HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — Battling blustery conditions with winds gusting over 30 mph, Vanderbilt women’s golf carded a 1-under 287 to extend its lead to 11 strokes on day two of the Ron Moore Intercollegiate at the University of Denver Golf Club. The Commodores sit atop the leaderboard at 18-under par through 36 holes with Colorado and Texas State tied for second at 7-under.
Junior Ava Merrill led the Dores on day two, firing a 4-under 68 to move into sole possession of the individual lead at 7-under for the weekend. Merrill’s second round included a pair of eagles – seizing opportunities on the par-5 ninth and 18th.
Freshman Elizabeth Rudisill joined Merrill in turning in an under-par scorecard, shooting a 1-under 71 on Saturday. Rudisill settled into the round to produce a clean 2-under-par back nine. The rookie sits one stroke back of Merrill in the race for medalist honors at 6-under through 36 holes.
“Ava’s round was really impressive and I’m proud of how she stayed patient and took advantage of the par 5s,” head coach Greg Allen said. “Rudy continues to impress, especially after she settles into her round. Tomorrow should be fun watching those two battle it out individually while they help this team try and secure the win.”
Senior Tillie Claggett closed with an eagle on the 18th to card an even-par 72. Freshman Kathryn Ha battled through a tough start to record six-straight pars coming home for a 4-over 76. Senior Lynn Lim finished with a 5-over 77 to round out Vanderbilt’s lineup.
Sophomore Angelina Tolentino shook off a 5-over front nine with a 2-under and bogey-free back side, finishing at 3-over. She sits tied for eighth on the individual leaderboard at 3-under on the weekend.
“I was really proud of the toughness and the fight we showed today, and how we were able to hang in there and not let the round get out of hand,” Allen said. “We were definitely going in the wrong direction through the first seven holes. I think that shows a lot of maturity to end up under par. We knew the conditions were going to be much tougher today and they were with the wind blowing a constant 20-25 mph all day with gusts in the mid-30s.”
The Dores enter Sunday aiming to secure their second-straight victory. A win would mark the first back-to-back tournament titles since February 2019.
Vanderbilt is paired with Colorado and Texas State for Sunday’s final round. Play begins with a shotgun start at 9:45 a.m. CT. Live scoring for the event can be found on BirdieFire.
