ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – The No. 11/10-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team’s run in the 2026 SEC Championship came to an end on Friday afternoon.
The Commodores finished stroke play in 15th place. As a team, No. 11/10 Vanderbilt held round scores of 278-271-294 as the Dores wrap up the 2026 SEC Championship at 3-over 843.
“It hurts right now, and I hate it for our guys,” said Scott Limbaugh, Thomas F. Roush, M.D., and Family Vanderbilt Men’s Golf Head Coach. “It’s good for our guys to have those feels and to be in contention with nine holes to go. Obviously, we didn’t handle it well today, and we have to learn from it and take ownership of it. There are no excuses, and we have to own it and get stronger because of it. I truly believe you don’t see it as failure as much as you do as an opportunity to grow and get better, and that is what we will do. I am grateful for all of our fans who showed up this week for our guys, and that means a lot.”
Senior Wells Williams led the way for Vandy at the conference championship. The West Point, Mississippi, native ended his final SEC Championship at 5-under 205 to tie for 17th on the player leaderboard. Williams held round scores of 64-67-74 over three days of play at Sea Island Golf Club. The senior posted the second-best par-3 score in the tournament at 3-under, while his par-5 score of 4-under was tied for third best. His 54-hole total of 205 matched the senior’s best three-round performance of the 2025-26 season, as he also carded 205 at the Watersound Invitational.
Williams’ score of 64 in Round 1 set the school record for the lowest first-round total at an SEC Championship, while it was the third-lowest opening round score in the event’s 85-year history.
Freshman Will Hartman carded even par over 54 holes of play on the Seaside Course at Sea Island. The Marvin, North Carolina, native posted back-to-back under-par rounds in his first SEC Championship event, as Hartman carded 1-under 69 in Round 1, then followed it up with a 3-under 67 in Round 2.
No. 1-ranked Auburn took the team title at the 2026 SEC Championship, as the Tigers carded 39-under 801. Auburn’s Jackson Koivun won SEC individual medalist honors for the third-straight season after scoring 19-under 191 over three days of play.
The Vanderbilt men’s golf team will now wait to see which NCAA Regional event it will participate in. The NCAA Men’s Golf Regional Selection Show will air on Golf Channel on May 6 from 1-2 p.m. CT.
“We will get back home and reset before the NCAA Regionals begin in a few weeks. I believe in this group, and I know we will respond with the right focus on the right and meaningful things. The NCAA Regionals and NCAA Championships are about respecting each step, believing in each other, and doing it together. We have to be a humble and hungry group and embrace the opportunity we have in front of us.”
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