March 30, 2017
The #3-ranked Vanderbilt Commodores’ men’s golf team will host 13 other teams this Friday through Sunday at the Mason Rudolph Championship on the Vanderbilt Legends Club’s South Course in Franklin, Tenn. This weekend will mark the 16th time the Commodores will host the event, which is named after Mason Rudolph, one of Middle Tennessee’s all-time great golfers and former head coach of the Commodores.
“This is such an exciting time of the year,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “We love hosting this event with Mason Rudolph’s name on it. He left such an indelible mark on everyone that he met and had such a positive influence on so many people through the game of golf. Vanderbilt Legends Club supports us so well and we enjoy having the opportunity to host some of the very best teams and players from around the country.”
The #3-ranked Commodores, the winners of the last two Mason Rudolph Championships, will be the highest ranked team at the Mason Rudolph Championship, and will be joined by fellow top-30 teams #6 Florida, #21 Duke, and #26 Missouri. Also in the field this weekend is Alabama, Ball State, Belmont, ETSU, Iowa, Liberty, Miami (Ohio), Middle Tennessee, Southern Illinois, and Troy.
Individually, the two top finishers from last year’s Mason Rudolph Championship, Florida’s Sam Horsfield and Gordon Neale, both return to the South Course for a repeat performance. Other top individuals appearing at the tournament include the Commodores’ Matthias Schwab (ranked 10th), Patrick Martin (25), and Theo Humphrey (61), Florida’s Alejandro Tosti (22) and Andy Zhang (75), and Missouri’s Rory Fransen (74) and Linus Lilliedahl (88).
Competing for Vanderbilt this weekend is Schwab, Martin, Humphrey, Will Gordon, and John Augenstein. Michael Decker, Andrew Jacobe, and Zach Herr will be playing as individuals.
“This is a special week for our players,” said Limbaugh. “It is always a great experience to be able to play on your home golf course in front of your own fans. I certainly feel that this group of guys has done a lot for our program and having a lot of support for them would mean a lot. This week happens to be our last regular season event of the year. To us, it is just another step on our ladder and we understand that. There are a lot of external factors this week and it will test our guys’ ability to focus on the right things and focus on what they can control. We always have total control of our attitude and buy-in; this week will be a good test for us and we need to enjoy it.”
Eighteen holes will be played Friday-Sunday on the par-71, 7,100-yard South Course, with tee time beginning at 8:30 a.m. CT on Friday and Saturday, and at 8 a.m. CT on Sunday.