SAN ANTONIO, Texas – The Commodore men’s golf team finished in third place at the San Antonio Regional with a final score of 867 (295-273-299) and advanced to their first NCAA Championship since 2007 Saturday at the Briggs Ranch Golf Course. Junior Hunter Stewart paced all Vanderbilt players, finishing in fourth place on the individual leader board with a final score of five-under par, 211 (73-67-71), with teammate Charlie Ewing finishing two strokes back of Stewart in a tie for fifth (73-67-73=213).
Vanderbilt’s third-place finish places them in the NCAA Championship May 23-28 at the Prairie Dunes Country Club in Hutchinson, Kansas, their fourth-ever trip to the final as a program. The top 30 teams in the country and six individuals not associated with those 30 teams will play 54 holes of stroke play Friday through Sunday, with the top 40 individuals from the weekend playing another 18 holes on Monday to determine the individual champion and the top eight teams advancing to match play competition on Tuesday (quarterfinals and semifinals) and Wednesday (finals). The Golf Channel will provide coverage beginning on Monday, May 26 for the individual final.
“What a day!” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “I’m so very proud of these guys and the resiliency that they showed this week. They fought so hard until the very last putt and I couldn’t be happier. It was a team effort all the way. These men refused to be denied of what they felt like was theirs.
“Hunter and Charlie were awesome this week,” continued Limbaugh. “Their birdie putts on 17 and 18 are the kinds of opportunities you dream of having. I am just so happy for them and the way they handled today.”
The Commodores fired an 11-over par, 299, on Saturday, and finished one stroke back of second-place Georgia State and 14 back of Georgia, who led wire-to-wire in San Antonio.
TCU’s Julien Brun of TCU won the individual regional title with a 10-under par, 206, defeating Georgia’s Lee McCoy by one stroke. Brun advances to Prairie Dunes as the individual from the San Antonio Regional.
Vanderbilt, with the women’s team advancing to the national championship this week in Tulsa, Okla., joins UCLA, Alabama, Iowa State, Stanford, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Washington, Texas A&M, USC, and California as the only teams to have their men’s and women’s teams advance to the NCAA final.
“We are going to get home and rest tomorrow and begin preparations for Nationals on Monday,” said Limbaugh. “We know what we need to work on and we also know this is not the finish line, but it was certainly a great day for Vanderbilt golf!”
3. Vanderbilt – 295-273-299=867
4. Hunter Stewart – 73-67-71=211
T5. Charlie Ewing – 73-67-73=213
T35. Jordan Janico – 76-69-77=222
T40. Ben Fogler – 73-72-78=223
T43. Carson Jacobs – 76-70-78=224
