FRANKLIN, Tenn. – The No. 11/11-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team carded 4-under 280 in Round 2 of the 2026 Mason Rudolph Championship, as the Commodores held onto third place on the team leaderboard with a 36-hole score of 6-under 562.
A trio of Commodores held under par rounds on Saturday, led by freshman Jon Ed Steed, who went 2-under 69 for the second-straight day on the South Course at Vanderbilt Legends Club. The Enterprise, Alabama, native collected four more birdies in Round 2. Steed’s nine birdies over 36 holes of play are tied for fifth most in the field, while his par-4 score of 1-under is tied for third best. The freshman opens play on Sunday in fourth place on the player leaderboard, as his score of 4-under 138 is just three strokes off the lead.
Vanderbilt battled windy conditions throughout the round at Vanderbilt Legends to maintain its third-place standing on the team leaderboard. The Dores hold a two-day score of 6-under 562 and trail second-place No. 12 Tennessee by two strokes.
“Man, it was great having all five of our guys in there battling all day long,” expressed Scott Limbaugh, Thomas F. Roush, M.D., and Family Vanderbilt Men’s Golf Head Coach. “It was a great test out there with strong and swirling wind directions. Days like today make you tougher and really help shape a team’s character. It won’t be easy, but you have to embrace it. We showed resiliency as we responded well when things weren’t going great. Jon Ed was steady all day, and it was good to see Wells bounce back and help lift the team up. Will is playing really solid each time out and doing a great job with consistency. I love how he finished today. It was great to see Chase play a great round and help lift the team up.”
Freshman Will Hartman and senior Wells Williams each carded 1-under 70 on Round 2. Their performance on Saturday lifted both into the top 30 on the player leaderboard, as Hartman slid up seven spots into a tie for 15th at 1-under 141 and Williams climbed 27 spots to end the day tied for 29th at 3-over 145. Sophomore Ryan Downes enters Sunday tied for 10th with a two-round score of 2-under 140 after carding even par 71 in Round 2. The Longmeadow, Massachusetts, native enters Round 3 five strokes off the lead.
The Vanderbilt B team moved up two spots on the team leaderboard on Saturday, as the Dores carded 5-over 289. Junior Chase Nevins carded 2-under 69 in Round 2 to pace the Commodore B team. The Great Falls, Virginia, native holds a two-round score of 1-over 143, as he is tied for 21st. Fellow junior Carlos Astiazaran also sits inside the top 25 on the player leaderboard, as his total of 2-over 144 puts him in a tie for 24th.
No. 1-ranked Auburn holds an eight-stroke lead over the field after 36 holes of play, as the Tigers sit atop the team leaderboard at 16-over 552. Auburn’s Jackson Koivun paces the field after two rounds of play with a score of 7-under 135. He holds a one-stroke lead going into Sunday’s finale.
The final round of the 2026 Mason Rudolph Championship takes place on Sunday at Vanderbilt Legends Club. The Vanderbilt B team opens the day with an 8:30 a.m. CT tee time from Hole 1. The Vanderbilt A team tees off Round 3 at 10:10 a.m. CT.
Round 3 of the Mason Rudolph Championship will stream live on SEC Network+ starting at 3 p.m. CT. Fans can click the link here to follow along with live scoring on Scoreboard via clippd.
“Tomorrow is another great opportunity for us to take a step closer to being the team we know we can be,” said Limbaugh. “We didn’t quite finish to our standards as a team today, and I know the guys will come out ready to go from the start tomorrow. I hope our fans will show up and create a great atmosphere for all the players on Easter Sunday.”
For more information on the Vanderbilt men’s golf team, follow @VandyMGolf on Instagram and Twitter.
