SEA ISLAND, Ga. – The #3-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team finished their first two rounds of the 2017 SEC Championship in second place with a Friday total of 557 (276-281), two shots behind Texas A&M at the Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course. The Commodores are also 11 shots clear of the eight-team match-play cut line entering the final round of stroke play on Saturday morning in Sea Island.
Vanderbilt was led by sophomore Patrick Martin, who ended Friday with two consecutive birdies on his 35th and 36th holes of the day to move into second place on the individual leader board, one shot behind Florida’s Alejandro Tosti. Martin combined to count a total of nine birdies in his 36 holes of play.
Other totals for the Commodores on the first day of play included a 140 (69-71) from freshman John Augenstein, a 141 (72-69) from sophomore Will Gordona, a 143 (70-73) from junior Theo Humphrey, and a 146 (71-75) from senior Matthias Schwab.
“We wanted to start the day with the right type of excitement and focus and I thought the guys did that very well,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “Patrick played outstanding golf all day and that was really big for our group. It got windy in the second round, so staying patient and committing to your shots was important. I am extremely proud of Gordo and John today. They really did a great job of setting the tone and lifting the team up, especially this afternoon. We did a lot of things well today, but we can do some things better and we want to improve on those things going forward.”
The Commodores finished the day first in par four scoring (4.01) and second in pars (127), while Martin was third in par-four scoring (3.79, -5) and fourth in total birdies made (nine). Augentein finished his two rounds tied for second in pars made with 27.
Texas A&M posted the low team total of the day with 555 (273-282), followed by the Commodores and Florida, who is one shot behind Vanderbilt with a 558.
The final 18 holes of stroke play will take place on Saturday, with the Commodores teeing off at 8:10 CT. Live scoring can be found throughout the weekend on Golfstat.com.
“Tomorrow is our next opportunity to compete, which means it’s our next chance to take another step on our journey together,” said Limbaugh. “We need to continue to stay patient, have great self-talk, and compete the way we know how.”
2. Vanderbilt – 276-281=557
2. Patrick Martin – 66-68=134
T16. John Augenstein – 69-71=140
T18. Will Gordon – 72-69=141
T26. Theo Humphrey – 70-73=143
T41. Matthias Schwab – 71-75=146.
