FRANKLIN, Tenn. — Vanderbilt got off to a fine start Friday at the Mason Rudolph Championships and sits alone in second place after 18 holes of the 54-hole tournament.
Led by freshman Lynn Lim, Vandy finished with a 5-under-par 283 and is one stroke back of Arizona ahead of Saturday’s second round. Mississippi State (-4) is in third place.
“If I’m being honest I wasn’t sure what kind of score we’d post today with the early windy conditions and two freshmen playing in their first Mason,” Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen said. “I saw a team that never panicked when things got hard and I saw a group of young ladies that played with a lot of heart all day long.”
Lim, from Gallatin, is tied with Auburn’s Megan Schofill and Arizona’s Nana Wongthanavimok who are all 4-under-par after an opening-day 68. Lim carded five birdies on the day, including three of the front nine.
One stroke back of Lim is Vandy senior Celina Sattelkau with a 69. Sattelkau had an eagle on 8 and birdied her final two holes.
Tillie Claggett, also a freshman for Vanderbilt, finished with a 70 to sit two strokes off the lead. Tess Davenport and Natasha Kiel are each tied for 48th after shooting a 76 Friday.
“Celina, Lynn and Tillie looked in control of their games from start to finish,” Allen said.
Vanderbilt also has four individuals in the field and Virginie Ding (tied for 30th) led that quartet Friday with a 74. Jayna Choi (tied for 57th) finished with a 77, Ariel Yu (tied for 66th) had a 79 and Meghan Meserole (76th) carded an 83
The Commodores are scheduled to tee off at 10:10 Saturday alongside Mississippi State and Arizona. Live scoring for the event can be found HERE.
“We know there’s a lot of golf left this weekend but we’re excited about the opportunity to go out Saturday and take it one shot at a time,” Allen said.
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