ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – The No. 18/17-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team climbed up three spots on the team leaderboard on moving day at the 2025 SEC Men’s Golf Championship, as the Commodores carded 5-under 275 in Round 2 on Thursday.
Senior Jackson Van Paris and sophomore Chase Nevins each finished under par to help the Dores move past Tennessee, Missouri and Kentucky in Round 2. Vandy heads into the final round of stroke play in 13th place with a two-round total of 7-over 567. The Dores sit 12 strokes away from the cutline to advance to match play going into Round 3.
“Last night, we talked about coming out today and being the aggressor, and I’m proud of how we came out with a better mindset,” said Thomas F. Roush, M.D., and Family Vanderbilt Men’s Golf Head Coach Scott Limbaugh. “It was more of an attacking mindset today. I told the team last night, hungry dogs run faster, and that’s the mentality you’ve got to have. It was certainly an improvement from Day 1, and we’re learning a lot about our team. It was important for us to have all five guys in it all day long. We finally got some putts to fall, and that was big for our momentum.”
Van Paris paced the Commodores in Round 2, as the Pinehurst, North Carolina, native finished at 5-under 65. It is the senior’s personal-best 18-hole score at the SEC Championship, besting his 2-under 68 performance in Round 1 last season. Van Paris caught fire midway through his front nine on Thursday, as he strung together four-straight birdies on Holes 5-8. The senior added a pair of birdies on Holes 14 and 15 before taking a bogey on Hole 16. Van Paris made the biggest move up the player leaderboard out of any individual golfer in Round 2, as he slid up 37 spots to conclude his day in a tie for 23rd at 2-under 138.
“Your good players have to step up and be accounted for during championship season, it’s the way that it is, and Jackson knows that,” expressed Limbaugh. “For him to go out and do what he did today, when he knew we needed it, should really surge Jackson forward. We had to have that round today, and he is one of the guys that can perform at a high level, and for him to go do that really lifted our team and gave us a jolt of energy.”
Nevins finished at 1-under 69 on Thursday to post his first career under par round at the SEC Championship. The Great Falls, Virginia, native parred out his front nine and added a pair of birdies on Holes 5 and 6 on his back nine. Nevins moved up 17 spots on the player leaderboard in Round 2, as he concluded the day with a 36-hole score of 3-over 143 to move into a tie for 53rd.
Freshman Ryan Downes finished at even par in Round 2. He sank a clutch birdie putt on Hole 18 to close his day at an even 70. Downes goes into Round 3 in a tie for 42nd at 2-over 142.
“Chase stayed patient today and allowed a good round to happen,” said Limbaugh. “That’s the kind of maturity that we’re hoping to see from him. You don’t have to force good golf; you allow good golf to happen. Also, it was great to see Ryan roll in that birdie putt on his last hole. That was big for him. He keeps competing and keeps getting better and I’m proud of that.”
No. 2 Auburn and No. 7 LSU go into the final round of stroke play at the 2025 SEC Men’s Golf Championship in a tie for first place at 26-under 534. LSU carded 17-under 263 in Round 2 to move into a tie with Auburn. LSU’s Jay Mendell holds a one-stroke lead over Oklahoma’s Drew Goodman and Texas A&M’s Michael Heidelbaugh for first place on the player leaderboard. Mendell holds a two-round total of 9-under 131.
Vanderbilt enters Round 3 of the 2025 SEC Championship 12 strokes behind the cutline to move on to match play. The top eight teams at the end of stroke play advance to match play on Saturday. Currently, Mississippi State and South Carolina share the eighth spot at 5-under 555.
“We’re going to have to have a really good day tomorrow,” stated the head coach. “We need our fans to come out and support us. I thought our fans carried us a little bit today. It means a lot when people who care about Vanderbilt golf show up for us on days like this. Their energy provided us with a jolt, especially for Jackson. We were better today than we were yesterday, but we’re going to need to be at our best tomorrow. We need to have one of our better days of the year. We’re close to that. We’re going to need to have all five guys in it, have no excuses, have the right attitude and play to that Vanderbilt golf standard. “
Round 3 of the 2025 SEC Men’s Golf Championship gets underway Friday on the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club. The Commodores tee off at 8:50 a.m. CT. Click here for the full pairings list. Fans can also follow along with Round 3 via live scoring on GolfStat.com.
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