Dores Take Ninth

PALM CITY, Fla. – The No. 19/19-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team finished the 2025 Valspar Collegiate Invitational in ninth place after carding 9-under 843 over three rounds of play at the Floridian National Golf Club.

Vandy finished Round 3 of the tournament at 1-under 283 on Tuesday. The Commodores posted round scores of 275-286-283 to finish in ninth place at 9-under 843 at the Valspar Collegiate. It is Vanderbilt’s second-best three-round total vs. par this spring, while it is the team’s third-lowest 54-hole vs. par score of the 2024-25 campaign.

“We battled for 54 holes this week as a team and saw a lot of positives to build on,” said Scott Limbaugh, the Thomas F. Roush, M.D. and Family Vanderbilt Men’s Golf Head Coach. “It was great to have all five guys in their rounds battling. As a coach, I’m proud of that. I asked them to go fight and compete to our standards this week and I believe we did.

“This was an NCAA Championship type of field and it requires your best to stay locked in, keep your eyes up and focus on the right things. It’s good for our young guys to be in it and get that experience. We need to continue to do the little things better and work to take ownership of what’s required of each player in order to improve.”

Junior Wells Williams paced the Commodores in the Sunshine State by tying for 16th. The West Point, Mississippi, native concluded his stay at the Floridian National Golf Club at 5-under 208. It is the junior’s fourth top-20 finish of the 2024-25 season and his first since winning the Southwestern Invitational.

Williams wrapped up the Valspar Collegiate at par or better in each round, posting scores of 67-71-70. The junior shot par on a team-best 38 holes and collected Vandy’s lone eagle of the tournament, which came in Round 1 on Hole 13.

Senior Jackson Van Paris also finished under par at the Valspar Collegiate with a three-round total of 4-under 209 to tie for 23rd. Van Paris was one of three Commodores to card at even par in Round 3, as he was joined by junior John Broderick and sophomore Chase Nevins.

No. 2-ranked Texas won the 2025 Valspar Collegiate Invitational, with a team score of 36-under 816. North Carolina’s David Ford captured the tournament’s individual title with a 54-hole total of 18-under 195.

The No. 19 Commodores close out the 2024-25 regular season on April 4-6, as the Dores return to Vanderbilt Legends Club to host the annual Mason Rudolph Championship. Check back with VUCommodores.com for a full tournament preview.

“Everything this team wants is still in front of us, and that’s exciting,” said Limbaugh. “I know our guys are excited to have our home event next weekend. It’s always fun to get our fans there cheering us on. We have a great field coming to town, and we have two outstanding seniors that I hope everyone will come out to support.”

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