The No. 3 Vanderbilt Men’s Golf team continued its dominant spring with a convincing win, totalling a total team score of 20-under 832. The performance was an impressive seven strokes better than second place San Diego State. It was a total team effort, as every Commodore player shot even-par or better.
Sargent, Van Paris, Cole Sherwood, Matthew Riedel and William Moll started for Vanderbilt while Wells Williams competed as an individual.
Matthew Riedel paced the Commodores in round one, shooting a scorching 4-under 67. Riedel had six birdies and two bogeys while placing second overall, merely one stroke behind the leader.
Sargent, Sherwood and Moll also had a strong first round, with each of them shooting 2-under 69. The trio all started out slowly but picked up steam on the back nine. Moll in particular was excellent on the back nine, tallying four birdies and just one bogey. The three Commodores finished tied for sixth after round one, giving the Commodores a commanding five-stroke team lead heading into round two.
In round two, the Commodores maintained their lead thanks to exceptional rounds from Van Paris and Sargent. Van Paris bounced back from a subpar showing on day one to shoot a 3-under 68, finishing his round with a birdie on the final hole. He totalled six birdies and three bogeys, vaulting himself into a tie for sixth place.
Meanwhile, the ever-consistent Sargent shot a 4-under 67. The junior nailed four birdies without any bogeys, continuing his dominance as a top player in all of college golf. Sargent ended the day in second place, only trailing Oklahoma State’s Jonas Baumgartner. The Commodores went into round three with a three stroke lead over second place Oklahoma State and a six stroke lead over Oklahoma, San Diego and UCLA.
“I thought it was a real solid day,” head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “The guys came out ready to go this morning and I thought it was a really good first round. Everyone was solid and it was great having all six guys even par or better. We got off to a slower start in the second round, but we did a good job staying patient and fighting to the finish which was big.”
On the final day, Vanderbilt slammed the door shut on any heroic comebacks, shooting a 5-under 284. The Commodores were led by Sherwood, who fired a 4-under 71. Sherwood finished fourth overall for the tournament.
Vanderbilt’s second best scorer was Williams, who competed individually. After playing very solid golf the first two rounds, he took it to another level on the final day with a 4-under 67. He capped off his signature performance with a birdie on the last hole, clinching a top-five overall finish. This was an extraordinary performance for the Vanderbilt sophomore.
“What an awesome team win. I am so proud of the guys and how they competed,” Limbaugh said. “We talked about wanting to make a statement this week and the guys embraced that. It’s great to come to a new tournament and get uncomfortable, because that helps us grow.”
The Commodores are certainly rolling now after one of their most complete performance of the spring season. They’ll be back in action on March 25 at the Valspar Collegiate Invitational in Palm City, Fla.
