BRADENTON, Fla. – The most accomplished season in Vanderbilt men’s golf history came to a close Tuesday at Concession Golf Club, as LSU eliminated Vanderbilt 3 1/2 to 1 1/2 in the quarterfinals of match play.
The Commodores held the second seed coming out of stroke play, but seeding has little bearing on match play results with all eight teams starting with clean slates.
Vanderbilt got off to a slow start, trailing for much of the day before making a late charge that fell short.
The Commodores lost the first three completed matches with Zack Jaworski halving his match with Eric Ricard and Hunter Stewart winning his 3&2 over Stewart Jolly.
After trailing by as many as two holes through 14, Theo Humphrey squared the match through 16. However, on 17 Brandon Pierce chipped in from 30 feet off the green to win the hole, and essentially the match. Pierce and Humphrey then parred 18 with Pierce winning the match 1 up.
“We knew going in how good of a team LSU had. We’ve come down to the wire with them a bunch of times, and my hat’s off to them. They played great golf,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “I’m really proud of how Theo hung in there, but LSU made the shot on 17 that changed the entire match. We had it like we wanted to. You go out there and go man-on-man, and they got the job done and we didn’t. That’s what athletics is.”
Matthias Schwab was down by as many as five holes through No. 11, but cut the deficit to three through 14. Ben Taylor and Schwab halved holes 15 and 16, giving Taylor the match, 3&2.
The clinching matchup was between Zach Wright and Carson Jacobs. The match was back and forth throughout with Jacobs leading early by as many as two. Through 12 holes, the match was all square before Wright won four holes in a row to win the match, 4&2.
The season also ended abruptly for first-team All-American Hunter Stewart, who was honored by the Golf Coaches Association of America earlier in the day. Stewart left an indelible mark on the Commodore program that will be felt for many years to come.
“It was an awesome year. It really was,” said Limbaugh. “We were very consistent all year. Right now though, I just hurt for Hunter Stewart. That’s where my heart is. The kid had one of the best and most remarkable years of any college golfer ever, not just a Vanderbilt golfer. He’s a leader, and does things the right way. Just to see his season end today is painful for us. These other four will have another opportunity now, especially now that they got their feet wet in a national championship. And we’ll be ready again. But, right now, I’m focused on that and hurt for him. I’m just so appreciative of what he has done and the footprint he has left on our program.”
Tuesday was the Commodores’ first appearance in match play in the history of the program after posting a program-best second-place finish in the four-round stroke play portion of the tournament over the weekend.
