No. 12 Vanderbilt Men’s Golf returned to action at The Invitational at The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee, from Sept. 15-16. The Commodores took fourth place out of the 12 teams in the event, which included six other ranked teams. Despite a strong top-10 finish from Wells Williams, Vanderbilt’s three-round score of 1-under 863 came up nine strokes short of winner Ole Miss.
Michael Riebe, Carlos Astiazaran, Ryan Downes, Jon Ed Steed and Williams were Vanderbilt’s starters while Will Hartman competed as an individual — his scores not counting towards the team total. The event took place at the famous par-72 Honors Course, the No. 1 ranked golf course in Tennessee according to Golf Digest.
Vanderbilt jumped out to a solid start on Day 1, carding a 9-under 567 over two rounds to sit in second place. Team rounds of 281 and 286 put the Commodores just one stroke behind Ole Miss after 36 holes.
First-years Riebe and Steed led the charge, carding a 4-under-par total through the two rounds. Riebe’s 68 in the first round was followed by an even-par 72 to put himself in contention on the individual leaderboard. Two steady rounds of 70 for Steed kept him in the hunt as well.
Williams kept it in red figures on Day 1 too, carding a 2-under 142 to sit just outside the top 10 heading into the final round. A stellar second round, which included seven birdies, pushed him up the individual leaderboard.
Astiazaran couldn’t keep the bogeys off the card, shooting over-par in consecutive rounds. Downes started the event strong with a round of 70 but followed it up with a round of 75 to end his day and put him out of contention for the individual title.
“I thought our guys showed a ton of grit today in how we hung in there and finished both rounds strong,” head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “This is a great test with a championship setup, and it rewards patience and mental toughness. Michael [Riebe] and Jon Ed [Steed] were solid all day, and their excitement was infectious.”
The Commodores slipped down the team leaderboard to fourth place on Day 2.
Williams was a bright spot, shooting a 3-under 69 to finish the tournament in a tie for third individually. It was the senior’s second-straight top-10 finish and sixth career top-five finish. Four birdies and an eagle were enough to bring him up near the top of the leaderboard, just one stroke shy of medalist honors.
No other Vanderbilt player found red figures in the final round, as Downes had the second-best score of the day with a 2-over 74 to finish in a tie for 28th. Riebe shot a 75 to end the tournament in a tie for 11th — his second-straight top-15 performance.
A final round 78 for Steed — placing him in a tie for 19th — was the final dagger for Vanderbilt as it lost to Auburn, Virginia and Ole Miss.
“It was such a great test of golf today at The Honors Course,” Limbaugh said at the conclusion of play. “We were probably a little protective today instead of approaching the day in pursuit, but we will be better next time. Our young guys are learning a lot about themselves and getting better every day. We stuck our noses in there this week against a great field, and I’m proud of our guys.”
Vanderbilt will now take a break before returning to action at the Ben Hogan Collegiate from Sept. 29-30.
