St Andrews Links Collegiate

Vanderbilt | Georgetown | North Carolina | Notre Dame

Oct. 23-25, 2023 | St Andrews, Scotland

NBC Golf Channel and Peacock will air entire the St Andrews Links Collegiate starting on Monday. Coverage for each day takes place from 8-11 a.m. CT.

NBC Golf Channel will also run a three-hour replay of the St Andrews Links Collegiate. The first round replay will air at noon on Monday, while the second round replay airs Tuesday at 7 p.m. The medal match will replay Wednesday at noon, then again at 4 p.m., and once more on Thursday at noon.

Monday, Oct. 23
Round 1 – Live Coverage – 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. CT

Round 1 – Replay – Noon to 3 p.m. CT

Tuesday, Oct. 24
Round 2 – Live Coverage – 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. CT

Round 2 – Replay – 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. CT

Wednesday, Oct. 25
Final Round – Live Coverage – 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. CT

Final Round – Replay – Noon to 3 p.m. CT

Final Round – Replay – 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. CT

Thursday, Oct. 26
Final Round – Replay – Noon to 3 p.m. CT

ST ANDREWS, Scotland – The No. 4-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team heads across the pond this week to compete at the Home of Golf for the inaugural St Andrews Links Collegiate, presented by TopGolf and World Wide Technology. The three-day tournament will begin this Monday, with NBC Golf Channel broadcasting each round.

Tournament Format
The St Andrews Links Collegiate features two 18-hole rounds of stroke play on Monday and Tuesday, with Wednesday’s final round consisting of a medal match play. Each team will have six golfers participating, with the five best scores from each round counting towards the overall team score.

Stroke play will occur on St Andrews’ Jubilee Course, a 6,707-yard course that plays as a par 70. Wednesday’s match play will take place on the legendary Old Course at St Andrews, a 6,721-yard, par-72 course.

The Field
Vanderbilt will take on No. 1 North Carolina, Georgetown, and Notre Dame at the St Andrews Links Collegiate. The women’s golf team from each respective university will also be playing in a separate tournament at the St Andrews Links Collegiate.

Vanderbilt Lineup
1) Cole Sherwood 2) Matthew Riedel 3) William Moll 4) Jackson Van Paris 5) Wells Williams 6) Ben Loomis

Tee Times
The Commodores will tee off the first round at 3:30 a.m. CT on Monday. Vanderbilt begins Tuesday’s second round at 4:42 a.m. CT.

Tee times for Wednesday’s medal match play will be determined based on the results of the first two rounds, with the top two teams playing for the St Andrews Links Collegiate title.

Live Scoring
Fans can follow the St Andrews Links Collegiate via live scoring at GolfStat.com.

Coach Limbaugh on the St Andrews Links Collegiate
“This is such a fun and exciting opportunity to end our fall season,” said Vanderbilt men’s golf head coach Scott Limbaugh. “One of the most exciting things about my job is to help these guys create memories that will last a lifetime and that is our hope for this trip. It is also an honor to do this alongside our women’s program and their coaches.

“I’m excited to see this group compete at the Home of Golf, in what looks to be a challenging forecast. Gordon will not be playing with us this week, due to him playing at the World Amateur Team Championship, so it will be exciting to see who steps up in his absence. I’m excited about the lineup we have this week. We take a lot of pride in finishing strong and I know it’s important to finish this fall season strong so we can carry momentum into the offseason.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt women’s golf travels to St Andrews, Scotland, this week to participate in the St Andrews Links Collegiate tournament. The event will take place over three days at the St Andrews Links, one of the iconic courses in all of golf, beginning on the 6,218-yard, par-72 Jubilee Course Monday and Tuesday.

“What an unbelievable, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for our girls to play in the inaugural St Andrews Links Collegiate,” said head coach Greg Allen. “Getting to compete at St Andrews, the home of golf, is something we will not take for granted.”

The Commodores will compete against three other schools—Georgetown, North Carolina, and Notre Dame—for the chance to be the first to claim this trophy.

Vanderbilt made the trip to Scotland last week at the start of the university’s fall break in order to maximize the international experience.

“We’re so grateful to be here and have loved getting to spend a few days learning about the history and Scottish culture,” said Allen.

The Commodore lineup this week includes Ava Merrill, Tillie Claggett, Lynn Lim, Virginie Ding, Sara Im, and Charlene Chung, with the event format counting the team’s best five scores each day.

