KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 4/6-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team opened the 2026-27 season with a fifth-place finish at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate, as the Commodores carded 8-under 832 over three rounds.
The Dores concluded their season-opening tournament with round scores of 282-274-276 to finish at 8-under 832. Vandy wrapped up its two-day stay at Fox Den Country Club by carding 4-under on Tuesday, as the Commodores went 10-under as a team over their final 36 holes.
Sophomore Will Hartman moved up 14 slots on the player leaderboard to finish in a tie for fourth place with a score of 7-under 203. He went bogey-free in Round 3, carding a season-low 5-under 65. It is the second time in Hartman’s short collegiate career that he has posted a round score of 65 or lower.
Hartman collected his third-straight top-five finish dating back to last season. The Marvin, North Carolina, native ended his freshman campaign with a win at the 2026 NCAA Athens Regional, then tied for fourth at the 2026 NCAA Championship to earn All-American honors. Hartman posted round scores of 68-70-65 at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate. He has now carded par or lower in 18 of his last 21 rounds dating back to last season.
“I am proud of how we battled today,” said Scott Limbaugh, the Thomas F. Roush, M.D., and Family Vanderbilt Men’s Golf Head Coach. “Obviously, Will played great, and I am encouraged with the steps he continues to take as a player and a leader. Michael did a great job finding a way to give us a big round that we needed. We didn’t quite finish strong, which is disappointing, but I do know the boys gave their best.”
By placing fifth at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate, the Commodores post their 13th top-five finish in a season opener under Limbaugh, who enters his 15th season as head coach at Vandy.
Senior Carlos Astiazaran and sophomore Jon Ed Steed tied for 30th, with each golfer finishing at even par over three rounds of play. Astiazaran held scores of 71-68-71, while Steed, who played as an individual this week, finished the tournament with round scores of 70-67-73.
Sophomore Michael Riebe had the largest climb up the player leaderboard on Tuesday, as he ascended 17 spots after he carded a 2-under 68. It was Riebe’s first under-par round of the 2026-27 season and the ninth of his short Vandy tenure. The Encinitas, California, native concluded the season-opening tournament tied for 38th at 2-over 212.
Freshman Tyler Mawhinney also tied for 38th in his first collegiate tournament with a score of 2-over 212. The Fleming Island, Florida, native had a standout performance in Round 2, as his score of 5-under 65 in Round 2 on Monday marked the lowest 18-hole score by a Commodore on his debut day.
Junior Ryan Downes and freshman Luke Colton concluded the season opener at 5-over 215 to tie for 62nd. Colton, who also played as an individual, posted his first even-par round at the collegiate level on Tuesday.
Host Tennessee won the Visit Knoxville Collegiate with a score of 15-under 825. Chattanooga’s Evan Rogers captured the individual title with a three-round total of 10-under 200.
Vanderbilt returns to action Sept. 13-15 for the Inverness Intercollegiate in Toledo, Ohio.
“College golf is all about how you learn, grow, and improve throughout the season,” stated Limbaugh. “We did some things well this week, but there are a lot of areas we have to grow and get better to be the team we know we can be. We are all eager to get back and get to work and get in a routine together. I want our guys to learn from the week and also be looking forward because opportunity is in front of us.”
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