BRYAN, Texas – Vanderbilt women’s golf charged forward on the back nine to finish with an even-par 288 in round two of the NCAA Bryan Regional at Traditions Club. Senior Virginie Ding led the way with a 4-under 68 for the Commodores.
Vandy climbed to sixth on the team leaderboard and sits just two strokes back of Ohio State in the fifth spot. The top five teams following tomorrow’s final round will advance to the NCAA Championships in Carlsbad, California.
Ding’s strong performance moved her into a tie for fourth individually through the first two rounds of the regional. She carded three-consecutive birdies on the back nine, part of six on the day, to spark the Commodores’ charge.
“I’m so proud of the fight our girls showed today and the resiliency they displayed, especially on the back nine,” said head coach Greg Allen. “Ding, Lynn and Celina carried us on the front, then Ding really got hot on the back. Having Tillie and Ava fight back was huge for us as well.”
Sophomores Lynn Lim and Tillie Claggett each produced 1-over rounds of 73. After bogeying the 10th hole, Lim parred each of the final eight holes coming home. Claggett rallied from a 3-over front nine with three birdies on the back side, narrowly missing a hole-out from the bunker for eagle on the 18th.
Freshman Ava Merrill rounded out the scoring for Vandy with a 2-over 74. After climbing to 4-over through 11 holes, Merrill finished strong with three birdies down the stretch. Graduate student Celina Sattelkau played below par for 14 holes before a tough finish landed her at 3-over 75.
As a team, the Commodores carded 10 birdies on the back nine to race back into contention.
SMU leads the regional at 6-under through two rounds. Clemson fired the low round of the day with a 7-under 281 to climb into second.
“Tomorrow is going to be fun and something we have been preparing for since August,” said Allen. “We need to make sure we control our emotions and stay locked in from start to finish.”
Vanderbilt will tee off at 8 a.m. on the 10th hole in Wednesday’s final round. The Dores will be paired with LSU and Ohio State in the final round.
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