Vanderbilt continued their impressive showing at the NCAA Tournament in Scottsdale, Arizona, on Tuesday; however, their championship hopes were dashed after a 3-1-1 loss to Texas in the semifinals.
In the early morning, and just hours after securing the No. 1 overall seed in the quarterfinal round of the tournament, the Commodores defeated Texas Tech in the quarterfinals, 3-2, at the Grayhawk Golf Club.
Coming off a performance that earned him the individual championship at the NCAA Tournament, freshman Gordon Sargent continued to lead the way for Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals. After falling into an early hole, Sargent came roaring back to take a commanding lead in the latter half of the back nine—a performance that was emblematic of the team’s effort as a whole.
After a back and forth start that saw the Commodores trail the Red Raiders throughout the early part of the match, Texas Tech put its foot on the gas pedal and took a commanding 5-0 lead over Vanderbilt. That advantage would not last long as the ‘Dores came roaring back to tie the match at 2-2-1 over the next few holes.
Vanderbilt continued their torrid pace, putting away Texas Tech as the match drew near a finish. Sargent, along with senior Harrison Ott, went 2-up on their Red Raider counterparts after tying them earlier on the back nine. Senior Reid Davenport ensured the 3-2 victory with a dramatic putt on the 18th hole to send Vanderbilt to the semifinals.
After earning a trip to the semifinals, the Commodores turned right around to face Texas in another 18-hole match. The magic Vanderbilt sustained in the morning did not carry over to the afternoon though, as Scott Limbaugh’s group fell to the Longhorns, 3-1-1.
“I think that team that we were playing is so good that it’s just hard to flip multiple matches around,” Limbaugh said after the match. “Credit to them; they were the better team today. I hate that it happened. The way we’ve played, the boys have just been so awesome all spring long.”
Sargent, riding a high after his individual championship and match win earlier in the day, was one of three Commodores to fall in the finale against the Longhorns. Davenport and sophomore Cole Sherwood also dropped their respective matches, 4&3 and 3&2. Sherwood’s day was not without fireworks, however, as he hit a beautiful shot to get himself out of trouble on the 13th hole.
Ott tied his match with Mason Nome after leveling-up with him on the back nine. Junior William Moll was the lone Commodore to win his match against Texas, finishing 1-up on Parker Coody.
“They definitely put their signature on Vanderbilt golf. Best season we’ve ever had. They just showed everything they’re all about all spring long,” Limbaugh said. “Sports goes this way: We wanted it, really never stopped believing we could do it and then it ends. But this loss certainly won’t define us.”
