NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It all comes down to this. Every drive, every chip, every putt of the fall and spring seasons for Vanderbilt women’s golf has been preparation for this week’s ultimate test: the SEC Championships.
Beginning with Wednesday’s opening round, the Commodores will compete with a field of familiar foes in an attempt to capture their first SEC title since 2014.
“This is what all the morning hours in the gym and long days on the golf course are all about. We talk all year about peaking in April and May,” said head coach Greg Allen. “So it’s go time and we couldn’t be more ready.”
For the 10th year in a row, the tournament will be hosted at the Legacy Course at Greystone Golf Club in Birmingham, Alabama. Known for its challenging greens and tempting hole design, this Rees Jones design will test the limits of the mental and physical toughness of all players.
“Although we’re familiar with the Legacy Course at Greystone, it’s going to play completely different this year,” said Allen. “They put in new greens after last year’s SEC Championships so they are very firm. We need to be smart and remain patient the whole week.”
Last year, Vanderbilt finished stroke play at 17-over par, securing seventh place and a spot in match play for the fourth straight year. However, the Dores were again unable to escape the quarterfinals, this time falling to eventual champions LSU.
“This may be the deepest the SEC has been in years so it’s going to be a battle to make match play,” said Allen. “I’m confident that our girls are up for the fight and will do everything in their power to make sure we have a Saturday tee time.”
Tournament Breakdown
Since 2018, the SEC Championships has followed a format of three weekday rounds of stroke play (Wednesday-Friday) with the top eight teams advancing to the weekend match play format (Saturday-Sunday). Therefore, the Dores must weather this course not once, not even three times, but a total of six times in five days in the hopes of hoisting the hardware.
Vanderbilt has entered match play every time in the past four years, being seeded fourth (2019), fifth (2021) and seventh twice (2018, 2022). SEC champions in the match-play era range from No. 2 seeds (LSU 2022) all the way to eighth seeds (Ole Miss 2019). What matters most is reaching the weekend.
SEC Forecast
This tournament is not only the pinnacle of pressure for this season but also the crest of competition for women’s…
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