After a disappointing start to the season at the Caramel Cup, where the Commodores finished last, Vanderbilt looked to turn the page last weekend, Sept. 23-25, at the Mason Rudolph Championship.

Vanderbilt hosts the event every year. 

“We’re blessed to have a home course like the Vanderbilt Legends Club, and we love showing it off to teams that come to play each year,” said head coach Greg Allen. 

The Commodores last won the Mason Rudolph Championship as a team in 2018.

This year, the Commodores welcomed 13 other teams into town: Alabama, Arizona, Auburn, Chattanooga, Denver, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Kentucky, LSU, Middle Tennessee, Mississippi, Ohio State and Washington.

The Vanderbilt lineup for the weekend consisted of Celina Sattelkau, who shot the best overall score for the Commodores in the Caramel Cup, Tess Davenport, Natasha Kiel, Lynn Lim and Tillie Claggett. Vanderbilt also fielded four individuals for the weekend: Jayna Choi, Virginie Ding, Ariel Yu and Meghan Meserole.

Before the weekend began, Allen addressed the fact that two freshmen are starting for his squad—a rarity, especially for this early in the season. 

“What they lack in experience, they make up for with a lot of talent and a strong work ethic,” Allen said.

At close to 9:20 a.m. on Friday morning, Vanderbilt tee’d off on the par 72 North Course. 

Lim led the way, shooting a first round 68 and sitting tied atop the individual leaderboard for the day. Sattelkau finished only one stroke behind, tied for fourth place. Claggett also wrapped up round 1 in the top 10, firing an impressive 70.

Overall, Vanderbilt finished the day 5 under par, shooting a collective 283. This landed them one stroke behind Arizona for the overall lead.

Allen was pleasantly surprised by the performance. 

“If I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure what kind of score we’d post today with the early windy conditions and two freshmen playing in their first Mason. I saw a team that never panicked when things got hard and I saw a group of young ladies that played with a lot of heart all day long,” Allen said.

Lim recorded five birdies to start her weekend, while Settelkau notched two birdies and an eagle. 

The Commodores turned up their play to full-throttle on Saturday, recording two rounds in the 60s and seizing the top spot overall. Kiel had the best score of the day for Vanderbilt, shooting a 66. Kiel’s round was nothing short of historic, tying her for the third-lowest round by a Vanderbilt player in the history of the Mason. Claggett was not far behind, carding a 67. With another stellar performance, Claggett moved to 7 under in the tournament as a whole, tying her with Auburn’s Megan Schofill for the top individual spot.

“What a day. I’m so proud of these girls for coming out and doing their thing,” said Allen after the round.

Vanderbilt entered Sunday with a chance to take home the Mason for the first time in four years.

After nine holes, the Commodores found themselves tied with Arizona for first place at 22 under par. Sattelkau also played herself into a tie for the top individual spot.

A couple bogeys on the back nine dropped Sattelkau into a tie for fourth place, as she shot a 71 on the day.

Lim also finished the tournament in the top 10, shooting a 212 and finishing at 4 under.

After a really strong first two days, Claggett had a disappointing conclusion to her weekend, firing a 77 and finishing outside the top 10.

The back nine did not go as smoothly for the Commodores, as they struggled en-route to shooting a collective 4 over par on the day. Mississippi State thrived on Sunday, concluding their tournament at 19 under and in first place. Vanderbilt ended the tournament in third at 14 under.

Despite not quite finishing the job, this weekend was a wonderful step in the right direction for the Commodores. After coming out of the gate incredibly slow at the Caramel Cup, Vanderbilt looks as if they are in midseason form. 

The performance of their freshmen was especially encouraging. 

“We knew our freshmen were really good. I wasn’t quite sure how they would handle playing at home and they handled it like champions,” said Allen.

The Commodores will play next at the Ron Moore Intercollegiate on Oct. 7-9 in Highland Ranch, Colorado.