It was moving day for the Chattanooga Mocs women’s golf team at the Mason Rudolph Championships. The ladies were the movers of the day improving 21 strokes over round one with a 9-under 279. It was the third-lowest round posted at Vanderbilt Legends Club Saturday as the Mocs moved seven spots up the leaderboard.
It was historic as well.
It is the second best day in program records to 10-under 278 in the final round winning the 2011 JMU Eagle Landing Invitational.
The 36-hole total of 579 is ninth best by total and fourth lowest by par in school history.
Three-over 579 sits tied for fifth with LSU. That's one behind fourth-place Auburn and four clear of Ohio State in seventh. It’s the best 36-hole score since the 2015 Pinehurst Challenge (575).
“It was truly a great day,” Coach Colette Murray shared. “We fired on all cylinders. This team is so capable of doing great things, and today was a reflection of that. It shows the type of team we are meant to be.
“It was so much fun to watch. It was even more fun to watch them to enjoy it together after the round.”
The 279 was led by two players. Megan Docherty and Dorota Zalewska each tallied 68s (-4). It was Docherty’s first collegiate par or better score, while Zalewska tied the school record for cards in the 60s with the 10th of her career. It was the fifth in just eight rounds so far this season for the senior from Poland.
Beatriz Barrios wasn’t far behind with 2-under 70. Carolina Hortian added 73 to the counting scores, while Kera Healey added fireworks with the drop score of 76. She scored a hole-in-one on the 142-yard fifth with a 7 iron.
Zalewska is in the medalist hunt at 6-under 138. She’s tied for third, one shot behind leaders Megan Schofill (Auburn) and Tille Claggett (Vanderbilt). Docherty is tied for 31st with 3-over 147. That's two better than Hortian (149) who is two ahead of Healey's 151. Barrios is right behind the ace with 152.
The host Commodores surged to the lead with 276 today for a 558 total. First round pace setter Arizona (560) is second followed by Mississippi State (564) ahead of Auburn in fourth and the Mocs and LSU rounding out the top 5.
Chattanooga opens play Sunday at 9:50 a.m., Eastern time, off No. 1. The ladies are paired with Tigers from Auburn and LSU as Barrios leads the way in the first pairing. Healey (10:00), Hortian (10:10), Docherty (10:20) and Zalewska (10:30) follow in 10-minute increments.
Mason Rudolph Championships
Sept. 23-25 (Fri.-Sun) | 54 holes (18 per day)
Lineup
T5th of 14: 300-279=579 (+3)
T3) Dorota Zalewska: 70-68=138 (-6)
T31) Megan Docherty: 79-68=147 (+3)
T42) Carolina Hortian: 76-73=149 (+5)
T55) Kera Healey: 75-76=151 (+7)
T57) Beatriz Barrios: 82-70=152 (+8)
78) Nieves Martin (Ind): 87-82=169 (+25)