CARLSBAD, Calif. – The No. 11-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team made the cut into Round 4 at the 2026 NCAA Championship, as the Commodores sit in third place at the end of 54 holes of play with a score of 9-under 855.
Vandy, the No. 10 seed at this year’s national championship, carded 3-over 291 in Round 3 on Sunday. The Dores move on to Monday’s Round 4 eight strokes ahead of the eight-team cutline into match play, which begins on Tuesday.
“It was a strong day,” said Scott Limbaugh, Thomas F. Roush, M.D., and Family Vanderbilt Men’s Golf Head Coach. “The team came out ready and stayed patient. The course played a lot tougher today, much firmer and faster. I know a couple of the guys are a little disappointed in their rounds, but overall, I thought it was a great step for us. We hit our first rough patch in the road, and that’s going to happen in this tournament. I thought we responded well. Obviously, Will carried water for us today. He looks calm and cool. He came through with a couple of really big putts. It’s good to see him in that environment and enjoying it. I’m proud of Wells for hanging in there, and Ryan Downes came out with a punch today.”
Freshman Will Hartman finished at 4-under 68 for the second-straight round at the 2026 NCAA Championship. The Marvin, North Carolina, native didn’t let the pressure of a growing crowd get to him, as Hartman collected six birdies on Sunday. The freshman was bogey-free through the first 13 holes, finally going 1-over on Holes 14 and 15, before correcting course and carding 1-under on two of his final three holes.
Hartman heads into the final round of stroke play in a tie for second place on the player leaderboard with two other golfers at 10-under 206. Hartman enters play on Monday one stroke off the lead, as he is seeking to become Vanderbilt’s second individual national champion.
“He does a great job at staying in the moment,” said Limbaugh of his freshman. “Will has a spirit about him; he enjoys life. He is having fun out here. This is kind of what he is born to do, and he is super comfortable in these big moments.”
Sophomore Ryan Downes carded even par 72 in Round 3 on the North Course at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa. The Longmeadow, Massachusetts, native got off to a hot start, as four of his five birdies came on his front nine.
Senior Wells Williams and freshman Jon Ed Steed each sit in a tie for 32nd on the player leaderboard after three rounds of play. Each Vandy golfer holds a score of 1-under 215.
No. 1-ranked Auburn has a three-stroke lead over No. 3 Texas after three days of play. The Tigers hold a three-round total of 22-under 842. Oklahoma State’s Preston Stout has a one-stroke advantage over the field heads into Monday, as he sits at 11-under 205.
No. 11-ranked Vanderbilt tees off Round 4 at the 2026 NCAA Championship on Monday at 2:20 p.m. CT. The Commodores will be in the final group of teams to tee off from the first hole on Monday.
“Our message to the team is, just be us, and we’ve proven that’s good enough,” said the Vanderbilt head coach about his approach to Round 4. “We’ve got to enjoy the opportunity we have each day and be grateful for it. Everybody doesn’t get to play four rounds at the NCAA Championship, but we’ve got us another one tomorrow. We need our black and gold faithful out here, making some noise for us. We appreciate all the support we’ve had out here. A lot of local Vanderbilt fans have been out. We love to see that, and I know our team feels their support.”
Golf Channel airs live coverage of Round 4 at the NCAA Championship from 2:30-8:30 p.m. CT. Fans can also follow the action with live scoring via Clippd.
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