NORTH PLAINS, Ore. – Freshman William Moll, in only his second collegiate tournament as a Commodore, fired a 3-under-par 68 on Sunday at Pumpkin Ridge Golf Club to pace the Vanderbilt effort at the Nike Collegiate Invitational in the first round of play. As a team, Vanderbilt has a score of 281, which places them seventh on the team leaderboard.
This week’s field at the Nike Collegiate is one of the toughest in golf, with all four teams that advanced to the 2019 NCAA Championships (Stanford, Texas, Oklahoma State, Vanderbilt) making an appearance this week. Oklahoma, the 2017 national champions, lead the tournament by six shots over second-place Oklahoma State, the 2018 national champions, with a score of 14-under-par 270.
Moll, who posted the best round of his career Sunday with five birdies and an eagle at the par-four, 382-yard eighth hole, was joined under par by junior Harrison Ott, who carded a 2-under 69, and senior John Augenstein, who ended his first round with a 1-under 70. Vanderbilt’s other counting score was a 3-over 74 from sophomore Reid Davenport.
“It was fun to get back at it today,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “The guys were excited to get going again. We talked about trusting the steps we are taking and having some fun together. William played a good round for us and Harry did as well. They both looked in control most of the day and lifted our team up. John’s birdie on the last was big for him to grab some momentum. It was cold today and I thought we did a good job adjusting to it which was important.”
Individually, Moll trails leader Logan McAllister of Oklahoma by three shots heading into the second round Monday and is one shot behind a logjam of players at 4-under.
The second 18 holes of the 54-hole tournament continues on Monday, with the Commodores teeing off with Florida and Duke at 10 a.m. CDT.
“Our standard right now is us and we need to be a better tomorrow than we were today,” said Limbaugh. “That means having all five guys in it with the right competitive character and playing with courage.”
7. Vanderbilt – 281
T8. William Moll – 68
T19. Harrison Ott – 69
T26. John Augenstein – 70
T54. Reid Davenport – 74
74. Matthew Riedel – 79
