No. 24 Vanderbilt Women’s Golf finished its season at the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, California, from May 16-19. The Commodores placed 16th among the 30 teams competing, as they were unable to make the 15-team cut after 54 holes to advance further in the tournament. The Commodores shot a 20-over 884 over the three days, their best finish at the NCAA Championships since 2014.
Vanderbilt qualified for the NCAA Championships after placing fifth at its NCAA Lexington Regional. Head coach Greg Allen stuck with the same lineup for the NCAA Championships at the par-72 Omni La Costa Resort and Spa: Ava Merrill, Lynn Lim, Sara Im, Angelina Tolentino and Tillie Claggett.
The Commodores got off to a scorching start on Day 1. The team led the tournament with a 6-under 282, the lowest round in program history at the NCAA Championships.
Claggett and Merrill had incredible rounds, as each fired a 3-under 69 to vault themselves into the top 10 on the individual leaderboard. Merrill tallied three birdies and no bogeys on her front nine to start the tournament on a high note, while Claggett cashed in six birdies of her own to push deep into red figures.
Lim was the third Commodore to shoot under par on Day 1, firing a 2-under 70 to benefit both her individual position and the team’s overall score. Im shot a 74 while Tolentino made too many mistakes on her front nine and finished with a 76.
“It [was] really nice to take advantage of the morning tee time and get off to a good start,” Allen said. “Ava [Merrill], Tillie [Claggett] and Lynn [Lim] did a great job of getting under par early and staying there all day. I’m really proud of the fight Sara [Im] and Angelina [Tolentino] showed after a rough start.”
Day 2 brought a fair share of challenges for the Commodores. With afternoon tee times, the team dealt with high winds and volatile conditions. Vanderbilt’s scores suffered as a result, as it finished with an 18-over 306 to sit in 13th place after 36 holes.
Things went south quickly for all five of Vanderbilt’s starters. They shot a cumulative 5-over on their opening hole and dug themselves into a large hole on the first nine. Merrill salvaged her round with a few birdies late in the day, but damage early in the round killed her scorecard. A pair of 76s for Merrill and Tolentino, combined with a 79 from Claggett, killed any momentum the Commodores once had.
Due to Vanderbilt’s early lead after Day 1, they were still in contention to make the 15-team cut after 54 holes.
“Despite a rough start and some big numbers late in the round, after two rounds at the National Championship, we’ve given ourselves a chance to make the 54-hole cut,” Allen said. “If you can make that cut, then there’s a chance to make match play. I’m really proud of the fight and the never-give-up attitude today.”
With morning tee times on Day 3 and prime scoring conditions, Vanderbilt looked to make the 54-hole cut for the first time since the 2014 season. However, it was not meant to be, as the Commodores finished in 16th place and just two strokes off the cut line.
“Well, this definitely stings and I hate it for our girls,” Allen said. “It’s never a good feeling when the season ends.”
It was the big numbers that killed Vanderbilt’s chances of making it further into the event. Three double bogeys and a triple bogey among counting scores halted all momentum. Merrill managed to shoot the Commodores’ sole round in red figures, finishing the day with a 2-under 70.
Im followed this up with a solid round of 72, but it was too late to make one final push. A 75 and 79 from Claggett and Lim, respectively, eventually ended Vanderbilt’s season.
“I thought our girls played with a lot of heart today, but again, we made too many big numbers,” Allen said. “Those are hard to overcome when the cut is decided by two shots.”
Merrill was fortunate to finish as the top individual from a non-advancing team, and she played the fourth round the next day. The sophomore finished the event with a final round 71 to place 14th individually.
Despite a tough end to an otherwise successful season, Allen was pleased with his team’s effort. Still, he knows that Vanderbilt can do more to make a deeper postseason push next year.
“I’m very encouraged about our future,” Allen said. “This group had a really good year, but I think we all feel it could have been better. Hopefully, this will motivate us to come back stronger.”
