FRANKLIN, Tenn. – The Vanderbilt men’s golf team ended the Mason Rudolph Championship in third place with a final team score of 826 (277-277-272), four shots behind team champion Florida and three shots back of runner-up Alabama, on Sunday at the Vanderbilt Legends Club’s South Course. Junior Theo Humphrey was the team’s best finisher on the weekend, ending the event with an eight-under par, 205 (66-71-68), which tied him for third on the individual leader board.
The Commodores were in a back-and-forth affair with both the Gators and Crimson Tide for most of the day on Sunday and had the lead early in the round on a beautiful sunny day on the South Course. However, strong finishes by Florida and Alabama on the back nine were enough to propel the two teams in front of Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt did not go down without a fight on Sunday however, as all five Commodore players finished their rounds in the 60’s. Sophomore Patrick Martin led the team with a four-under 67, with Humphrey and freshman John Augenstein carding three-under 68’s, and senior Matthias Schwab and sophomore Will Gordon each firing a two-under 69. The Commodores’ 272 Sunday total tied for the second-lowest team round of the tournament.
The Gators carded a three-round total of 30-under par, 822 (276-275-271), the second-lowest total in the 16-year history of the event, and counted a combined 12-under par on the back nine with only one bogey. Florida’s Sam Horsfield paced the effort on Sunday and for the tournament for the Gators, winning medalist honors with an 11-under par, 202, including a final-round 66. Alabama finished a shot back of Florida at 29-under par, 823 (278-272-273) and had the tournament’s individual runner-up, Josh Sedeno, who ended the tournament at nine-under par, 204 (68-68-68).
“We talked about taking the right kind of step today and having all five guys in it and I thought we did both of those things,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “I am proud of how everyone competed and we played the back nine much better today which is something we knew we had to do. Theo had a really good week, and I am also proud of John and how he competed this tournament. However, we didn’t do everything it takes to win. As the year progresses into championship season, it is the teams who do the little things correctly and the teams that are able to control their emotions in moments of adversity that ultimately have success this time of the year. We have to continue to learn after each tournament, and be able to focus on doing the simple things better. We all understand that and we are all committed to our process. That’s where our focus will be as we enter Championship season.”
For the Commodores, Humphrey’s finish was his fourth top-10 finish in his last five starts and was his second-best finish of the season behind a runner-up result at The All-American in Houston. Freshman John Augenstein finished in a tie for seventh on Sunday with a score of seven-under, 206 (69-69-68), his fourth top 10 finish of his rookie campaign with the Commodores. Schwab finished in a tie for 12th with a 209 (72-68-69), Martin in a tie for 15th with a 210 (74-69-67), and Gordon in a tie for 27th with a 213 (70-74-69).
Vanderbilt finished as the tournament’s leader in birdies with 69, including three of the top four individuals. Augenstein tied Horsfield with the most birdies for the weekend with 16, with Gordon and Humphrey each adding 15 birdies. The Commodores also led the event in par-five scoring (4.55), with Humphrey pacing the field in par-three scoring with an average of 2.60 strokes.
After a few weeks off, the Commodores will next take the course April 21-24 at the SEC Championship in Sea Island, Ga.
3. Vanderbilt – 277-277-272=826
T3. Theo Humphrey – 66-71-68=205
T7. John Augenstein – 69-69-68=206
T12. Matthias Schwab – 72-68-69=209
T15. Patrick Martin – 74-69-67=210
T27. Will Gordon – 70-74-69=213
Vanderbilt Individuals
T43. Michael Decker – 77-72-70=219
T70. Andrew Jacobe – 75-77-79=231
72. Zach Herr – 76-80-76=232
