No. 14 Vanderbilt Women’s Golf returned to action at the Darius Rucker Intercollegiate from March 2-4, competing in one of the strongest fields of the season which included 15 top 50 teams in the college golf rankings. The Commodores finished in 10th place at the event, as no player in Vanderbilt’s starting lineup cracked the top 30 on the individual leaderboard.
The 54-hole tournament was conducted over three days at the par-71 Long Cove Club in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Head coach Greg Allen opted to start Elizabeth Rudisill, Tillie Claggett, Ava Merrill, Lynn Lim and Angelina Tolentino, while Sara Im competed as an individual.
The Commodores sat in 10th place after 18 holes, shooting a 15-over 299 as a team to slip down the leaderboard. Lim paced the ‘Dores with a 2-over 73, which included three birdies, while Tolentino shot a 74.
Merrill and Claggett rounded out Vanderbilt’s counting scores with rounds of 75 and 77, respectively. Im shot a very solid round as an individual, firing an even-par 71, but her score did not count towards the team totals.
“Long Cove is a demanding course on a sunny calm day,” Allen said after the first round. “On a cold, windy day, it can beat you down, and we kind of got beat down a bit today. But there was no quit in any of our girls and I’m proud of them for that.”
Vanderbilt made progress on Day 2, surging up the leaderboard into sixth place following a second round of 1-over 285. Rudisill was hands down the star of the day, despite shooting 85 in the first round, as she drained four birdies en route to a 3-under 68.
“I’m really proud of the bounce back we showed today,” Allen said at the conclusion of Day 2. “I’m especially proud of the way [Rudisill] was able to put yesterday’s round behind her and play a really good round today.”
Tolentino also had another solid day with a 71, and Merrill and Lim rounded out Vanderbilt’s counting scores with rounds of 74 and 72, respectively. Im also had another fantastic round in red figures with a 1-under 70. The Commodores had successfully risen up the leaderboard on moving day, setting up a very critical third round to determine their tournament finish.
A stellar finish on the final day was not in the cards for Vanderbilt, though, as it fell four places down the leaderboard after shooting an 11-over 295.
“I thought we got off to a good start but definitely lost some momentum midway through the round,” Allen said after the conclusion of the event.
Merrill shot a final round 70 while Lim shot a 74, but they both finished in a tie for 33rd to round out the week. Tolentino came in 37th place after a final round 75 while Claggett finished 77th. Rudisill could not continue her momentum from Day 2, shooting a shocking 85 on the final day to finish in 85th.
Despite Im’s stellar play through two days, she shot a 77 in the final round to finish in 25th place.
“We’ve definitely got some things to figure out before we play again, but I’m confident we can get back on track,” Allen said. “We’ve got great young ladies that are willing to put in the time and effort.”
The Commodores now take an extended break before returning to action at the Clemson Invitational from March 27-29.
