No. 19 Vanderbilt Men’s Golf earned a third-place finish in its final regular-season tournament of 2024-25 at the Mason Rudolph Championship. The Commodores finished with a season-best 27-under 825 but, ultimately, fell short to SEC rivals No. 1 Auburn and No. 5 Ole Miss.
After an up-and-down season, Vanderbilt hoped to close the regular season on a high note at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee. The Commodores’ starting lineup featured Jackson Van Paris, Wells Williams, John Broderick and first-year standout Ryan Downes. Gordon Sargent, the 12th-ranked amateur in the world, returned to compete on Senior Day, aiming for a Mason Rudolph Championship three-peat. Chase Nevins, Rowan Sullivan, Bowen Ballis and Ben Loomis also competed as individuals.
“I’m excited for the opportunity we have this week to host our home event,” head coach Scott Limbaugh said before the tournament. “The guys are excited, and we need to bring a collective energy. I want our guys to play with an aggressive spirit and have some fun.”
Playing a hybrid layout that included the front nine of the South Course and the back nine of the North Course, Vanderbilt stormed out to an early lead with a 16-under 268 in the first round, holding a four-shot edge over Ole Miss.
Downes led the charge with a bogey-free, 10-under 61, carding seven birdies on the back nine alone. The Massachusetts native tied the program record for the lowest 18-hole score at any tournament with this performance.
Williams also shined, posting an 8-under round that featured seven birdies and an approach-shot eagle on the 13th hole to place him second individually. Van Paris added a 2-under 69, while Broderick and Sargent struggled, finishing at 4-over and 5-over, respectively. Ballis impressed with a 1-under in his first tournament appearance of the season.
“It was an awesome first day, and we had some guys really step up,” Limbaugh said. “Obviously, Ryan [Downes] shooting a 61 was huge, and Wells [Williams] looked strong out there.”
The Commodores maintained their momentum in the second round, with a 12-under 272 to stay atop the leaderboard. Van Paris fired a 5-under 66 to move into a tie for sixth overall. Williams and Downes remained consistent, shooting 3-under and 1-under, respectively, to share the individual lead heading into the final round. Broderick and Sargent both carded 2-under 69s, marking the first time this season that all five starters shot under par in a round.
With Williams and Downes in contention for the individual title, Vanderbilt entered the final round hoping to hold off Auburn’s Jackson Koivun, the No. 2-ranked amateur in the world, who was surging up the leaderboard having only made two bogeys all week.
However, the Commodores couldn’t maintain their rhythm on Sunday, posting a 1-over 285 in the final round to finish at 27-under on the week. They ultimately finished behind Auburn, which fired a remarkable 38-under over 54 holes, and Ole Miss, which came in at 33-under.
Downes finished tied for sixth overall at 9-under after carding a 2-over 73 in the final round. Van Paris was even par on the day, securing a share of 10th. Broderick struggled with a 7-over round, while Sargent shot 3-over in his final collegiate regular-season appearance.
Among the individuals, Nevins and Ballis both finished inside the top 50, shooting 2-over and 4-over, respectively. Nevins delivered an especially notable final round, carding a 3-under — his first under-par round of the season — including his first eagle of the year on the final hole.
Williams, however, continued his stellar play, posting a final-round 67 to finish at 15-under and claim his second individual victory of the season.
“What Wells has done — winning two of our five spring events against strong fields — is outstanding,” said Limbaugh. “We had a lot of positives this week. We just have to keep seeing who wants to step up. Overall, I’m really encouraged with how we played this weekend.”
Vanderbilt will now get a few weeks of rest before traveling to the SEC Championship, held April 23–27 at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Georgia.
