BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — The Vanderbilt women’s golf team got off to a solid start Wednesday in the first round of the SEC Championships.
A 7-under-par team score put the Commodores in ninth out of 14 teams headed into Thursday’s second day of competition.
“I’m not sure I’ve seen the course this defenseless in all our years playing here,” Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen said. “Until the (one-hour) weather delay (during the afternoon), there wasn’t a breath of wind out there.”
Vandy found 14 birdies Wednesday on the Legacy Course at the Greystone Golf and Country Club. Celina Sattelkau had six of those 14 birdies with a career-low 5-under-par – she’s tied with nine other competitors for fourth place.
Tess Davenport, also a sophomore, was 3-under-par during – a career low – and is tied for 16th. Auston Kim (T-30th) was under par as well with a 71 while Louise Yu (+2, T-50th) carded a 74 and Morgan Baxendale (+4, T-59th) came in with a 76.
“I thought Tess and Celina did a great job of carrying us today,” Allen said. “They got under par early and they were able to keep it going.
“I feel like we left a lot of putts out there. Auston, Lou and Mo burned the edges all day.”
South Carolina and LSU hold the overall team lead after the first day at 16-under-par. Ana Pelaez of South Carolina shot a 8-under-par to sprint out front after 18-holes.
Vanderbilt is scheduled to tee off at 8 a.m. Thursday. Live scoring for the event can be found HERE.
“We know this is a 54-hole marathon and not an 18-hole sprint,” Allen added. “I’m excited to see how we handle the next two days. The girls are playing well. We know it’s going to be a battle but I have the utmost confidence in our young ladies.”
