PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. – The No. 12-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team put the nation on notice this weekend with a season-opening victory over a stacked field at the 2025 Carmel Cup.
Vandy carded 17-under 1,063 over 54 holes of stroke play at Spyglass Hill Golf Course in Pebble Beach, California, to post its first victory of the 2025-26 campaign. The No. 12 Dores won the Carmel Cup by three strokes, knocking off a pair of top-10 teams in defending national champion Oklahoma State, which opens the season as the top-ranked team in the country, and No. 9 Oklahoma. The Commodores held round scores of 352-346-365 in the play-six, count-five format.
It is Vanderbilt’s first victory since winning the 2024 NCAA West Lafayette Regional, while it is the program’s 47th team title under Vanderbilt Thomas F. Roush, M.D., and Family Men’s Golf Head Coach Scott Limbaugh. The Commodores had a pair of underclassmen finish in the top five on the player leaderboard, while All-American senior Wells Williams placed inside the top 10.
“I am thrilled for our guys and proud of how we stayed strong to get the win,” expressed Limbaugh. “You cannot take winning for granted because it’s never easy. It certainly wasn’t easy today, but going through adversity always makes you better. You have to expect to get pushed by good teams and be willing to push back. We have a lot of new faces, and everyone is figuring out where they fit in. It was a total team effort, and Ryan and Michael played with a ton of courage all week, especially down the stretch today. Assistant coach Austin Cody did a great job hanging in there with Michael this week and keeping him locked in. Wells did a great job this week, and he’s enjoying leading these guys.”
Vanderbilt’s victory this weekend marks its first team win at the Carmel Cup, a tournament the Commodores have played in 11 times dating back to the 2011-12 season. This season marks the final Carmel Cup, a tournament that has hosted the top college golf teams from across the nation for the past 14 years.
Vandy has now won its season-opening tournament for the third time in the last four seasons. It is the program’s fourth overall victory in the first tournament of a campaign.
Freshman Michael Riebe had a remarkable collegiate debut at the Carmel Cup, finishing in third place. The Encinitas, California, native carded 10-under par 206 and posted round scores of 69-66-71. Riebe displayed his accuracy from distance throughout the weekend, as he led the tournament in par-5 scoring at 11-under, leading the field by three strokes. The NBC Golf Channel first-team All-Freshman selection tied for the tournament lead in birdies with 19, while he was one of nine players in the field to collect an eagle.
Sophomore Ryan Downes rolled his excellent play on the summer amateur circuit into his first collegiate tournament of the fall, as he finished in fourth place. The Longmeadow, Massachusetts, native went 8-under 208 and carded under par in all three rounds with scores of 69-68-71. Downes has now finished at par or better in 11 of his last 16 rounds dating back to last season’s Mason Rudolph Championship. Additionally, it is the sophomore’s second career top-five finish, while it is the fourth time that Downes has placed inside the top 10.
Williams tied for sixth in his first tournament as a senior, as the All-American carded 6-under 210. The West Point, Mississippi, native posted scores of 69-66-75, while he led the Carmel Cup in par-4 scoring at 7-under. The senior had his score count in all three rounds this weekend, as he extended his consecutive-counted-round scores streak to 41 dating back to the 2023-24 season.
Freshman Jon Ed Steed and junior Carlos Astiazaran made their Vanderbilt debut at the Carmel Cup alongside Riebe. Steed finished in a tie for 29th in his collegiate debut with a 54-hole total of 4-over 220. Astiazaran, who transferred to Vandy from Pacific, tied for the tournament lead in pars with 40.
“This was a great start to the year, but there’s a lot we have to do better, which should be encouraging,” said Limbaugh. “College golf is all about how you improve from week-to-week, and that’s where our focus will be. We are so grateful to the Ewing family and all they’ve done for us. It was certainly a great weekend, and it is awesome for us to finally win the Carmel Cup in its final year.”
Vanderbilt returns to action Sept. 15-16, as the Commodores will play in The Invitational at the Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee. Check back with VUCommodores.com on Sept. 14 for a full tournament preview.
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