FRANKLIN, Tenn. – Junior Gordon Sargent became the second player to win multiple Mason Rudolph Championships, while the No. 3-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team claimed its fifth-straight title at its home tournament after carding 30-under 822 over three days of play at Vanderbilt Legends Club.
Sargent carded 11-under 202 over three rounds to become the second golfer to win back-to-back Mason Rudolph Championships. The junior joins Sam Horsfield of Florida as the only players that have won the Mason Rudolph Championship on more than one occasion, as Horsfield claimed medalist honors during the 2016 and 2017 tournaments. Sargent posted scores of 64-69-69 to claim his first victory of the 2023-24 season. The All-American excelled on par 5s, as he led the tournament in par-5 scoring at 11-under, while he also paced the field with 17 birdies.
As a team, Vanderbilt finished the 2024 Mason Rudolph Championship at 30-under 822 to claim its fifth-straight title at the event. It is the third-straight season that Vandy has claimed victory at its home tournament, as the Mason Rudolph was not played in 2020 and 2021. The Commodores posted scores of 276-275-271 over three days of play at Vanderbilt Legends’ South Course to claim their ninth overall championship at the Mason Rudolph. Additionally, it is Vanderbilt’s sixth team title of the season.
“It was a great weekend,” said Vanderbilt men’s golf head coach Scott Limbaugh. “Vanderbilt Legends Club showed out all weekend. It was beautiful, it was challenging, and it was firm and fast. I’m super thankful for the support we got and thank everyone who came out to make this a successful tournament.
I thought the guys went out and did a great job in front of their home fans. Gordon was outstanding. I’m super proud of him. He hadn’t been playing the way he wanted to play recently. This week, he had a lot of ball control and that’s good because he has put in a lot of work. You love to see the fruits of that labor payoff under the gun.”
Junior Jackson Van Paris carded 7-under 206 to take second place at the Mason Rudolph. The Pinehurst, North Carolina, native ended play with scores of 68-67-71 to post his second top-five finish of the season. Van Paris was one of two Commodores to collect an eagle over the weekend, as he finished 2-under on the par-5 Hole 18 to close out Round 1 of the tournament.
A trio of Commodores who were playing in the last regular season round of their careers at Vanderbilt Legends each posted a top-10 finish. Graduate student Matthew Riedel ended two strokes behind Van Paris to conclude the tournament in a tie for third. The Houston, Texas, native carded a team-best 5-under 66 during Round 3 to finish the Mason Rudolph at 5-under 208. Senior Cole Sherwood went 3-under 68 on Sunday to finish in a tie for seventh with a three-round total of 2-under 211. Graduate student William Moll concluded the Mason Rudolph Championship in tied for ninth, as he also carded 3-under in Round 3 to wrap up the tournament at 1-under 212.
“This is the right way to end the regular season,” said Limbaugh about having all five Vanderbilt golfers finish inside the top 10. “As a coach, you know those older guys will go out on a day like today and play pretty tough. I’m really proud of William, Matthew, and Cole for going out today playing big-boy golf. Those guys have played a lot of big-time rounds and they know how to play golf. I’m also proud of Jackson. I know he wanted to push Gordon a little bit more, but he hung in there all day long and just never got a putt to drop. Overall, it was a great week for us.”
John Broderick paced Vanderbilt’s ‘B’ team at the Mason Rudolph Championship, as he finished in a tie for 19th at 2-over 215. Broderick ended the tournament strong, as he carded 1-under 70 in Rounds 2 and 3.
The Commodores will now prepare for the 2024 SEC Men’s Golf Championship, which takes place April 24-28 at Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Georgia. Check back with VUCommodores.com for a full tournament preview.
“Things have been going fast for us with playing back-to-back-to-back tournaments, and add all on the extra things that go on with hosting a home event,” Limbaugh expressed. “We’re going to catch our breath a bit, but we know what we have in front of us. There are things we need to do better and that will be our focus as we prepare for championship season. We want to enjoy this win to close out the regular season and then we’ll get back to work.”
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