CARLSBAD, Calif. – The Vanderbilt men’s golf team advances to match play at the 2024 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships for the seventh time in program history after the Commodores finished stroke play in second place at 10-over 1,162.
Vanderbilt, who wore its Red, White, and Blue uniform in honor of Memorial Day on Monday, carded 1-over 289 in Round 4 to move past Virginia and end stroke play in second place. It is the third time over the last five NCAA Championships that the Commodores have advanced to match play, while it is their seventh match play appearance overall at the national championship.
“I’m just proud of the team,” said Vanderbilt men’s golf head coach Scott Limbaugh. “Today was a good day for our team. They looked strong, bold, and confident out there. I’m also really proud to see us finish well.”
The No. 2-seeded Dores take on No. 7-seed Ohio State in the quarterfinals on Tuesday at the 2024 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships. The match begins at 9:40 a.m. CT from the first tee on the North Course at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa.
Junior Gordon Sargent was chasing his second individual NCAA national title on Monday, as he was tied for the lead through 10 holes of play in Round 4. The lead would be short-lived, as the 2022 NCAA individual champion posted back-to-back bogeys on Holes 12 and 13 to put him a stroke off of first place.
Sargent carded even par over his next four holes. He went into the par-5 Hole 18 needing a birdie to force a playoff and was able to set himself with a 10-foot putt to finish the hole at 1-under. The All-American’s putt for the tie was on target, but lipped out at the back of the hole to leave Sargent in a tie for second place at 2-under 286.
“I think it’s pretty good, I’m definitely still learning the golf course,” said Sargent of his performance on Monday. “I’ve had some really good moments and some moments that have not been so good. But I feel like I’ve managed my game pretty well all week. I didn’t necessarily make many putts, which is tough. It’s hard to win when you don’t make putts.
“The key is adopting the mindset that the goal this week was not to win an individual national championship. It’s easy to get down right now and be disappointed. Obviously, I wanted to make that putt (on 18 for birdie to force a playoff), but as we’ve seen in the golf world this week golf is not everything. It’s definitely a good feeling to be playing golf tomorrow, and I think we’re all looking forward to it.”
Senior Cole Sherwood matched Sargent’s performance in Round 4, as the Austin, Texas, native finished at even par 72 on Memorial Day. Sherwood wraps up stroke play in a tie for 25th on the player leaderboard with a 72-hole total of 4-over 292.
Graduate student Matthew Riedel had Vanderbilt’s best round on Monday, carding a 1-under par 71. Riedel and junior Jackson Van Paris tied for 27th on the player leaderboard, as each golfer finished at 5-over 293.
Illinois won stroke play at the 2024 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships after finishing 6-under 1,146, as the Fighting Illini will be the No. 1-seeded team going into match play. Georgia Tech’s Hiroshi Tai won the individual title after carding 3-under 285 over four rounds of play.
Vanderbilt takes on Ohio State in the quarterfinal round of match play this Tuesday. Tee time against the Buckeyes is set for 9:40 a.m. CT from the first tee. Fans can click the link here for a full list of matchups for the quarterfinals. The winner advances to the semifinal round, where they will take on either No. 3-seed Virginia or No. 6-seed Auburn at 4:05 p.m. CT on Tuesday.
“We’re fortunate enough to have some guys who have been at this level before,” said Limbaugh on match play at the NCAA Championships. “I want our guys to understand that this was a big step today. This was step No. 2 of what we wanted to do out here. We’ll need that full Vandy energy from our fans tomorrow. Our guys need to be locked in, ready to go, and do this thing together.”
GOLF Channel will broadcast both the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds at the 2024 NCAA Championships on Tuesday. Live coverage of the quarterfinal matches takes place from 12-2:30 p.m. CT, while the semifinals will air live from 5-9 p.m. CT. Fans can also follow all of the action via live results at GolfStat.com.
For more information and exclusive content on the Vanderbilt men’s golf team, follow @VandyMGolf on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X.
