Solid Finish on the Final Day

Commodores surge into top five at Hogan Collegiate

FORT WORTH, Texas — Vanderbilt saved its best round of golf for last Tuesday on the final day of the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational.

The Commodores shot a 5-under-par 275 to surge into a top-five finish. Vandy found 16 birdies over its final 18 to end the two-day tournament on a high note.

North Carolina (-15) ran away from the field and beat second-place Texas Tech (-6) by nine shots. Vandy tied North Carolina and Texas Tech for low round of the day.

“I’m really encouraged about what we learned about our team this week,” Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “I think the character of a team is revealed when things are hard and don’t go quite like you hoped they would.  All the outside noise has been telling us how great we are and it’s hard to not believe that and just really focus on what you have to do as a competitor to be your best.

“This was an NCAA Championship type field and we battled and showed the right type of fibers without everyone having their best stuff.”

Defending national champion Gordon Sargent led the way Tuesday with a second straight 66. The sophomore finished tied for third at 6-under-par for the tournament and ended up just two strokes back of individual champion Gustav Frimodt of Texas Christian.

Cole Sherwood (+1) and William Moll (+3) both finished with a 69—Sherwood tied for 22nd overall while Moll finished in a tie for 31st. Matthew Riedel also tied for 22nd at 1-over-par for the tournament.

Reid Davenport (+18) came in 79th.

“Gordon played great golf the last 45 holes and really handled himself superbly,” Limbaugh said. “I thought William hung in there without his best stuff and found a way. I am proud of Cole and how he came out ready to play with the right mindset. Matthew was in control all week and is playing with a ton of consistency.

Vanderbilt will return home for the remainder of the month before heading to Atlanta to participate in the prestigious East Lake Cup starting Oct. 24. That event features the four semifinal teams from the 2022 national championship and will be televised live by the Golf Channel.

“We aren’t disappointed with where we are, but we certainly need to embrace getting better and growing,” Limbaugh said. “I believe in this group and we will be committed to getting better before the East Lake Cup.”