No. 22 Vanderbilt Women’s Golf competed at the NCAA Lexington Regional from May 5-7. The top five teams from each regional advance, and the Commodores finished fifth to punch their ticket to a fourth-straight NCAA Championships. With six total regionals and five teams advancing from each one, Vanderbilt will be among the 30 teams at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, competing for a national championship later this month.
The Commodores pulled off an unbelievable comeback on Day Three to extend their postseason, beating out TCU by one stroke to take the final spot. Ava Merrill, Angelina Tolentino, Tillie Claggett, Lynn Lim and Sara Im made the start for Vanderbilt at the par-72 Keene Trace Golf Club in Lexington, Kentucky.
Day One was a struggle for the Commodores as they sat in 10th place following an opening round of 13-over 301. It was a sluggish start for all five of Vanderbilt’s players, as only one Commodore made the turn under par. Things only deteriorated further on the second nine, as the team dropped eight strokes on holes No. 4-6. All of the Commodores’ five starters put together over-par rounds, as Merrill shot 74 while Lim and Im both shot 75.
The Commodores were seven shots behind the projected cutline after Round One and 20 strokes behind leader Florida State. They had dug themselves into an early hole with some uncharacteristic miscues.
“Well, this isn’t the ideal start you want at a Regional but it’s the hand we have dealt ourselves, so we are going to make the best of it,” head coach Greg Allen said. “I thought we were solid on our first nine holes then things started going sideways on us when we made the turn, especially on four, five and six.”
Vanderbilt bounced back on Day Two, though, putting themselves right back into contention. The Commodores shot a cumulative 6-under 282 to earn the second-best team round of the day, only behind leader Florida State, and jump four spots in the standings to sixth place.
“That’s the team we’ve been waiting to see since about mid-February,” Allen said after Round Two. “I was so encouraged to see us clean up what we didn’t do very well yesterday. We found fairways and took advantage of the par-5s today. It was a team effort from start to finish.”
Lim led the effort for the Commodores, firing a 4-under 68 to propel the team up the leaderboard. The junior carded an early bogey but bounced back with five birdies and 11 pars on her remaining 16 holes.
Tolentino and Merrill also strung together solid rounds, as both shot a 1-under 71 to help the comeback. Claggett and Im put together rounds of 72 and 74, respectively.
The Commodores faced some early adversity as they fell 14 strokes off the cutline in the first two holes, but each player steadied the ship and finished strong. The team had 14 birdies and an eagle on its second nine to charge up the leaderboard.
“We have some momentum after today and talked about how we need to use that advantage tomorrow,” Allen said. “There will certainly be some uncomfortable moments throughout the day and we just need to embrace that.”
On Day Three, the comeback was complete. Lim knocked in a three-foot putt on her final hole to send Vanderbilt to its fourth-straight NCAA Championships. Finishing with a 5-under 283, the Commodores edged out TCU by a single stroke to take the final spot and advance.
“What a comeback by a group of absolute dawgs,” Allen said after the tournament. “I am so proud of the fight this group showed the last two days. Not once did they ever hang their head after the first round and they never stopped believing. They showed great composure all day today and, like yesterday, it was a complete team effort.”
Merrill and Tolentino had another set of fantastic rounds, shooting a pair of 2-under 70s to begin the day strong. Claggett backed it up with a round of 71, while Lim finished the day at even-par.
On the challenging first nine, the Commodores escaped unscathed with a team score of even-par but caught fire on the second nine. Between holes No. 1-6, the Commodores went seven-under, capped off by Lim’s eagle on the par-5 fifth hole.
“It was a lot closer there at the end than we wanted,” Allen said after the event. “TCU made some birdies and we made a few bogeys, but it’s really nice to see this group getting back to playing golf to our standard. Now we want to make sure we are not satisfied with just advancing. We want to get to La Costa and make some noise.”
The Commodores now face their toughest test of the season at the NCAA Championships, where they will face 29 other battle-tested teams. However, it seems that Vanderbilt is peaking at the right time and poised to make one final postseason push.
Vanderbilt Women’s Golf returns to action at the NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California, beginning May 16.
