PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. – The No. 3-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team sits in first place at the 2024 Watersound Invitational after 18 holes of play, as the Commodores carded 10-under 278 on Monday.
Vanderbilt holds a five-stroke lead over No. 17 Mississippi State and Clemson at the end of the opening round. Vandy has a total of four golfers sitting inside the top 10 on the player leaderboard at the end of Round 1. The Dores had the second-most par shots on Monday with 61, just two off Georgia Tech’s lead. Vanderbilt was also efficient on par 5 shots, as the team carded 9-under in the first round.
“Always fun to get the season started,” said Vanderbilt men’s golf head coach Scott Limbaugh. “It was great to see the guys play tough through some adversity. We talked about not giving negativity life and seeing what we are going to teach our character this week. I was certainly proud of how we came out ready to play and also excited in the way we finished. Today was a great start and really a total team effort. There’s a long way to go and we need everyone staying committed, having fun, and focusing on what it takes to execute each shot.”
Junior Gordon Sargent paces Vandy, as he sits in a tie for third after the All-American carded 4-under 68 during his opening round. The 2022 NCAA individual champion collected five birdies during his first go-around at Shark’s Tooth Golf Club. Sargent sits two strokes off the lead, as Mississippi State’s Hunter Logan and Alabama’s Thomas Ponder pace the field at 6-under 66.
Fellow junior Jackson Van Paris ended his first round of the spring in a tie for fifth place, as he carded 3-under 69. Sophomore Wells Williams, who is playing as an individual at the Watersound Invitational, also finished in a tie for fifth place with Van Paris. Williams got off to a hot start, as he collected three birdies over his first four holes in Round 1.
Graduate student Matthew Riedel sits one stroke behind Van Paris and Williams, as the Houston, Texas, native ended Round 1 of the Watersound Invitational in a tie for ninth at 2-under 70. Graduate student William Moll collected the team’s lone eagle of the round, as he carded 2-under on the par 5 Hole 6. Moll heads into Round 2 in a tie for 15th with a score of 1-under 71.
The second round of the 2024 Watersound Invitational gets underway this Tuesday at Shark’s Tooth Golf Club. Vanderbilt will tee off between 9-9:50 a.m. on Hole 10. Fans can follow all of the action via GolfStat.com.
Ballis Wins AJGA Simplify Boys Championship
Incoming freshman Bowen Ballis carded 8-under 208 to win the 2024 AJGA Simplify Boys Championship at Carlton Woods on Monday. The Vanderbilt signee posted three-round scores of 71-66-71 to win the tournament by two strokes.
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