The Vanderbilt Men’s Golf team continued its season at the Linger Longer Invitational this week at the par-72 Great Waters Golf Course in Eatenton, Georgia. Vanderbilt finished at even-par after three days of stroke play, taking third place.
After an extremely close first two rounds, Vanderbilt found itself only two strokes behind the leader, Alabama. However, the Commodores couldn’t find their stride on day three, resulting in a third place finish behind Georgia Tech and the red-hot Crimson Tide. While the team didn’t emerge victorious this week, stellar play from Gordon Sargent (finishing tied for fourth) and William Moll (finishing tied for second competing as an individual) were bright spots on the Vanderbilt roster.
Moll was the star of Vanderbilt’s roster this week. He competed as an individual this week — therefore, his score did not count toward the team score — and shot a staggering 8-under to place himself in a tie for second. He came out hot on day two, shooting a 6-under 66 round that included seven birdies and one bogey. A 70 on day three put him near the top of the leaderboard.
“I’m super proud of William (Moll) and how he chose to see opportunity this week.” head coach Scott Limbaugh said after the final round. “He was excited to play, and it certainly showed.”
Sargent shot a 3-under 69 in round one, continuing his exceptional play this season. Sargent had seven birdies with two bogeys and one double bogey this round, a tumultuous day to say the least. The next day, after a double bogey on the third hole, Sargent was able to settle himself into the round and posted a 1-under 71. On the final day, Sargent shot another 1-under 71, with four birdies and three bogeys, placing him in a tie for fourth. Unsurprisingly, this tournament was another top-10 finish for the sophomore as he continues to shock the college golf world with consistent performances.
Wells Williams, the freshman phenom, played three steady rounds, placing him in a tie for 14th. After 71 on day one, he was able to continue this great golf into day two, shooting an even-par 72. Through the first two days, Williams recorded nothing worse than a bogey, showcasing his ability to play consistent golf. After a slightly disappointing day three — shooting a 2-over par 74, Williams again placed himself firmly in the top-20, a solid outing for the freshman.
Both Reid Davenport and Cole Sherwood battled to finish in a tie for 24th.
Sherwood shot a 1-under 71 on day one. However, a rough day two — shooting a 4-over 76 — pushed himself out of contention for the individual title. The resiliency of Sherwood was demonstrated as he fired an even-par 72 on day three, more than earning the top-25 finish.
After a tough day one for Davenport, who shot a 77, he fired a jaw-dropping 5-under 67 on day two, putting him back into contention for the individual title. The scoring average on day two was 75.69, meaning Davenport finished roughly eight strokes better than the average score. He then shot a 3-over 75 on day three, placing him in a tie for 24th, a slightly sour end to a turbulent three days. Nevertheless, Davenport’s 67 on day two is an indicator of good golf to come.
Matthew Riedel shot 13-over, tying at 62nd. Jackson Van Paris competed as an individual for this tournament. He shot 4-over and finished in a tie for 29th.
With a program record of 5 tournament wins this year, winning has seemed to become the standard for the Commodores. However, this week’s performance at the Linger Longer Invitational was impressive even without a win. Three top-20 finishes in a competitive field shows that the Commodores are capable of shooting low numbers.
“How we take this week, learn from it and move forward is going to say a lot about our team and our leadership.” Limbaugh said. “I believe in this entire group, and I love how they fight. We will focus on improving and finishing the spring season the right way.”
Vanderbilt will travel to Naples, Florida, next to compete in the Calusa Cup from April 2-4.
