After a reeling start to the 2024 season, No. 4 Vanderbilt Men’s Golf continued its campaign at the Ben Hogan Collegiate in Fort Worth, Texas from Sept. 30 to Oct. 1. The Colonial Country Club, serving as the host of the event, played as a par-70 at 7,289 yards —  the same setup as the PGA’s annual Charles Schwab Challenge. After playing 36 holes on Monday and 18 on Tuesday, the Commodores walked away from the event disappointed with a sixth-place finish.

Starting for Vanderbilt were usuals Wells Williams, Gordon Sargent, Jackson Van Paris and John Broderick, along with Rowan Sullivan who made his first appearance of the year. 

​​“This is certainly an event we circle on our schedule every fall. Golfers come to play at Vandy for opportunities like this, against high-level competition on a PGA TOUR course,” head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “We are halfway through our fall season, and we’ve learned a lot about ourselves. Each player has to be honest with themselves, and if they haven’t played to their true potential, it’s time to do what it takes to be their best.”

The Commodores failed to come out with the aforementioned “right energy,” shooting an abysmal 14-over 294 in the opening round, putting them in 12th place out of 15. None of Vanderbilt’s starters finished even or better, with Van Paris shooting a team-best 2-over 72. Sargent failed to perform to his potential despite his status as the No. 3 ranked amateur, posting a 5-over 75.

The rest of the team did not fare much better, with Williams shooting a 3-over 73, and Broderick and Sullivan coming in at 74 and 78, respectively.

Vanderbilt found itself in a deep hole at the beginning of the second round on Monday afternoon, 18 strokes behind leading No. 8 Oklahoma. The Commodores climbed back into contention — at least partially so —  thanks to a solid round of 4-over 284, ending the first day in a tie for 10th place with No. 7 Alabama. 

Sargent bounced back from a rough morning, carding a 1-under 69. Van Paris found his groove and scored an even-par 70 to sit tied for 19th place individually with 18 holes remaining. 

Behind the leadership of the seniors Sargent and Van Paris, the rest of Vanderbilt’s squad performed better than Monday morning. Williams and Broderick each improved by a stroke, shooting 73 and 74. Sullivan shot four strokes better, finishing the day with a 4-over 74 highlighted by an eagle on the first hole.

“It certainly wasn’t the day we had hoped for, but I am proud of the fight our guys showed,” Limbaugh said after the first two rounds. “Our competitive character is always being shaped, good and bad, so [we] have to be willing to fight with whatever [we] have. There are a lot of things we have to do better, and it’s up to all of us to take ownership of that. We are learning a lot about ourselves each time out, and we have to keep stacking layers of toughness. I believe in this group, and I’m excited to see us play closer to our standards tomorrow.”

Under Limbaugh’s leadership, the Commodores played to their expectations Tuesday, as they shot a collective 2-over 282 to finish the event in sixth place. The improvement across all three rounds was notable, but Vanderbilt still ended 30 strokes behind the No. 8 Sooners, who shot an incredible 10-under to win the two-day event.

Vanderbilt’s final round was highlighted by yet another stellar round from Van Paris, who shot a 3-under 67 to finish in seventh place individually, his second time in the top-10 this season and seventh in his collegiate career. Van Paris was still eight strokes back of the overall winner, No. 9 amateur David Ford of North Carolina, who earned a special exemption into next year’s Charles Schwab.

Broderick also shot a 67 on the final 18 to tie for 25th place. Sargent and Williams, on the other hand, each recorded a 4-over 74. Sullivan struggled even more, shooting an 8-over 78, his second time doing so across the three rounds. 

“You don’t always get instant results, and there is never a straight line to success, and you have to love the climb,” Limbaugh said. “I am proud of our guys and how they fought today. Jackson [Van Paris] and John [Broderick] gave us huge rounds when we had to have them in tough conditions. They really lifted the team up. [Van Paris] plays with so much consistency, and I love how he owns his game. Gordon [Sargent] battled without his best stuff, and I think that shows a ton about his character because we all know he will get it going.” 

Limbaugh and Co. fell short in yet another tournament and will look to improve before the conclusion of their fall season in a couple of weeks.

“We certainly aren’t happy with where we are, but I’m also learning a lot, and I think the team is learning a lot, which is the key,” Limbaugh said. “We have a couple of weeks to reset and get in the dirt for some improvement heading into our final event of the fall. We had some guys step up this week, and we are going to need more of that moving forward.”

The Commodores will finish their fall campaign at the Golf Club of Georgia Collegiate Invitational from Oct. 18-20 in Alpharetta, Georgia.