ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. — Vanderbilt and Oklahoma went shot-for-shot Thursday in the final round of the Frederica Cup before the Commodores pulled away to claim their first championship in as many tries this season, winning the inaugural event at 69-under-par.
Senior William Moll claimed his first individual title as a collegian as he held on for a one-stroke win over teammate Cole Sherwood. Moll was 4-under-par Thursday for a three-day total of 197 (-19).
Moll’s previous best finish was third at the 2021 Kingston Springs Regional. The Houston, Texas, product was bogey-free on the back nine and birdied four of his final six holes to clinch the victory.
“William Moll, from start to finish, he came in in good form, carried that momentum for 54 holes,” Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “Just to watch him have the courage to finish it off, to hit big-time shots under pressure was great to see.”
And we’re bringing home the team 🏆 too.#AnchorDown pic.twitter.com/vfnBr6J79p
— Vanderbilt Men’s Golf (@VandyMGolf) September 8, 2022
As a team, Vandy was 23-under-par Thursday while Oklahoma was 22-under-par. The Sooners had two late bogeys while the Commodores had four birdies and eight pars on their 17th and 18th holes.
The two sides were tied at 67-under-par with three holes left to go when a weather delay halted action. Vandy then took charge when the rain subsided.
“It’s a new season. I know life makes you want to look backward and be proud of things that have happened before, but all we’ve talked about is starting this team off on a new journey and trying to fight the good fight,” Limbaugh said. “We knew it would take all six of us, the whole team. Just so proud. We hadn’t played a complete golf season in a long time.
“We had an unbelievable spring season last year, but my message has been let’s look forward, let’s look forward to this year and it’s going to take all of us. We’ve got great competition. We’ve just got to keep pushing each other to the highest levels.”
Sherwood shot a team-best 64 on Thursday to nearly catch his elder teammate. His bogey-free round included eight birdies.
Gordon Sargent, the defending individual national champion, finished tied for seventh at 14-under-par while Matthew Riedel (-12) climbed into 11th overall after shooting a 67 on Thursday. Reid Davenport (-5) came in 27th and Jansen Preston (-1) tied for 32nd overall.
“Super proud of Jansen Preston showing up today,” Limbaugh said. “Matthew Riedel, his last 36 holes, just played awesome. Cole Sherwood just keeps making big-time plays in big-time moments.”
The victory for Vanderbilt was its seventh team tournament championship since February.
The Commodores have a couple weeks off before returning to action at the Old Overton Club in Birmingham, Alabama, at the SEC Fall Preview on Sept. 25.
“I want us to enjoy this one,” Limbaugh said. “I see a lot of areas we can improve on, some little things – I know the scoreboard says we shot this – but we know we can improve and there’s a bar that’s clearly been set at Vanderbilt and it’s our job to stay above that bar.”
