HILTON HEAD, S.C. – A top-10 individual finish by Courtney Zeng helped the Vanderbilt women’s golf team claim a share of fifth place at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate on Sunday.
Zeng, a senior from Orlando, Fla., was the low Commodore scorer in the final round, shooting a 1-over-par 72. Her three-day total of 3-over 216 earned a share of 10th place in the stroke-play competition.
While Zeng posted her fourth top-25 individual result of the season, the Commodores continued to move up the team standings. They finished in a tie with Auburn for fifth place, accumulating a 54-hole total of 882. It was Vanderbilt’s best team result at the Rucker Intercollegiate since a runner-up finish in 2014.
Head Coach Greg Allen said the Commodores can take plenty of positives from the tournament.
“Today kind of felt like the final round of a NCAA regional. The golf course played really tough and you had a stacked field with teams trying to finish as high as possible,” Allen said. “I thought our girls played hard and showed a lot of toughness. Court (Zeng) really came through for us this week, both playing well and showing great senior leadership. This was a big step for us. We certainly didn’t have our best stuff, but we found a way to keep competing against a great field on a tough course. It’s a great learning opportunity moving forward.”
Zeng posted her most consistent round on Sunday. Her 1-over performance included a birdie, two bogeys and 15 pars over Long Cove Club’s difficult Pete Dye Course.
Sophomore Morgan Baxendale ended the tournament in a tie for 34th place with a 54-hole total of 222. She made three birdies Sunday while shooting a 2-over-par 73.
Junior Abbey Carlson posted birdies on two of her final three holes to match Baxendale’s 73. It marked Carlson’s low round of the tournament and helped her to a tie for 36th place in the stroke-play competition.
Sophomore Louise Yu couldn’t get any momentum going on Sunday. After shooting a 1-over 72 to spark the Commodores Saturday, Yu failed to make a birdie in a final round of 78.
Auston Kim, one of the nation’s top freshmen, struggled for a second straight day. She finished with a 81, concluding the tournament in a tie with Yu for 62nd place.
The Commodores will return to action March 25-27 at the San Diego State March Mayhem in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. The SDSU Mayhem features both stroke-play and match-play competitions.
Darius Rucker Intercollegiate Final Results
Team Results
T-5. Vanderbilt +30 882 (298-288-296)
Individual Results
T-10. Courtney Zeng +3 216 (71-73-72)
T-34. Morgan Baxendale +9 222 (80-69-73)
T-36. Abbey Carlson +10 223 (76-74-73)
T-62. Louise Yu +17 230 (80-72-78)
T-62. Auston Kim +17 230 (71-78-81)
