ATHENS, Ga. – The No. 13-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team collected both team and individual medalist honors at the 2026 NCAA Athens Regional, as freshman Will Hartman earned co-medalist honors to help the No. 3-seeded Commodores capture the team title and move on to next week’s NCAA Men’s Golf Championship.
The Dores, who were the No. 3 seed at the Athens Regional, collected their fourth NCAA Regional team title in program history. Vandy carded 28-under 824 over three rounds of play at the University of Georgia Golf Course to win the tournament by two strokes over Louisville.
Vanderbilt came into Round 3 holding a three-stroke lead over the field and maintained its advantage throughout the final day of play, as the Commodores carded 6-under 278 on Wednesday.
“It’s awesome when you see young people respond to a little adversity,” said Scott Limbaugh, Thomas F. Roush, M.D., and Family Vanderbilt Men’s Golf Head Coach. “The way we finished our last tournament, we needed to respond, and the leadership from Wells Williams was great, and it’s awesome to see these young boys step up. We really had a mindset of a new season, a new opportunity, and trying to keep things a little light. They put in the work, and they were prepared, and they went out and showed off their talent. We had a great fall, but we hadn’t played to our standards this spring with guys finding their roles. They’re understanding their roles, and we’re starting to play our best golf right now in the NCAA’s. This was the step we wanted to come to take, and to kind of come into an SEC team’s backyard, and also play with the best team in the country for three days, should give our guys that real belief, and I’m just so thankful for our fans that came out.”
Vanderbilt posted round scores of 277-269-278 on the week. Vandy set the program record for lowest 54-hole total at an NCAA Regional, as the Dores finished their three days in Athens at 824, besting the previous record of 826 set at the 2007 West Regional in Tempe, Arizona. Additionally, the team’s Round 2 score of 15-under 269 set the school record for the lowest second-round score at an NCAA Regional event.
The 28-under 824 marks Vandy’s lowest score at an NCAA Regional since carding 34-under 840 at the 2016 Franklin Regional at Vanderbilt Legends. The Commodores also collected their best score vs. par at an NCAA Regional away from their home course since 2007, when they went 38-under 826 at the West Regional in Tempe, Arizona.
Freshman Will Hartman posted his first collegiate win, as the Marvin, North Carolina, native set the Vanderbilt record for the lowest 54-hole total by a golfer at an NCAA Regional. He finished his inaugural NCAA Regional event at 14-under 199. Hartman’s three-round total of 199 is tied for the seventh-best score in program history, while his 14-under is the second-best score vs. par by a Dore at an NCAA Regional event. He shared medalist honors with Louisiana’s Malan Potgieter.
“I couldn’t be prouder of a young person than for Will right now,” Limbaugh expressed. He waited for his turn and didn’t play any in the fall. He didn’t get upset and kept working. He’s put in the work on his putting. He told me he had his best putting week ever. He’s just so steady. His iron game is as elite as I’ve ever coached, and this course rewarded that type of golf. He could get it in the right sections of the green. I’m so proud of him and the courage and consistency he showed. I want to give a shout-out to assistant coach Austin Cody and the job he did walking all 54 holes with Will.”
Additionally, Hartman’s score of 14-under 199 set the Vanderbilt freshman record this week for lowest 54-hole total and score vs. par at any tournament. He finished under par in all three rounds, holding scores of 67-63-69.
Hartman becomes the third-straight Commodore to win an NCAA Regional event. Jackson Van Paris captured the individual title at the 2025 Amherst Regional, and William Moll finished first at the 2024 West Lafayette Regional to become the first Vanderbilt golfer to earn medalist honors at a regional event.
Fellow freshman Jon Ed Steed also posted a top-10 finish at the Athens Regional, as he finished tied for seventh in his first NCAA Regional after carding a 9-under 204. The Enterprise, Alabama, native posted his third-straight under-par round on Wednesday, as Steed finished Round 3 at 1-under 70.
Senior Wells Williams capped off his final NCAA Regional tournament by tying for 14th. The West Point, Mississippi, native carded 5-under 208 over three days of play at the UGA Golf Course.
“Jon Ed Steed, I mean, he has been just a true dog for us all year long, added Limbaugh. “He’s got that toughness and grit about him that sets him apart. He likes the action, and he’s not afraid of it. He keeps taking steps forward, and he’s coachable, and that’s all you can ask for.
Wells Williams was a senior leader out there. These tournaments aren’t easy, especially for the older guys. The way he was able to compete with consistency all week long was huge for us.”
Sophomore Ryan Downes finished even par 213 to tie for 39th, while junior Chase Nevins finished 72nd on the player leaderboard. Both Downes and Nevins carded their best round of the tournament in Round 3 on Wednesday, as Downes finished the day at 2-under 69, while Nevins was 2-over 73.
Teams joining Vanderbilt at the 2026 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship out of the Athens Regional are, in order of finish, Louisville, No. 1 Auburn, No. 24 BYU and Georgia. Potgieter also moves on to Omni La Costa Resort and Spa next week after posting the top individual finish from a non-advancing team.
The Commodores advance to the NCAA Championship for the 12th-straight season, which is the third-longest active streak in the nation. The 2026 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship takes place May 28-June 3 and will once again be held at Omni La Costa Resort and Spa in Carlsbad, California.
“We know what it takes out there,” said the Vanderbilt head coach. “We’ve been fortunate to be there before, so we’ll have a good game plan. I think we’ve got to recover. This was the hottest and most humid weather we’ve played in all year, but we’ll keep it light. We’ll head out there early next week and start our preparation, but right now, I really want to enjoy this. I hadn’t been prouder of a group in a long time, so to see these boys step up when everybody kind of counts us out. That’s the Vanderbilt Golf way.”
Check back with VUCommodores.com next week for a full tournament preview of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Golf Championship.
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