PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – The No. 3-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team successfully defended its tournament title at the Watersound Invitational, as the Commodores won the event for the second-straight year after finishing with a three-round score of 29-under 835.
Vandy carded 9-under 279 in Round 3 to close out the tournament with a nine-stroke victory over host Florida State. It marks the second-straight season that the Commodores have claimed the team title at the Watersound Invitational, while it is Vanderbilt’s fourth team victory of the season.
“What a great way to start the spring season,” said Vanderbilt men’s golf head coach Scott Limbaugh. “I am very proud of how our guys battled and finished. There were some really good teams pushing us and our guys fought back. Winning is never easy and I appreciate the toughness and character these guys compete with. This was a really good start and I am happy with how the guys responded when it got tight. These days help shape your competitive character. We did the simple things at a pretty high level for the first event of the spring. I also know that college golf is all about how you embrace improvement from one week to the next and that will be our focus as we begin prep for Cabo.”
All-American Gordon Sargent was one of three Commodores to card 3-under 69 in Round 3 of the Watersound Invitational. Sargent was chasing the lead going into the final hole, as he collected back-to-back birdies on Holes 16 and 17 to bring him within a stroke of Florida State’s Gray Albright. Sargent shot even par on Hole 18 to end the tournament in a tie for second with a three-round score of 9-under 207. It is Sargent’s third top-five finish of the season.
Senior Cole Sherwood and junior Jackson Van Paris each collected a top-10 finish at the Watersound Invitational to open the spring. Sherwood carded 3-under 69 in the third round to end in a tie for fifth at 7-under 209. Van Paris ended his run at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course by carding even par 72 in the final round. The Pinehurst, North Carolina, native was the third Commodore to post an eagle at the Watersound, as he carded 2-under on the par 5 Hole 13. Van Paris ended the tournament with a three-round score of 6-under 210 to finish in a tie for seventh.
Sophomore Wells Williams, who played as an individual, concluded the tournament in a tie for 12th, as he finished at 5-under 211 over three rounds of play. Graduated student Matthew Riedel went 3-under 69 in the third round to conclude the event in a tie for 14th at 4-under 212.
“It’s pretty awesome to see them step up when things mean the most,” said Limbaugh “I thought Matthew did a great job staying patient after his double on eight, turning it around with a 31 on the back nine. Gordon locked in after a tough start. He’s really doing a great job just playing the next shot, which is not easy to do. Cole had a great turnaround this week and gave our team a huge lift the last two rounds. Jackson continues to stack good tournaments together and I am excited to see how well he controlled his ball. Wells had a solid week and I was extremely proud of how William battled on the back nine.”
Vanderbilt will send a select few individuals to compete in the Wolfpack Individual Saturday and Sunday at the Lonnie Poole Golf Club. The next team event for the Commodores will take place March 3-5, when Vanderbilt heads to Twin Dolphin Club in Mexico to compete in the Cabo Collegiate. Check back with VUCommodores.com for a full preview of both tournaments.
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