The Vanderbilt Commodores showcased an impressive performance at the NCAA Division I Women’s Golf Championship, starting their campaign at Omni La Costa in Carlsbad, California, with a significant leap forward after their prior regional showing. After grappling with a 13-over-par finish in the regional round, Vanderbilt rebounded excellently, concluding the first round at 6 under par, establishing a two-shot advantage over competitors.
Oklahoma State closely trails in second place at 4 under par, also benefiting from the favorable morning conditions during the initial tee-off wave, which featured lower-ranked teams in the 30-team lineup. The University of Florida finished the round at even par, placing them in a tie with esteemed programs such as Oregon, Texas, and Arizona State.
“I thought the girls did a nice job of bringing the momentum that we had the last two rounds in Lexington with us,” remarked Vanderbilt head coach Greg Allen. Notably, the Commodores achieved a program-low score at nationals, with Ava Merrill and Tillie Claggett each posting solid 3-under 69s. Allen emphasized the importance of capitalizing on the morning tee time, stating, “It’s really nice to take advantage of the morning tee time and get off to a good start. … It’s still super early, so we understand there’s a lot of golf left, and we just need to embrace the leaderboard and where we’re at.”
In addition to their strong performance, Vanderbilt’s team maintained excellent discipline throughout their rounds, suffering only a single double bogey among their five players.
In contrast, while expectations for top-ranked Stanford were high, the team found itself tied for 11th place at 5 over par, with a surprising 77 from Annika Award finalist Meja Ortengren contributing to their challenges. Florida State, ranked fourth nationally, struggled as well, sitting in 16th place at 7 over par even with top amateurs Mirabel Ting and Lottie Woad contributing scores of 2-under 70 and even-par 72, respectively.
Both Arkansas and South Carolina, ranked second and third, ended the day tied for 21st at 9 over par, while Wake Forest is currently in the last positions at 16 over par. For South Carolina, senior Hannah Darling faced disappointment, shooting an 82, a stark contrast to her preceding year where she struggled at the NCAA Championship.
On a positive note, Tennessee’s Bailey Davis garnered attention with a stellar performance, carding a remarkable 5-under 67 and leading competitors such as Lauren Kim from Texas, Catherine Park from USC, and Elsa Svensson from LSU, all of whom are vying for top status in the tournament.
