ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – The No. 3-seeded Vanderbilt men’s golf team dropped a 3-2 decision to No. 1-seed Auburn on Sunday at Sea Island Golf Club in the title match at the 2024 SEC Men’s Golf Championship.
Auburn caught fire on the front nine to open the SEC Championship match. The Tigers were 3-up in two of their matches and 1-up in two others at the turn, while senior Cole Sherwood was 1-up in his match through nine holes.
Vanderbilt picked up the pace over its next three holes, as Sherwood and junior Jackson Van Paris moved to 2-up in their matches, while graduate student William Moll pulled even with AU’s Carson Bacha through 12 holes.
Auburn collected the first point of the championship match, as Jackson Koivun picked up a 7 & 6 victory over graduate student Matthew Riedel.
Moll found himself 2-Down through 16, as he needed to win the final two holes to extend his match. The All-American came up clutch on Hole 17, as he collected a birdie to move to 1-down going to the 18th tee. Moll ended up tying Bacha on Hole 18, as Auburn moved ahead 2-0.
Junior Jackson Van Paris mounted a huge comeback in his match against Brendan Valdes. The Pinehurst, North Carolina, native found himself 3-down through seven, but turned things around quickly as he won six-straight holes to go 3-up through 13 before claiming the 3 & 1 victory.
Senior Cole Sherwood collected a win for Vanderbilt in his final match at the SEC Championship. The All-American posted a 1-up win over J.M. Butler.
Junior Gordon Sargent attempted to come back from 4-down through 13 against Josiah Gilbert. The All-American’s efforts would fall short, as Auburn won the match 4 & 2 to claim the 2024 SEC Men’s Golf Championship.
“Give Auburn a lot of credit. We knew going in that they were a great opponent, so you tip your hat to them,” said Vanderbilt men’s golf head coach Scott Limbaugh. “For whatever reason, we came out a little bit flat today. That is my fault, and I take ownership of that. Just emotionally, I think yesterday took a lot out of us. We have to grow from this and keep learning about how we feel in these moments. I know our team will. I’m proud of them, I thought they battled.
“I’m really proud of Jackson for going 3-0 at his first SEC Championship. Certainly, Cole was right where we wanted him to be today. We wanted the ball in his hands with the clock going down, but we didn’t quite get it to him. We’ve got a lot of work to do to get ready for the NCAA, but our guys will be ready. I love this team and believe in this group. We are excited about what’s ahead. Also, I want to thank all of our Vandy golf fans for rooting us all throughout this week.”
Vanderbilt’s run at the program’s fourth SEC title came to an end in the final round at the SEC Championships for the second-straight season.
Vanderbilt now awaits its NCAA Regional fate. The NCAA Division I Selection Show is scheduled for May 1 at 1 p.m. on the GOLF Channel and play is scheduled to begin May 13-15 at one of six different regional sites.
The top five teams (30 teams total) and the low individual from the non-advancing team (six individuals total) from each regional site will advance to play in the NCAA Championships on May 24-29 at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California.
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