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Vanderbilt Completes Final Round Action at Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship 2/10/2004
Vanderbilt Completes Final Round Action at Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship The Vanderbilt men’s golf squad, under the direction of fourth-year head coach Press McPhaul, completed play at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship on Tuesday in 18th-place overall after a final round, 11-over par 299, gave the Black and Gold a three-day total of 922 (+58). Lance Goodson improved his scorecard by two strokes each day as the junior carded 77-75-73 for a total of 9-over par 225 to lead the Commodores in the individual rankings. VU’s team also improved in each round as the ‘Dores posted 322-301-299 on the difficult 6,955-yard, par-72 Sawgrass Country Club course. Goodson, a Birmingham, Ala., native, started out his final round with a bogey at #1 before birdies at #5 and #8 moved him to 1-under par. A five on the par-4 ninth hole sent the junior to the back nine at even-par 36. Goodson remained at even following a bogey at #12 and a birdie at #17, before a six on the par-5 18th-hole completed his round at 1-over par 73. Luke List (Ringgold, Ga.) fired a final round 75 to finish in a tie for 43rd (79-74-75=228). The freshman also carded an even par 36 through his first nine holes, but lost five shots to par from #11-14 before rallying coming in with birdies at #15 and #18. Ponte Vedra, Fla., native Ben McClung equaled List’s 75 following a round that included three birdies and six bogeys, while junior Mark Donnell (Mobile, Ala.) rounded out Vanderbilt’s scoring contingent with a 4-over par 76. Sophomore Will Armstrong (Austin, Texas) completed his first tournament of the season for the Black and Gold with a three-day total of 250. South Carolina, the team leader after each of the first two rounds of competition, ran away from the illustrious field that included 14 of the top-50, 10 of the top 25 and the top three ranked teams in the country according to the Golfweek-Sagarin rankings, with a final round 284 (-4) to take the tournament team title over Oklahoma State and Florida by an incredible 27 strokes (288-289-284=861). After being tied following the first round of play, Texas’ Jason Hartwick and South Carolina’s Eirik Johansen dueled over the final 18 holes to fire matching 5-under par 67’s. However, the Longhorn golfer edged Johansen by three shots to take the individual title (5-under par total of 211). Two of the three second round leaders, Mark Blakefield of Kentucky and David Skinns of Tennessee, each suffered through difficult tours of the course during the final round as the duo carded 81 and 80, respectively, to fall from the individual top 15. South Carolina’s Jake Thompson also had a share of the lead after the second 18 holes but carded a 1-over par 73 to drop into a tie for third place. Vanderbilt’s men’s golf squad now takes a break before returning to the links at the Seminole Invitational in Tallahassee, Fla., over March 1-2. Vanderbilt Individual Scores Team Scores Tot. 3rdR 1st 2nd 3rd Total Mercedes-Benz Round Two Results The weather at the Sawgrass Country Club in Ponte Vedra, Fla., improved following yesterday’s blustery and cold conditions, and so did the scoring at the Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship as the Vanderbilt men’s golf squad combined for a 13-over par total of 301 to remain in 17th position after the tournament’s second round. The Black and Gold managed to shave 21 strokes off yesterday’s 322. Junior Lance Goodson followed up his 77 on Sunday with a 3-over par 75 to tie for 31st (8-over par 152) and continues to lead Vanderbilt in the individual standings, while freshman Luke List (Ringgold, Ga.) and junior Ben McClung each carded identical 2-over par 74’s to rank in a tie for 39th and 53rd, respectively. Junior Mark Donnell contributed a 78 to complete Vanderbilt’s scoring foursome, while sophomore Will Armstrong (Austin, Texas) shot an 83. Four of the five Commodores managed a solid close to their rounds with a birdie on the par-5, 18th hole (McClung, Donnell, List and Goodson). Goodson, a Birmingham, Ala., native, made the turn at even-par (36) following an opening nine that included three birdies and three bogeys. After a birdie at hole 10 improved the junior to 1-under par, a bogey at #14 and double-bogeys at #16 and #17 slightly unraveled his round. He did manage a birdie on number 18 to close out a solid 75. McClung, playing on a familiar course in his hometown of Ponte Vedra, Fla., managed an even-par 36 at the turn. He posted bogeys at #12, #15 and #16, before carding a four on the par-5 18th to complete his 2-over par 74. After nine holes, List was 4-over par (40) following a double-bogey at hole #2 and bogeys at #3 and #7. However, the rookie toured the back nine in 2-under par (34), with birdies at #14 and #18, on his way to a 74. South Carolina continues to dominate the impressive Mercedes-Benz Collegiate field after a second round 289 gave the Gamecocks a two-day total of 1-over par 577. #28 USC leads Clemson, Golfweek’s second-ranked team, by 13 strokes heading into the final day of competition on Tuesday. Mark Blakefield of Kentucky, David Skinns of Tennessee and Jake Thompson of South Carolina lead the individual standings at 2-under par (142). Several golfers made big moves up the leaderboard as Clemson’s Gregg Jones (tied for fourth) and North Carolina’s Kevin Silva (tied for 10th) both carded 6-under par 66’s. UK’s Blakefield fired a 5-under 67 to race to the lead. Vanderbilt Individual Scores Mercedes-Benz Round One Results On a day of cold temperatures in the low-50’s and gusting 20-mph winds on the Sawgrass Country Club course, the Vanderbilt men’s golf squad opened the spring portion of its schedule with a 34-over par total of 322 to finish the opening round of the three-day Mercedes-Benz Collegiate Championship in 17th position. Junior Lance Goodson (Birmingham, Ala.) fired a 5-over par 77 to lead VU in the individual scoring in a tie for 25th, while freshman Luke List (Ringgold, Ga.) carded a 7-over 79 to rate in a tie for 41st. Junior Ben McClung, in his homecoming to his native Ponte Vedra, Fla., shot an 82. Sophomore Will Armstrong (Austin, Texas), in his first action of the year for VU, tallied an 84, while junior Mark Donnell (Mobile, Ala.) carded an 85. Vanderbilt currently stands just seven strokes out of the tournament’s top-10. South Carolina leads the illustious field at the Mercedes-Benz, which includes 14 of the top-50 and 10 of the top-25 teams in the Golfweek-Sagarin Rankings, after shooting an even-par total of 288, as three of the Gamecock golfers posted scores in the top-five of the individual ratings. The country’s top three schools according to Golfweek, Florida, Georgia and Clemson, currently reside in second, tied for eighth and fifth, respectively. Jason Hartwick of the University of Texas and Eirik Johansen and Jake Thompson of South Carolina are in a three-way deadlock for the individual lead after carding 1-under par 71’s. On the day, only four golfers managed scores of par or better on the treacherous Sawgrass layout. Vanderbilt Individual Round One Scores |
