Powerade Cougar Classic 1st Round Results
HANAHAN, S.C. – The women’s golf squad began the fall campaign on a strong note Sunday, registering a top-three team result before heavy rain forced officials to suspend the opening round of the Powerade Cougar Classic.
The No. 16 Commodores were eight-under par as a team with freshman Auston Kim and junior Abbey Carlson needing to finish their rounds on the par-5 No. 9. When lightning caused the delay, Kim was 2-under with a birdie putt of 25 feet while Carlson was 1-under facing an approach to the ninth green.
Two of the three Commodores who finished their round, senior Courtney Zeng and sophomore Louise Yu, posted superb performances. Zeng made an eagle and three birdies en route to a 3-under par 69 while Yu posted two birdies on her last nine holes to finish with a 2-under par 70.
At eight-under, the Commodores are currently second in the team standings. They trail only No. 12 Florida (10-under par) among 19 teams in the tournament.
Head coach Greg Allen was pleased with his team’s first competitive round of the 2018-19 season.
“We played some solid golf today and I’m looking for Auston and Abbey to finish it off on a positive note tomorrow,” Allen said. “We started our round on the back nine and got off to a really good start. We made a lot of putts early and did a good job of taking advantage of the short par-5s on the back nine.”
Allen’s Vanderbilt squad are one of seven ranked teams playing in the Powerade Cougar Classic, which is being hosted for the 15th year by the College of Charleston.
The Commodores combined to make 11 birdies and two eagles over the first nine holes Sunday. That stretch was highlighted by Zeng’s three birdies and an eagle and four birdies from Kim.
After making the turn, both Zeng and Kim got to 4-under par on their rounds but neither was able to continue the momentum.
The round of 69 matched Zeng’s collegiate best. She has twice previously posted a three-under round at the Mason Rudolph Championships at Vanderbilt’s Legends Club.
First-round action will resume at Yeamans Hall Golf Club on Monday at 8 am. CT. The second round will follow immediately afterward.
