NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Vanderbilt men’s golf program has had plenty of big moments to celebrate this summer ahead of the 2021-22 season.
Here’s a closer look at all the big news involving the Commodores thus far:
Sargent Does it Again
In June, incoming Commodore Gordon Sargent won the 105th Alabama State Amateur championship – Sargent also won the event in 2020.
Sargent shot a 17-under-par at the Pine Tree Country Club one year after a tournament-record 24-under-par. The future Vandy freshman was named the 2020 Alabama Men’s Amateur Player of the Year and the 2020 Alabama State Boys Junior Player of the Year.
Northeast Amateur
Vanderbilt had four participants in the Northeast Amateur Invitational at the Wannamoisett Country Club in Rhode Island in late June.
Sargent finished a tied for 11th while Harrison Ott came in tied for 27th. Incoming Vandy freshman Jackson Van Paris tied for 33rd while William Moll did for 49th place.
North & South Amateur
Moll and Van Paris both had positive showings at the North & South Amateur at Pinehurst in North Carolina. Van Paris shot even par over two rounds of stroke play while Moll carded a 1-over-par to advance into match play.
Van Paris made a run to the championship match and went to a playoff against Louis Dobbelaar where he fell short on the 19th hole. Moll made it into the Round of 32 where he eventually lost in extra holes.
Trans-Miss Amateur
Vanderbilt rising sophomore Jansen Preston had a strong showing the 117th Trans-Mississippi Golf Association Amateur Championships at Winding Farm Golf Club in Independence, Minnesota, by shooting a 4-under-par, 280 over four rounds in early July.
That score was good enough for a fourth-place finish, just three strokes back of the lead. Preston shot an opening-round 68 in the event.
Matthew Riedel also competed at the event where he missed the cut after two rounds of play.
Ott Headed Back to U.S. Amateur
Ott has qualified for a fourth-straight U.S. Amateur.
The Wisconsin native shot an 11-under-par earlier this month at Lake Panorama National Golf Course in Iowa to qualify for the event. Ott, a senior, advanced to the Round of 16 in the 2020 event.
The 121st U.S. Amateur is scheduled to take place Aug. 9-15 at the Oakmont Country Club in Verona, Pennsylvania.
Southern Amateur
Six Commodores will be on the course this week at the 115th Southern Amateur in West Point, Mississippi.
Moll, Ott, Riedel, Michael Shears, Reid Davenport and Cole Sherwood will take aim in the four-day event at the Old Waverly Golf Club.
U.S. Junior Amateur
Vandy’s two incoming freshman,Van Paris and Sargent, are scheduled to compete at the U.S. Junior Amateur at the Country Club of North Carolina – on both the Dogwood and Cardinal courses – in Pinehurst, North Carolina.
The event runs July 19-24 with the final two days being televised live on Peacock and the GOLF Channel, respectively. Van Paris and Sargent both earned an exemption into the tournament based on their World Amateur Golf Ranking.
#DoresOnTour
It has also been a busy and exciting time in the professional ranks for many former Commodores this summer.
Matthias Schwab, recently announced as part of Austria’s Olympic golf team, and Brandt Snedeker will be competing this weekend at The Open at Royal St. George’s in England. Schwab competes on the European Tour where he has four top-10 finishes since March while the veteran Snedeker has carded four top-20 finishes this year.
On the PGA Tour, Will Gordon will be in action this week at the Barbasol Championship in Kentucky. Gordon recently tied for 28th at the John Deere Classic while Luke List impressively tied for fourth at that event.
