May 31, 2015
BRADENTON, FL—The gallery at a college golf tournament stays current for the most part by checking a live scoring site on their smart phones since the teams play in threesomes, paired with two opponents.  The first player off is usually about four holes ahead of the last of five to tee off so technology helps.
Midway through Sunday afternoon’s NCAA Championship third round, those mobile phones looked as threatening as the distant skyline for the Vanderbilt Commodores, who had plunged from fifth place in this field of 30 to at or below the potential cut-line of Top 15.
That is precisely when the fifth-ranked ‘Dores showed their grit and composure. Instead of cracking in the sweltering heat and humidity, the Vandy men rocketed their way back up the leader board with a nifty eight-under par on the backside of the wickedly long and tricky Concession Golf Club.
It took one of those old-fashioned team efforts to push Vanderbilt into Monday’s final stroke play round with a field now trimmed by half.  Play will begin live on The Golf Channel beginning at 11:30 CDT.
If the first nine holes was a circus ride, the last nine was a symphony of stellar play. Take senior Hunter Stewart, who showed everyone why he is a finalist or semi-finalist for every major college golf award.
The Lexington, Ky., graduate struggled to an uncharacteristic four-over par 40 on the front side which included a tough-luck double bogey with an awful lie in a bunker.  A long par putt on No. 11 got the adrenaline flowing and the SEC Player of the Year birdied five of his last seven holes for a cool 31, finishing one-under.
Playing right in front of him, Zack Jaworski was also lighting up the back, at one time reeling off three birds in four holes en route to a one-under 71.
Way up front, freshman Theo Humphrey was handling the gigantic wavy greens and beastly long fairways (the course is set up over 7,400 yards with a 580-yard par 5 that is NOT the longest hole on the course!) with the poise of a veteran. Humphrey had two bogeys, two birdies and a most helpful even par 72.
Matthias Schwab’s round included some tough luck if not mild controversy.  The Austrian had taken what looked like a routine bogey 5 on the second hole, only to be told on the fourth tee that he had moved a pebble in a bunker which is a two-stroke penalty.  In European golf, moving the pebble is permissible but American rules don’t allow it, a hard lesson to learn in the glare of this championship.
The first-team all-SEC sophomore was quickly three-over but he sunk a short putt for a birdie on No. 4 and then added four more birdies for a 73.
The stifling heat took its toll on many but one could not help but believe that Vanderbilt’s uptempo year-long bi-weekly training sessions at 6 a.m. were instrumental in the solid finish. There was still spring in the Black and Gold steps as rounds closed out.
Even Mother Nature cooperated with the Commodores.  Not long after Stewart nearly chipped in for yet another birdie on No. 18 to end the Vandy day, lightning within the NCAA’s 8-mile range struck and play was stopped. Those teams still on the course were brought in and will have to finish tomorrow, resuming at 7:00 a.m.
Fans not able to follow on The Golf Channel can get their devices out and check scores on golfstat.com.
