WEST POINT, Miss. — Vanderbilt junior Michael Shears was 1-under-par Sunday during the final round of the Old Waverly Collegiate Classic and finished tied for fourth out of 84 golfers.
Shears, at 5-under-par for the tournament, found three birdies Sunday and was under par for all three rounds of the 54-hole tournament. The Franklin High School product finished six strokes back of individual winner Sam Bennett (-11) of Texas A&M.
“First of all, we are very thankful for the staff at Old Waverly who worked so hard just to allow us to play this weekend. We are also thinking about the people in the Nashville area affected by the flooding,” Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “Today was the best test of the week with a cool north wind and a wet course. William (Moll) was really good only making one bogey and he continues to show why he’s once of the best players in the country. He plays with a lot of consistency and toughness.
“I’m also very excited to see how Michael played this week. He earned the chance to compete and played awesome. That helps to raise the bar for everyone and good depth is so important every year, but especially this year.”
As a team, Vanderbilt struggled under tough conditions and shot 7-over-par to wind up tied for fourth overall. Georgia fired a 4-under-par Sunday to take home the team title with a three-day total of 844 (20-under-par). The Commodores have now posted three straight top-five finishes as a team.
Moll carded the top score for the Commodores with an even-par 72 and was 4-under-par tournament to come in a tie for sixth place. A sophomore, Moll has now finished inside the top 10 in three tournaments during the 2020-21 season and inside the top 15 in six.
Matthew Riedel also recorded a top-10 finish by ending his tournament at 3-under-par – he tied for 10th. Reid Davenport and Cole Sherwood each tied for 40th at 3-over-par while Harrison Ott tied for 46th at 4-over-par.
“As a team, we had our moments of losing focus and not staying fully committed to each shot and each routine. A lot of that is coaching and we have got to do a better job helping the guys understand what it takes to be smart in those moments. I believe we can do that,” Limbaugh said. “We finished the round like Vandy Golf today and I’m proud of that. Matthew really did a great job locking in and responding to adversity which was huge for our team. Cole and Reid also battled through the finish line.
“When things are hard it makes you better. The value we see in an experience affects how we go through it. We have to use these experiences by learning from them and not waste them.”
Vanderbilt will conclude its regular season April 5-7 at The Country Club of Birmingham Invitational in Birmingham, Alabama.
“We have a quick turnaround before we go to Birmingham and our focus as coaches and players will be to try to be a little better in this last event than we have been to this point in the season,” Limbaugh said.
Pro Dores
Former Vanderbilt standout Matthias Schwab recorded a top-10 finish over the weekend with a 17-under-par at the Kenya Savannah Classic.
Schwab wrapped up the four-day tournament with a 65.
On the PGA Tour, Will Gordon fired a 2-under-par at the Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship. A 68 during the third round helped the former Vandy standout finished tied for 34th.
