The women’s golf team, fresh off an NCAA regional championship, tee’d their season off this weekend at the Carmel Cup on the par 72, 6,158-yard Pebble Beach Links Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California.
This legendary course served as an exciting place to begin the season for Vanderbilt, despite finishing last in the tournament.
“I’m not going to lie, I’ve been very jealous of our men’s team getting to make this trip the last 10 years,” 16-year head coach Greg Allen said. “I am beyond grateful that the women get to experience one of the most iconic golf courses in the world this weekend.”
The three day, 54-hole tournament pinned Vanderbilt against Mississippi State, Arkansas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Stanford and Oklahoma. The Commodores entered the season at No. 26 in the Women’s Golf Coaches Association preseason poll, which was released on Sept. 2.
On Friday, Vanderbilt finished with a score of 392, which was 32 over par. Celina Sattelkau shot a 76 (4 over par) to lead the team, and sat 24th overall.
Going into the weekend, Allen voiced his excitement over the debut of two freshmen, Lynn Lim and Tillie Claggett. Lim finished Day One with a 77 and Claggett shot a 79, which included a birdie on four of the first nine holes of play.
Stanford and Texas A&M entered Saturday tied in first after both schools posted a 2-under-par 358 on Friday. Leading the way for Texas A&M was senior Jennie Park, who shot an impressive 66 to sit alone in first place after 18 holes of play.
On Saturday, Vanderbilt righted the ship, improving by 24 strokes. Sattelkau continued her strong showing, birdieing her last two holes and shooting a 70. Virginie Ding bounced back from a tough Friday to shoot 74. Ding sat tied for 40th overall with Claggett at 11 over par before the last day of competition.
“I thought our young ladies showed great resiliency today and played the kind of golf that I thought we would see Friday,” Allen said. “I’m proud they chose to have a short memory and get back to work.”
The third and final day of action was highlighted by Claggett, who fired an impressive 71. She concluded her first collegiate tournament at 10 over par, which placed her at 29th. Sattelkau shot the best overall Commodore score for the weekend, finishing at 4 over par (tied for 13th). Vanderbilt wrapped up the weekend sitting at 59-over-par.
Although it was not the start the program was looking for, a strong second day and impressive performances by the Commodore newcomers outline a path to find success as the season progresses.The team will be in action next when they host the Mason Rudolph Championship on Sept. 23-25 at the North Course of the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee.
