The Vanderbilt Commodores Men’s Golf team concluded their fall season in ideal fashion, winning the East Lake Cup Final on Oct. 26. The five-team tournament was played at the famed East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Georgia. The top four teams from 18 holes of stroke play advanced to match play.
Vanderbilt finished the day with an even-par 360 on Monday, Oct. 24. Vanderbilt’s play was highlighted by star sophomore Gordon Sargent, who won the stroke play portion of the East Lake Cup thanks to posting a 4-under-par 68. The Alabama native notched five birdies on Monday.
“I’m proud of Gordon and how he competed all day,” head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “He continues to show why he’s one of the very best players in college golf.”
Vanderbilt’s solid performance on Monday was good enough to give them the No. 3 seed in the match play section of the tournament. The Commodores faced off against the defending national champion Texas Longhorns on Tuesday, Oct. 25.
Vanderbilt dominated on Tuesday, breezing past the Longhorns to a 3-1-1 victory. Commodores Matthew Riedel, William Moll and Cole Sherwood all birdied the par-five 14th hole, clinching their matches. Texas’s lone point came against Reid Davenport when he was defeated by Travis Vick on the 16th hole. The Commodores beat Texas in ruling fashion and were set to face Arizona State in the final. Limbaugh’s group understood that their clash against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Wednesday, Oct. 26, would not be a walk in the park.
“Tomorrow should be a lot of fun, it’s an important day for our team,” Limbaugh said. “It’s our final day of the fall season and we need to take pride in finishing the right way. We thank our fans who showed up today and hope to see more here tomorrow.”
The Commodores took advantage of their opportunity to win the East Lake Cup trophy over the Sun Devils on Wednesday. The first points of the day came from Riedel as he defeated Ryggs Johnston on the 12th hole. Riedel also won the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th and 11th holes. Arizona State’s Luke Potter evened the score at one apiece when he defeated Sherwood on the 18th hole. The Commodores and Wildcats would exchange points, as Davenport gave Vanderbilt their second point of the day and Preston Summerhays defeated Sargent. These matches evened the score at 2-2.
The match that decided Vanderbilt’s fate was the clash between Moll and Josele Ballester. At the conclusion of the front nine, Moll trailed Ballester by four holes. Moll resiliently bounced back into the match and found himself tied with Ballester at the 18th tee. On the final hole, Moll delivered a clutch birdie-putt to seal the match and make the Commodores East Lake Cup champions for the first time since 2017.
“I was proud [of] how William was able to hang in there and clinch the winning point. I really appreciate all the fans who showed up to celebrate our boys today,” Limbaugh said.
Following an offseason of just over four months, the Commodores will begin their spring season at the Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, on Feb. 5.
“Now it’s time for the offseason,” Limbaugh said. “We’re going to get some rest and then work on some areas we need to get better in to be the best team we can be.”
