SUNSET, S.C. – The Vanderbilt women’s golf team closed out a challenging regular season with a 13th-place finish at the Clemson Invitational Sunday.
“It feels like we’ve been putting to a hole the size of a thimble during the month of March,” said head coach Greg Allen. “We’re going to take a few days off and go into April with the attitude and energy as if it’s a brand new season.”
In the 17-team field, the Commodores fired a 16-over-par 304 in the final round, matching their best round of the 54-hole tournament. The 57-over par performance put the Dores 30 strokes back of champion LSU, who’s ranked 17th nationally by Golfweek. Illinois was one-stroke behind in second, while Kentucky rounded the top three in the 54-hole event.
The par-72 course that is 6,386 yards in length certainly challenged the field of top college golfers. After 54 holes, no team finished under-par and the average score among the individual field was 77.31.
Fifth-year senior Louise Yu (+12) topped Vandy’s final-round performance by carding 2-over-par 74. L. Yu was a steady force over the three-day tournament, finishing with the second-highest par total at 41. She improved 23 spots from the start of the tournament to finish in the top 30.
Competing as an individual, sophomore Ariel Yu (+16) battled a 6-over par final round to finish in the top 50. Junior Tess Davenport (+17) improved 19 spots from the opening round to finish tied for 57th. Both A. Yu and Davenport made their 2022 spring debuts at the tournament.
Junior duo Celina Sattelkau and Jayna Choi finished in an eight-way tie for 63rd after shooting 18-over par. Senior Auston Kim (+19) carded a 3-over-par 75 during the final round to finish in a tie for 71st to complete the three-day event.
No. 3 Ingrid Lindblad of LSU won the individual medalist title and was the only individual to finish the three-day event under-par (-4). Florida duo Annabell Fuller and Marina Escobar Domingo finished second and third (tied with Michigan State’s Brooke Biermann), respectively.
The Dores now turn their attention to the Southeastern Conference Championships (April 13-17) contested at Greystone Golf and Country Club’s Legacy Course in Birmingham, Alabama. Vandy has advanced to the match-play playoff every year since it was instituted in 2018.
“I truly believe in this team and I trust that we have what it takes to make it to match-play at the SECs and to get to NCAAs at Grayhawk (Golf Club),” said Allen. “Strong golf in April and May can usually make you forget about poor golf.”
