Coming off an impressive victory at the Carmel Cup in Pebble Beach, California, Vanderbilt Women’s Golf hosted the Mason Rudolph Championship at Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee from Sept. 20-22. The field was highly competitive, featuring 10 ranked teams, including No. 3 Texas, No. 8 Northwestern and No. 9 Texas A&M.
Vanderbilt, because it was hosting, played both an A team and a B team. Angelina Tolentino, Lynn Lim, Sara Im, Ava Merrill and Tillie Claggett headlined the A team. Claire Henson, Jayden Jevnick, Charlene Chung, Macie Brown and Meghan Meserole comprised the B team.
The Commodores’ familiarity with their home course proved to be less of an advantage than initially expected, as the A team shot a 20-under 844 to finish in a tie for fifth place with Arizona State. A late rally in the third round pushed the Black and Gold up the leaderboard, but it wasn’t enough to catch red-hot Texas. Im was the only Vanderbilt player to secure a top-10 finish.
On Day One, Vanderbilt found itself in ninth place within a very compact field after shooting a 6-under 282, as just six shots separated it from first place.
“I thought we played pretty solid today, but just didn’t make many birdies coming down the stretch,” head coach Greg Allen said. “The golf course was so good, the greens were perfect but unfortunately we burned a lot of putts.”
Four Vanderbilt A team players secured under-par rounds. Im led the Commodores with a bogey-free 3-under 69, while Tolentino, Merrill and Lim all shot a 1-under 71 in perfect conditions.
Brown was the sole under-par round on Vanderbilt’s B team as she rolled in five birdies and two bogeys to begin her tournament.
“It’s nice to see us under par, but in this field, with these conditions, we need to get hot and stay hot,” Allen said after Day One. “The great thing is that we have two more days to do just that.”
On Day Two, Vanderbilt’s A team climbed two spots up the leaderboard into seventh place after shooting a collective 5-under 283. Im once again shined as she carded a career-best round as a Commodore and put herself in a tie for first place on the individual leaderboard. A stellar 6-under 66, highlighted by four birdies on her front nine, was just the fuel the Commodores needed.
“What a round of golf by Sara Im,” Allen said after Day Two. “She was in complete control of every part of her game today and absolutely carried us.”
Merrill and Claggett posted 72s in the second round while Lim struggled, shooting a 4-over 76 and dashing her chances of winning the individual title. The back nine once again posed challenges for the Commodores as they shot a collective 2-over on this closing side.
“We really had it rolling through 12 holes, but for some reason, we struggled with the last 4-5 holes again,” Allen said. “I honestly think we’re trying to force it rather than just letting it happen.”
On Day Three, the Commodores put a late rally together to end the tournament in a tie for fifth. A tournament-best 9-under 279 on Day Three wasn’t quite enough to push Vanderbilt further up the leaderboard, but the A team put forth a valiant closing effort to string together one of the strongest rounds of the event.
Four of Vanderbilt’s five starting team members shot in red figures, led by Merrill’s 68, which consisted of five birdies and just one bogey to vault herself into a tie for 18th.
“I thought our girls showed so much heart today,” Allen said at the conclusion of play. “I’m really proud of the ‘fight to the finish’ attitude they played with today.”
Im was in contention to become the first Commodore to win the Mason Rudolph individual title since 2018, but in the end, it was not to be. A solid 1-under 71 on Day Three wasn’t enough to catch Mississippi State’s Avery Weed, who finished first. Still, it was an exceptional weekend for the Duluth, Georgia native as she finished in a tie for fifth.
“Sara played golf at a really high level this weekend,” Allen said. “It was nice to see her having a chance to win.”
Claggett had her best round of the tournament on Day Three, posting a 69 to just crack the top 30. Lim bounced back from a rough Day Two to finish in a tie for 42nd while Tolentino ended in a tie for 56th.
No members of Vanderbilt’s B team finished inside the top 30.
The quality of this field certainly makes this finish a positive one, as fifth place in such a marquee selection of teams is nothing to scoff at. Still, if Vanderbilt wants to compete for a national title in May, it will need to learn how to keep its foot on the gas pedal for an entire weekend.
Vanderbilt will now take an extended break but will return to action at the Ruth’s Chris Tar Heel Invitational from Oct. 11-13 in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
