JONESBOROUGH, Tenn. — Led by a pair of sophomores that scored par or better on Friday, Vanderbilt men’s golf team stands in ninth place after one round of the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate at the Ridges.
Sophomore Adam Hofmann paced the Commodores, carding a one-under 71 over the tournament’s initial 18 holes. Hofmann tied his season-best 18-hole score, matching his first-round 71 at the Olympia Fields Invitational in September. Hofmann’s career-best round came during the 2007 Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate, a two-under 70.
Classmate Ryan Haselden recorded an even-par 72 on Friday. Haselden’s back nine included four birdies, three bogeys and only two pars. Both Hoffman and Haselden are among the tournament’s Top 10 individuals after a day one that saw only nine players under par.
Seniors Jon Curran and John Ebert also scored for Vanderbilt. Curran shot a four-over 76, while Ebert had a six-over 78. Junior Hudson Johnson struggled to a 10-over 82 during the day’s difficult conditions.
As a team, the Commodores dropped eight strokes over the final three holes to move back from second to ninth. Vanderbilt stands only nine strokes back of host East Tennessee State, the day one leader. Coastal Carolina, North Carolina State, Wake Forest and Ole Miss round out the top five.
UAB, Auburn, Missouri also stand ahead of Vanderbilt, with North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio State and Kent State rounding out the 14-team field.
Individually, N.C. State’s Matt Hill holds a one-stroke lead over an eight-man pack that includes VU’s Hofmann. Nineteen of the tournament’s 75 players shot par or better.
The tournament’s second of three rounds will begin at 8:30 a.m. CT Saturday. Vanderbilt is scheduled to tee off on the Ridges’ par-72, 7,147-yard layout at 10:10 a.m. ET, leaving from the first tee with Missouri and Auburn. Complete statistics and live scoring of the event is featured on Golfstat.com.
