No. 14 Vanderbilt Women’s Golf concluded its fall season at The Ally from Oct. 21-23 in West Point, Mississippi. The Commodores had a successful tournament, taking third place with a 6-under 858 cumulative total. Vanderbilt led the event after round one but failed to keep its foot on the gas pedal over three days as it fell to SEC foe Florida by nine strokes. Sara Im notched her best finish as a Commodore — placing second in a field of 90 — and was dominant over all three rounds. 

Im, Tillie Claggett, Lynn Lim, Ava Merrill and Charlene Chung earned the start for Vanderbilt. Macie Brown and Claire Henson competed as individuals and their scores were not counted towards the team totals. 

The Commodores got off to a hot start on Day One, posting a tournament-best 10-under 278. It marked the lowest round posted by Vanderbilt since the Mason Rudolph Championship in the fall of 2023. Im led the charge for the Commodores, posting a 4-under 68 with six birdies and two bogeys. 

“Well, the message was very clear last night: ‘Let’s get off to a good start and not wait until the second round to figure things out,’” head coach Greg Allen said after Day One. “It was so much fun watching them do just that. I’m not sure I’ve seen a group play a better nine holes.”

All of Vanderbilt’s starters clearly received the message. Lim carded a 2-under 70 while Claggett shot a 3-under 69 as both kept big numbers off the scorecard and made a collective three bogeys on the day.

“Lynn [Lim] continues to be steady for us, and it’s nice to see Tillie [Claggett] under par again,” Allen said. “She’s really made strides the last few weeks and is close to playing great golf again.”

Merrill followed closely behind with a 1-under 71 to round out the Commodores’ counting scores. It was a near-perfect start for Vanderbilt as it looked to hold its lead for the rest of the tournament.

The Commodores stayed within striking distance of the lead after Day Two, falling back to third place after shooting a 2-over 290. Vanderbilt failed to find the same magic it produced during round one but remained in the hunt after 36 holes.

Im once again paved the way for this Vanderbilt squad, shooting a stellar 3-under 69 to stay tied for second place on the individual leaderboard, just four strokes shy of leader Avery Weed. The front nine was very scoreable for a second-straight day, and Im capitalized on the easy conditions and pin placements to make four birdies on the front side. 

Merrill improved from her round one score, shooting a 2-under 70 to stay well within contention for the individual title. Lim and Claggett both struggled to keep up their momentum, carding scores of 74 and 77, respectively. 

“Today certainly wasn’t our best, but I’m proud of the fight we showed,” Allen said after Day Two. “Sara [Im] and Ava [Merrill] really carried us today and continue to look sharp.”

A slew of penalty strokes and errant tee shots dropped this Commodore squad out of first place, but its stellar first round kept the team afloat. 

The Commodores failed to close the gap with first place and shot another 2-over 290 on Day Three, taking home third place and falling to Florida and Mississippi State by nine and three strokes, respectively. 

“What a great learning opportunity for our team today,” Allen said after the conclusion of the tournament. “The girls fought really hard, but in the end, we made too many mistakes coming down the stretch.”

Im continued her battle for the individual title but fell just one stroke short of medalist honors. Another strong round of 71 kept her in the hunt all day, but she failed to make enough birdies down the stretch. 

“I’m really proud of the fall season Sara [Im] put together,” Allen said after Day Three. “She has worked really hard since last year and it’s nice to see that paying off for her.”

Claggett bounced back with a solid 71 to finish in a tie for 19th while Merrill shot 73 to earn a top-10 finish — her second of the season. Chung finally put together a counting score with a 73 while Lim struggled to finish the tournament to her normal standards, carding a 74 to finish in a tie for 25th.

“We saw signs this fall of what this team can be capable of doing,” Allen said. “We know we have the talent to be a great team, we just need a few little tweaks over the offseason.”

Overall, the Commodores had a very successful fall season, earning three top-five finishes with a win at the Carmel Cup in Pebble Beach, California. They’ve faced a high level of competition throughout the fall, and Allen should be filled with optimism as his team approaches the winter offseason. 

Vanderbilt will return to action in the new year, as it visits Rio Grande, Puerto Rico from Feb. 2-4 for the Puerto Rico Classic.