NASHVILLE, Tenn. – New challenges await the Vanderbilt men’s golf team in the 2024-25 season, as the Commodores feature a healthy mix of veterans while welcoming newcomers to the lineup in pursuit of their 11th-straight NCAA Championship appearance.
Despite graduating a trio of All-Americans from last season, Vandy is in a prime position to its way back to the NCAA Championships. The Dores have become a mainstay at the NCAA Men’s Golf Championship under head coach Scott Limbaugh, who enters his 13th season with Vanderbilt. Coach Limbaugh will rely on a stellar group of returners, while welcoming in an influx of talent to make its way back to the NCAA Championship in May.
“We are enjoying a new journey with a new set of golfers,” Limbaugh expressed. “We’re teaching these new guys what it means to be a Vanderbilt golfer, rather than expecting them to be that. Anytime there are new opportunities, that automatically brings a whole new level of energy to the entire building. We’re excited to see is who going to step up.”
Vanderbilt opens the 2024-25 season ranked inside the top six in all three major preseason collegiate golf polls. The Commodores checked in at No. 3 in Golfweek’s preseason men’s college golf rankings and were selected as the fourth-best team in the nation by the coaches in the Bushnell/Golfweek Preseason Coaches Poll. Golf Channel has the Dores at No. 6 in its preseason rankings.
Vandy returns two golfers from last year’s lineup. Seniors Gordon Sargent and Jackson Van Paris lead the charge for the Commodores, as the All-Americans had a spectacular summer on the amateur circuit. In July, the Vanderbilt duo helped the United States win its first Arnold Palmer Cup on international soil since 2018, while both qualified for match play at the 124th U.S. Amateur Championship in August. More recently, Sargent and Van Paris were named to the 2024-25 Fred Haskins Award Fall Watch List and each golfer has been featured on numerous preseason All-American teams.
In April, Sargent announced he would forgo a spot on the PGA TOUR to return to Vanderbilt. Last October, the Birmingham, Alabama, native became the first golfer to earn his PGA TOUR card via PGA Tour University Accelerated. With Sargent already owning a PGA TOUR card he will not be included in the PGA Tour University rankings this season.
“Gordon returning to Vanderbilt says a lot about who he is and who his family is,” said Limbaugh. “I think we have something special here. It’s something the guys here really enjoy. These are some of the best times for these golfers. Doing things with people is a lot more rewarding than doing them by yourself. This time in college golf is so sacred and that’s why Gordon chose to come back. It’s an honor to have him back. He wouldn’t have come back if he didn’t think there was improvement to be had. It is our job as a staff to make sure that environment is where it needs to be to help him have that growth.”
Sargent, a three-time GCAA All-American first-team selection, heads into his senior year looking to expand on his illustrious collegiate career with the Commodores. He won the 2022 NCAA individual championship as a freshman and had a runner-up finish at the 2024 NCAA Championship. The 2023 SEC Men’s Golfer of the Year comes into his senior campaign with a Vanderbilt record six individual titles. Over the summer, Sargent went 3-1-0 at the 2024 Arnold Palmer Cup, played in the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, and made match play at the 124th U.S. Amateur Championship. The senior comes into the 2024-25 season at No. 2 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings, while he was named a preseason All-American first-team selection by Golfweek and Golf Channel.
Van Paris enjoyed a breakout junior campaign that saw him earn a GCAA All-American honorable mention nod. The Pinehurst, North Carolina, native collected his first collegiate victory last season, winning stroke play at the St Andrews Links Collegiate, and posted four top-10 finishes in 2023-24. Van Paris opens his senior season ranked No. 5 in the PGA TOUR University rankings and No. 8 in the WAGR. Like Sargent, Van Paris helped the U.S. win the Palmer Cup and advanced to match play at the U.S. Amateur Championship.
Wells Williams returns to the Dores after collecting a pair of top-10 finishes during his sophomore season. Williams earned preseason All-American honors from both Golf Channel and Golfweek. The junior from West Point, Mississippi, made his U.S. Open debut over the summer at Pinehurst No. 2, while he advanced to match play at the 124th U.S. Amateur Championship. Williams earned a Golfweek All-American honorable mention selection as a freshman during the 2022-23 season.
Vanderbilt also returns juniors John Broderick and Ben Loomis and sophomores Chase Nevins and Rowan Sullivan. All four had solid summers on the amateur circuit, with Nevins winning the Porter Cup and the Palmetto Amateur. The Commodores also welcome in freshmen Bowen Ballis and Ryan Downes. Golfweek lists Downes as the ninth-best golfer in the 2024 class, while Ballis was ranked the No. 17-best high school prospect in the nation by Junior Golf Scoreboard. Downes was also one of four Dores who played in the 124th U.S. Amateur Championship.
“It was great to see guys step up this summer, it just shows the kind of talent that we have,” said Limbaugh. “Ryan and Bowen have come in and been very coachable as freshmen. Chase has taken a huge step forward. We’re built for helping these guys improve, but we’re also built for accountability and helping them develop their character.”
The Commodores open the 2024-25 season on Sept. 9-10 at the Inverness Intercollegiate in Toledo, Ohio. Vanderbilt plays in four regular season tournaments each during the fall and spring, which includes the Mason Rudolph Championship at Vanderbilt Legends Club on April 4-6. Click here for a full breakdown of Vanderbilt’s 2024-25 schedule.
“We want to play against the best competition every week,” said Limbaugh. “Wherever that competition is that’s where we want to be. I think with the way PGA TOUR U. works out, our schedule allows our guys to be rewarded for playing against the best. We want to play against the best and be as uncomfortable as possible to see who is going to respond in those moments.”
The 2025 SEC Men’s Golf Championship will be held in its traditional location at the Sea Island Golf Club in St. Simons Island, Georgia. The Commodores will be looking to advance to the title match at the SEC Championship for the fifth-straight time. Vanderbilt has won the SEC Championship on three occasions, which came in 2017, 2021, and 2022.
NCAA postseason play begins May 12-14 at the NCAA Men’s Golf Regional. The 2025 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships is set for May 23-28 at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California. The Commodores finished second place as a team in stroke play to advance to the quarterfinal round of match play at last season’s NCAA Men’s Golf Championships.
“We’ve got to stay the course,” Limbaugh stated. “I think what we do and the way we do it has a proven track record of success, but you don’t rest there. It’s always about improving and finding new ways to coach. The difference between good and great is accountability and character. We’ve got a lot of guys who’ve never played (in the lineup) before. So, who is going to embrace that and say, ‘I am that person that can be depended on,’? Quite frankly it has energized me and our coaching staff. We’re pumped to see who is going to take that ownership.”
For more information on the Vanderbilt men’s golf team, follow @VandyMGolf on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter/X.
