The Vanderbilt Commodores men’s golf team finished their regular season on a high note, notching yet another victory at the Mossy Oak Collegiate in West Point, Mississippi, on April 11-12. The 19-team tournament was held at the Mossy Oak Golf Course and played 7,212 yards at par 72.
The Commodores led by only two strokes over Mississippi State after Round Two, but a 9-under-par final round clinched the victory for Vanderbilt. The team shot a team total of 835, 25-under-par and 12 strokes better than second-place Auburn. Vanderbilt is riding positive momentum heading into the SEC Championships, as it’s the team’s fourth title in five tournaments this spring.
“Really pumped for our guys and how they locked in finishing this part of our season the right way,” head coach Scott Limbaugh told Vanderbilt Athletics. “Winning isn’t easy, and they played with a lot of courage this week. Success can kind of make you lose focus if you don’t own your actions and your thoughts, so you have to hold yourself to the highest levels possible.”
Freshman Gordon Sargent had a career finish en route to his first individual victory, joining teammate and sophomore Cole Sherwood as Vanderbilt’s only players with individual tournament titles this season. Sargent finished Round 1 with a 70 (-2) and followed up with a tournament-best 64 (-8) in Round 2. He fell to second after a 1-over-par front nine in Round 3 but canned three birdies in four holes to reclaim the lead and finish first with a 204 (-12).
“Since I’ve gotten to college, Coach Limbaugh and Coach Todd have helped me understand where your stretches are and staying patient,” Sargent told The Hustler. “I think that, [on] the back nine, there’s a couple getable holes—like 10 through 13. I just stayed patient and knew that my stretch was coming. I think that’s where I’ve matured since I got to college.”
Sargent was not alone in success, as senior Reid Davenport continued his consistent play and earned a third-place overall finish at 208 (-8). Sherwood placed 12th with a 214 (-2). Junior William Moll (Even) and graduate Harrison Ott (+1) rounded out the roster, finishing 23rd and 31st, respectively. Out of a 100-golfer field, it was an all-around performance from the Commodores.
“Gordon [Sargent] played awesome this week, and I’m so proud of him. He did a good job staying patient and believing in himself,” Limbaugh said. “Reid [Davenport] had another outstanding week and finished each round so strong which says a lot about his character and leadership. You learn a lot about your players when things aren’t easy, and I love what we learned about Cole [Sherwood] this week. Man he battled and finally went on a good run today.”
The Commodores look ahead to the SEC Championship which will take place from April 19-24 at the Sea Island Golf Club on Saint Simons Island, Georgia. Vanderbilt will try to defend their title, having beaten Tennessee, Alabama and Arkansas last year on their victorious run.
An excellent spring season has the Commodores heading into the postseason on a tear.
“Coach always emphasized finishing the right way, and we didn’t necessarily finish the fall the way we wanted to, but he gave us some extra motivation to play well in the spring, and you can’t just let up once you win one tournament,” Sargent said. “We’ve just been continuing to put the work in and build off each other and have some good momentum into the postseason where it really matters.”
