Dores claim Tavistock title, Gordon wins medalist honors

WINDERMERE, Fla. – A tournament that fielded eight of the top 26 teams in the nation was no match for Vanderbilt Golf this week at the Tavistock Collegiate in their final event of the fall, as the Commodores led wire-to-wire to win the three-day event by 20 shots with a final team score of 833 (276-282-275), a new tournament scoring record at the Isleworth Country Club.  The Commodores’ Will Gordon won the individual title with a 16-under par, 200 (64-70-66), with senior Patrick Martin also finishing third with a score of 207 (68-74-65) and junior John Augenstein fourth with a 209 total (69-66-74).

The win was the Commodores’ first of the 2018-19 campaign, the 27th for the program overall, and the 20th for Vanderbilt under the tutelage of head coach Scott Limbaugh.  Gordon’s individual title was the third of his career (Schenkel Invitational 2016; East Lake Cup, 2017) and the 25th by a Vanderbilt golfer overall and 16th in the Limbaugh era.

“That was really a pretty incredible day!,” said Limbaugh.  “I am so proud of this team and how they committed to finishing this fall season strong. It was a team effort and great to see us play a complete tournament. It’s fun to see the guys play that kind of golf and not let off the pedal. It’s not easy to have that kind of mental toughness and we did that today. Harrison’s round was big and it was great seeing him play closer to his potential. John battled and showed the kind of great competitor he is. Patrick’s round was awesome, finishing both sides with three birdies and getting eight total. I am so happy for Will and how he handled the day. He was in control all day and made the shots when he had to. Only making two bogeys on this golf course for 54 holes is really good.”

(10/23/2018) Tavistock Final Round

Vanderbilt dominated the top-rated field from start to finish, with Tuesday’s round providing the exclamation point for the Commodores.  Martin led the way with a final-round 65 for Vanderbilt’s counting scores, Gordon posted a six-under 66, Harrison Ott carded a 70, and Augenstein a 74 to give Vanderbilt a tournament-best 275 on Tuesday.

The Commodores led the field in par-three scoring (3.12 average) and par-five scoring (4.70), and posted 56 birdies for the three-day event.  Individually, Gordon led the field in birdies with 18, in par-four scoring (3.80), and par-five scoring (4.33).

Vanderbilt finished 20 shots ahead of second-place Auburn and Arizona State, two nationally-ranked teams.

“We got a little better each time out this fall which was good to see,” said Limbaugh.  “This is a great way to end the fall and it’s exciting to kind of play close to what we are capable of. I think we also know we have a lot of room to improve during the off season. We learned this fall that we are capable of being a really good team and also that we can be average if we aren’t having fun and doing the little things the right way. I also think we have to find some more consistency through the lineup and need to see some younger guys taking ownership of their games.  We are looking forward to getting some rest and when it’s time to get better, knowing what we need to focus on to keep moving forward.”

The tournament closes out Vanderbilt’s fall competition, with the Commodores returning to the course February 16th and 17th of 2019 at the Gator Invitational in Gainesville, Fla.

1. Vanderbilt 276-282=558
1. Will Gordon – 64-70-66=200
3. Patrick Martin – 68-74-65=207
4. John Augenstein – 69-66-74=209
T56. Harrison Ott – 75-81-70=226
T70. Mason Greenberg – 79-72-80=231