DUBLIN, Ohio – The Commodore men’s golf team showed Coach Scott Limbaugh the resiliency he was looking for after Monday’s first round, finishing the Jack Nicklaus Invitational tied for second place with perennial golf powerhouse Oklahoma State with a team score of 608 (311-297). After a slow start on Monday in the first round, Vanderbilt stormed to the top of the leaderboard with a 297 on Tuesday, the day’s best score by 10 strokes.
Vanderbilt entered the day in a tie for seventh and trailed first-place Oklahoma State by 16 strokes. The Commodores ended up tying the Cowboys, and fell three strokes short of team champion Kent State, who finished with a 605 (303-302).
“I’m very pleased and happy with how the guys played today,” said Limbaugh. “They showed a tremendous amount of resiliency and determination. We had The Memorial’s Sunday pins and the wind was blowing. It was a great team effort. We continue to have a lot of improvement to do, but this was a good week.”
Individually, the Commodores had two players notch top 10 finishes. Sophomore Hunter Stewart ended the tournament in a tie for fourth with a score of 148 (74-74), his second consecutive top five finish, while sophomore Jordan Janico posted the day’s second-lowest round with a one-under par, 71, to finish in a tie for ninth place with a total of 150 (79-71).
“Obviously, Jordan’s round today was special, and Hunter continues to play steady for us and controls his emotions very well amidst adversity,” said Limbaugh. “I was also excited about freshman Carson Jacobs playing his last five holes at two-under par. That was a great finish.”
The Commodores also received a top 20 performance from freshman Zack Jaworski, who carded a pair of 75’s for the week (150) and ended the tournament in a tie for 18th. The aforementioned Jacobs rebounded with the strong finish after starting the day with six bogeys in his first nine holes, and ended the tournament with a 159 (82-77), which placed him in a tie for 39th. Junior Charlie Ewing finished the tournament in a tie for 46th after finishing with a total of 161 (79-82).
Individually, Greg Eason of UCF led wire-to-wire to win medalist honors with a 140 (70-70). Eason won the individual title by six shots over UNLV’s AJ McInerney and Purdue’s Adam Schenk.
Vanderbilt returns to the course October 21-23 at the Isleworth Collegiate Invitational, one of the nation’s top tournaments, in Isleworth, Fla.
T2. Vanderbilt – 311-297=608
T4. Hunter Stewart – 74-74=148
T9. Jordan Janico – 79-71=150
T18. Zack Jaworski – 79-75=154
T39. Carson Jacobs – 82-77=159
T46. Charlie Ewing – 79-82=161
