BRADENTON, Fla. – The Vanderbilt men’s golf team showed its resiliency on a blazing hot afternoon at the Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Fla., shooting eight-under par on the back nine to post a one-under par, 287, to remain in fifth place on the team leaderboard. Play was suspended with 13 groups still on the course due to inclement weather in the area, but Vanderbilt is assured of a place in the final stroke play round, which is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. ET Monday after teams complete their third round and all ties are resolved.
Vanderbilt struggled at the outset of their third round, and were a combined seven-over on the front nine. However, the back nine was a different story for the Commodores, as the team combined for 11 birdies and a counting total of eight-under par. Senior Hunter Stewart led the Commodore charge with five birdies in his last seven holes to post a 71 for the day. Junior Zack Jaworski added three birdies on the back in route to his second 71 of the tournament. Sophomore Matthias Schwab had two birdies on the back to help him get to a 73, while freshman Theo Humphrey posted one birdie on the back for a steady round of 72.
The Commodores got their roll started on hole 12, with Stewart and Schwab registering birdies on the 349-yard, par four. Stewart, Schwab and Jaworski each birdied the 545-yard, par-five 13th, with Stewart, Jaworski, and Humphrey all making three on the par-four, 442-yard 16th.
“It was a championship-type effort on the back nine today,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “We didn’t get off to a great start and we could feel that. This is a resilient group, and things didn’t go as well on the front nine. But, guys hung in there. And, what do you say about Hunter Stewart. He’s one of the best players in the country, and what he did out there was special. He wanted to play better, he wanted his team to play better, and he did something about it. That’s what great players do – they rise to the occasion at the most important times. Hunter is always patient and looking for his time. He never gets ahead of himself and never looks behind. He’s just a patient, patient player, and allows things to happen with his game.”
Stewart is the Commodore individual leader with a three-round score of 214 (74-69-71), which is currently good for a tie for 7th. Jaworski is in a tie for 15th with a 216 total (71-74-71) and Schwab is in a tie for 31st with a score of 219 (75-71-73). Humphrey has a three-round score of 225 (81-72-72, T-74), and Carson Jacobs is in the house with a 234 (81-72-81, T127).
“I turned it around on 11 with a par putt,” said Stewart, who shot 40 on the front nine. “It really turned around then. I talked with Coach the other night about hanging around and finding birdie opportunities, and I told him on the 10th hole that I wanted to get three. We didn’t need to do it all on one hole.
“I could sense that we didn’t have a lot of momentum out there. I doubled the second, and anytime I do that I know we’re not in great shape. I was four-over through eight holes and I knew it. But, I’m not going to give up on this group. We’ve done a lot together and that was in the back of my mind.”
The top 15 teams and nine individuals not associated with those teams advance to the fourth and final round of stroke play on Monday.
“I got off to little bit of a slow start,” said Jaworski. “But, I got it going with the putter. I made a birdie on seven, and then got it to the back, where I birdied three of my last six. My putting was very good. I think I’ve only had one three-putt this week, so putting has been a really strong part of my game.”
Vanderbilt will seek to make the top eight, match-play cutline, which occurs after Monday’s last stroke play round.
“Nothing changes for us tomorrow,” said Limbaugh. “It’s just another opportunity for us to take a step towards being the team that we want to be. We know what’s at stake tomorrow. If you’re going to play this game, you have to want that. I want us to be a team filled with a bunch of guys that want want this, and let’s go have some fun with it.”
Golf Channel Coverage
Golf Channel begins their coverage of the tournament Monday afternoon at 12:30 p.m. ET time, with the network covering Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday’s play.
5. Vanderbilt – 301-284-287=872
T7. Hunter Stewart – 74-69-71=214
T14. Zack Jaworski – 71-74-71=216
T31. Matthias Schwab – 75-71-73=219
T74. Theo Humphrey – 81-72-72=225
T127. Carson Jacobs – 81-72-81=234
