ORLANDO, Fla. – The #15-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team got off to a stellar start in one of the nation’s premiere collegiate golf tournaments, posting a 17-under par, 271, on the Lake Nona Golf and Country Club course at the Tavistock Collegiate Invitational in Orlando and placing them third on the team leader board after round one Sunday. The 271 tied for third-lowest team total in program history, equaling a 271 Vanderbilt posted in 2002 at their own Mason Rudolph Championship.
The Commodores, who entered the tournament with the fifth-toughest schedule in the nation, more than hold their own in a field that features nine of the top 30 teams in the country. Vanderbilt was paired with number 10 Texas Tech and number one Illinois on Sunday, and ended up out-shooting the Illini, who ended the day in fourth, by five shots, and trail Texas Tech, the overall leader, by four shots after Sunday.
“I felt like we had a good game plan going into today’s round,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “The guys did a good job executing their plan and taking advantage of ideal scoring conditions. I was really proud of how we played the back nine as a team.”
Four Commodores in Top 16
The Commodores posted four solid scores on Sunday, with senior Hunter Stewart leading the way with a first-round 65, which tied a career-low. The Lexington, Ky., native had seven birdies and no bogeys in his round, and is in a tie for second on the individual leader board, trailing individual leader Guillermo Pereira of Texas Tech by two shots.
Junior Carson Jacobs, who, like Stewart, had seven birdies, carded a four-under 68, and is in a tie for eighth, while senior Ben Fogler and freshman Theo Humphrey are in a tie for 16th after each shot a first-round 69. Sophomore Zach Herr finished Sunday’s round with a 77.
In all, Vanderbilt tallied 23 birdies amongst their four counting scores in their first round.
“Hunter’s round was huge. He is our anchor,” said Limbaugh. “Carson showed a lot of resiliency after triple bogeying his first hole and battling back to shoot 68.”
Texas Tech leads
Texas Tech shot a first-round 267 and leads Florida State by three shots heading into the second round Monday. Vanderbilt trails the Red Raiders by four shots.
“Nothing changes for us going into tomorrow’s round,” said Limbaugh. “We talked last night about sticking to our plan and having fun and we will continue to do that.”
Live Results
Live results can be found throughout the week at Golfstat.com.
