notched an even-par 72 in the second round that included a birdie on the fourth—a hole all five Commodores birdied Tuesday. Tillie Claggett came into the clubhouse 1-over par on the day, and Lynn Lim was 4-over.
“I’m proud of the rest of the group for hanging in there after a sluggish start,” added Allen. “They really showed some patience and toughness. But they’ve really done that most of the year.”
Vanderbilt moves into the final round with a two-stroke cushion on both Virginia and Tulsa. Mississippi State (-21) finished 13-under as a team on the day, extending its lead over Oregon State to eight strokes heading into the final round. Xavier and Iowa State—both 2-under par—remain on the outside-looking-in of the bubble. Wednesday’s final round will decide the five teams that advance to the NCAA Championships later this month.
“We know there is still work to be done tomorrow,” said Allen. “We need to continue to be patient and try keeping things simple by hitting fairways and greens.”
The Commodores will tee off with Mississippi State and Oregon State at 8:06 a.m. CT Wednesday as they look to advance to their third NCAA Championships in five years. Live scoring can be found HERE.
