OOLTEWAH, Tenn. – The No. 12-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team sits in second place at the end of 36 holes of play at the Invitational of The Honors, as the Commodores carded 9-under 567 on the first day of the tournament.
No. 12 Vanderbilt heads into Tuesday’s finale in second place on the team leaderboard, one stroke behind No. 5 Ole Miss for the top spot. The Dores posted round scores of 281-286 over their first 36 holes at The Honors Course.
A pair of freshmen sit inside the top five on the player leaderboard at the end of Monday, with Michael Riebe and Jon Ed Steed each going 4-under 140 over their first two rounds to end the day in a tie for fifth.
“I thought our guys showed a ton of grit today in how we hung in there and finished both rounds strong,” said Vanderbilt Thomas F. Roush, M.D., and Family Men’s Golf Head Coach Scott Limbaugh. “This is a great test with a championship setup, and it rewards patience and mental toughness. Michael and Jon Ed were solid all day, and their excitement is infectious. I was proud of Wells and the way he battled on the back nine after a double on No. 10 and shot 3 under in the afternoon. The guys are finding ways to stay in their rounds, and that is huge. It was great to see Will make his debut and compete at a high level. Ryan and Carlos showed a lot of toughness, and we know they will be ready for the day tomorrow.”
Riebe, who finished third at the Carmel Cup in his Commodore debut, ended Round 1 of the Invitational at The Honors Course at 4-under 68 to pace the Dores. The Encinitas, California, native is currently second on the player leaderboard in par-5 scoring at 6-under. Riebe is also one of eight golfers to collect an eagle on Monday, finishing 2-under on the par-5 Hole 17 in Round 2.
Steed went 2-under in each of his rounds on Monday. The Enterprise, Alabama, native collected nine birdies over 36 holes of play, which is tied for ninth-most in the field. Steed’s par-4 score of 1-under was the eighth-best by a golfer on Monday.
Senior Wells Williams ended his day just outside the top 10, sitting in a tie for 11th at 2-under 142. The All-American caught fire in Round 2, carding 3-under 69. His 10 birdies paced the Commodores, tying for fourth-most on the first day of the tournament.
No. 5 Ole Miss holds a one-stroke lead over the field with a two-round score of 10-under 566 at the end of Day 1 at the Invitational at The Honors Course. Cameron Tankersley of the Rebels and Tennessee’s Jackson Herrington are tied atop the player leaderboard with a two-round total of 6-under 138.
“We have a great opportunity tomorrow to take a step forward, and we need to be excited about that,” added Limbaugh. “The challenge will be to stay focused on each task at hand and keep our self-talk strong.”
Vanderbilt tees off Round 3 on Tuesday from 8:10-8:50 a.m. CT, with freshman Will Hartman, who is playing as an individual, starting his day at 7 a.m. CT. Fans can follow along with live scoring by clicking the link here.
For more information and exclusive content on the Vanderbilt men’s golf team, follow @VandyMGolf on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X.
