Before entering a much-needed offseason, the Vanderbilt Commodores finished the fall season with the 10-team Williams Cup tournament in Wilmington, North Carolina. This three-round tournament was played on Oct. 25-26, with 36 holes being played on the first day. Vanderbilt’s third-place finish was an ideal way to conclude the 2021 season.
“We didn’t finish rounds one and two the way we would have liked,” head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “We’re excited about the talent we have for the upcoming season, but we need to grow in some areas.”
Vanderbilt came out of the gates strong––posting a 1-over, 289 team-score through 18 holes––and finished the first round in second place. This round featured Gordon Sargent and William Moll posting under-par performances, while Michael Sears finished the round with an even-par 72.
“We had different guys stepping up in different moments,” Limbaugh said. “I thought we faced tough conditions in the first nine holes and those conditions laid down for the last 27 holes that day.”
Vanderbilt’s 4-under score in the second round placed Vanderbilt in third place with 18 holes remaining. Although the Commodores played better in the second round, the weather conditions were more scorable and less tumultuous than the beginning of the day. Reid Davenport spectacularly posted a 6-under 66 in the second round. In the first two rounds, the Commodores sank 30 birdies.
“Reid played really well in the match play at Birmingham,” Limbaugh said. “He carried that momentum over to this tournament. I was ecstatic for him to finish the fall this way.”
In the final round of the tournament, the Commodores were unable to climb out of third place. Vanderbilt finished the round with a 3-over 291 score to finish out the fall season. Out of the 60 golfers that competed, five Commodores cracked the top-20. Sargent and Davenport finished tied for eighth with a 1-under par score of 215. Limbaugh was more than impressed with the way freshman Sargent has performed this season.
“He has the potential and talent to be as good as he wants to be,” Limbaugh said. “He’s bought into Vanderbilt golf and he’s been really coachable.”
Vanderbilt heads into the offseason looking to make a deep run in the tournament season, but the break will grant the team time to recuperate. Vanderbilt will use this time to reflect and grow for the spring season. From February to now, the student-athletes haven’t had a break, with a long tournament season that stretched into June and a fall season that began in early September. Limbaugh thinks that stepping away will allow everyone to refresh mentally and reset.
“I know I’m excited to spend time with my family,” Limbaugh said. “Doing Halloween with my daughters, going to concerts with my wife or watching Titans football with my son will be the types of bonding we all will cherish this offseason during the holiday season.”
