PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — Vanderbilt remained in front at the Palm Beach Regional on Tuesday by firing a 6-under-par 282.
The Commodores, who need to finish inside the top five to advance to the NCAA Championships, have a nine-stroke lead on second-place Florida State and are 19 shots clear of fifth-place the College of Charleston.
“I thought the guys played well today,” Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “We knew it was an important day and we wanted to have all five guys in there from the start.”
Vandy, which was three strokes better than Monday’s round, got 21 birdies on the day and was led by William Moll. The junior beautifully rebounded from an opening-day 78 to shoot a 69.
Moll and Cole Sherwood led the Dores on Tuesday with 3-under-par rounds. Sherwood (-4) is third overall while Moll (+3) is tied for 23rd.
Gordon Sargent (+2, tied for 18th) and Reid Davenport (E, tied for 11th) both shot even-par 72s while Harrison Ott (E, tied for 11th) finished with a 76.
“Really proud of the resiliency William showed bouncing back and playing a huge round today. He went out first and really set the tone for the team and showed a lot of courage to respond the way he did today,” Limbaugh said. “Cole looked great all day and continues to show why he’s one of the best players in the country.
“Reid was steady as can be all day and he just loves to compete which is great. Gordon’s finish was absolutely awesome and should help give him some momentum heading into tomorrow. I thought Harry played really nice today although the score may not show it, but I’m really excited about where he is and was proud of how he responded after the sudden change in his round.”
Much like in Monday’s opening round, Vanderbilt began Tuesday’s 18 hot and carded 10 birdies on the front nine to maintain a five-stroke lead over South Florida. Moll then led the charge on the back nine with a bogey-free stretch that included four birdies.
Florida State had the best round of the day by any team by shooting a 9-under-par. Florida (+2) is in third place, South Florida (+6) is in fourth and Charleston leads Notre Dame by two shots for the final spot to advance to Scottsdale, Arizona, and the NCAA Championships.
Vanderbilt is scheduled to begin its final round at 6:30 a.m. CT Wednesday and will be paired with Florida State and Florida. Live scoring for the event’s final 18 can be found HERE.
“It was a good day, but we also know there are some things we have can improve on. We had a few times where we lost some focus and this course just won’t allow you to do that,” Limbaugh said. “We have another opportunity tomorrow to continue to get a little better and take another step. I’m excited to watch us compete and see if we can continue to do the little things at a high level.
“This time of year is fun and I want the boys to enjoy it and go play Vandy golf.”
