KIAWAH ISLAND, S.C. – Vanderbilt senior Ryan Haselden fired a one-under par, 143, in the first two rounds of play at The Invitational at Kiawah: The Invitational at The Ocean Course. The Commodores are in fourth place with a team total of 592 (297-295), and are eight strokes back of leader Notre Dame after the first 36 holes.
The Commodores see-sawed in the standings throughout the two rounds and settled in fourth after the long day. The field is tight – VU is only four strokes back of third (College of Charleston), and only one stroke ahead of Coastal Carolina, who is in fifth.
The final 18 holes will be played Tuesday at the world-renowned Ocean Course at Kiawah Island.
First round results
4. Vanderbilt – 592 (297-295, +16)
T3. Ryan Haselden – 73-70 =143 (-1)
T14. Will Snipes -74-75=149 (+5)
T17. Adam Hofmann – 76-74=150 (+6)
T17. Trey DelGreco – 74-76=150 (+6)
T50. Charlie Grace – 80-77=157 (+13)
T53. Charlie Ewing – 80-78=158 (+14)
Notes
– This tournament plays six and counts four, which is different than most tournaments, which play five and count four.
– Haselden is in a tie for third place…Haselden has one individual title (2009 Seminole Intercollegiate) and one second-place finish (2009 Mason Rudolph) on his resume.
– Adam Hoffman played in his first tournament in two years. Hoffman redshirted in 2009-10 rehabbing a wrist injury he suffered at NCAA Regionals in the Spring of 2009.
– Freshman Charlie Ewing played in his first two collegiate rounds on Monday.
QuotesTom Shaw
It was kind of an up and down day watching the scoreboard all day. What is your take on that?
We’re trying not to look at scoreboards this year. We’re trying to be more focused on the process. But, it’s a tough, tough golf course. Any miss is punished severely…you can cruise along and then it slaps you in the face. One of our freshmen, Charlie Ewing, was one under through eight holes, and then had a triple bogey. That’s just how hard the course is playing.
On Adam Hoffman’s return:
Adam Hoffman played 36 holes in a college tournament for the first time in over a year now, and you could tell he was a little tired by the end of the day. But, he did well for his first tournament back.
What makes the golf course so difficult?
It was designed by Pete Dye, one of the foremost architects in golf. He is into visual deception, which causes you to be less confident than you should be. If you hit it in the wrong spot, you pay a price. Ravines, swales, deep rough, that kind of stuff. It’s very demanding, but you can score if you play well. You can’t fake it around this course. It exposes your weaknesses, and I think it’s good for us to experience that right now. We’ve been playing the same golf course for a while now, so we may have felt a false sense of security.
What did you tell the team tonight heading into Tuesday?
We’re just trying to emphasize one shot at a time. Keep hitting good shots…Stay committed to the process and not worry about results. Our goal is to be peaking by April and May, and not necessarily right now.