“It’s definitely different golf over here, but we’ve had a good couple days learning how to adapt,” said Allen. “It’s going to be a lot of fun the next three days, I can’t wait to get started.”

Vanderbilt will tee off at 4:42 a.m. CT with Georgetown, North Carolina, and Notre Dame. Live scoring for the event can be found HERE.

On Saturday, the Commodores practiced at the Kingsbarn Golf Links in Scotland.

On Sunday, the Vanderbilt men’s and women’s golf teams had a practice round on the Castle Course at St Andrews Links.

  

 

Dores Tied for First at the End of Round 1 in St Andrews

Vanderbilt carded 7-under 343 to end the first day of the St Andrews Link Collegiate tied with North Carolina

ST ANDREWS, Scotland – The No. 4-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team ended the opening day of the St Andrews Links Collegiate in a tie for first place, as the Commodores carded 7-under 343 during the first round of stroke play.

The Dores got off to a fast start on St Andrews’ Jubilee Course, as Vanderbilt sat at 13-under at the turn. The Commodores battled harsh elements on the back nine but stayed atop the team leaderboard, as Vandy ended the first round of stroke play at 7-under 343. Vanderbilt heads into Tuesday’s second round tied with No. 1 North Carolina for first place.

Junior Jackson Van Paris heads into the second round of stroke play in first place on the player leaderboard. The Pinehurst, North Carolina, native carded 6-under 64 during his first go-around the Jubilee Course. Van Paris leads the field in Par-4 scoring at -4 and has collected a tournament-best seven birdies.

“It was fun to finally get out there and compete today after a few days of practice,” said Vanderbilt men’s golf head coach Scott Limbaugh.  “I was proud to see the fast start we got off to on the front nine. You always need people stepping up and today that was Jackson. “He gave us a huge round and really did a great job sticking with his plan and making momentum putts. I was also proud of Ben and the way he hung in there to finish well on the difficult closing stretch here.  We lost a little momentum with a couple of three putts and poor tee shots, and we will need to clean that up the next couple of days.”

Senior Cole Sherwood, who is coming off a win at the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational, also sits in the top 10, ending Round 1 at 2-under 68 to put him in a tie for sixth. All-Americans Matthew Riedel and William Moll are tied for 11th after 18 holes of stroke play, as each Vandy golfer finished at even par 70. Sophomore Ben Loomis rounded out the team scoring for Vanderbilt in the first round of the St Andrews Links Collegiate, as he carded 1-over 71 to finish the day in 15th on the player leaderboard.

“This format requires having all six guys being mentally tough and resilient,” stated Limbaugh. “We will need that again tomorrow. We take a lot of pride in finishing strong and we have to continue to stay locked in for the entire round. I can’t wait to see our guys get out there again tomorrow and continue to see who steps up.”

Round 2 of the St Andrews Links Collegiate gets underway on Tuesday. The Commodores tee off at 4:42 a.m. CT. NBC Golf Channel and Peacock will air live coverage of the St Andrews Links Collegiate this Tuesday starting at 8 a.m. CT. Fans can also follow along via live scoring at GolfStat.com.

For more information on the Vanderbilt men’s golf team, follow @VandyMGolf on Instagram and Twitter.

Van Paris Claims Victory at St Andrews

The junior collected his first collegiate win by carding 9-under 131 over 36 holes of stroke play

ST ANDREWS, Scotland – Vanderbilt men’s golf junior Jackson Van Paris captured the individual title at the inaugural St Andrews Links Collegiate, as he carded 9-under 131 over two rounds of play to win his first collegiate individual title.

The junior from Pinehurst, North Carolina, native concluded stroke play by carding 3-under 67 in Round 2 to pick up the win. Van Paris opened the round on fire, collecting four birdies on the front nine to put him at 3-under at the turn. The junior was rock solid on the back nine, as he shot even par on each of his final six holes to secure the win a 3-stroke victory over teammate Cole Sherwood.

“It definitely wasn’t as easy today as it was yesterday, the golf felt a little more difficult,” said Van Paris. “I was lucky to still make some putts and I had a few good breaks here and there. That’s what you need to win. Overall, a good day, and it was really cool to get the win. Getting those three birdies on six, seven, and eight was really good because I didn’t have much momentum before that. I tried to have a one-shot-at-a-time mentality and I was really proud of the way I was able to hang in there.”

It is Van Paris’ first collegiate win, as he gives Vanderbilt its second-straight individual title after Sherwood won the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational over two weeks ago. Additionally, it is Vanderbilt’s sixth individual title dating back to the start of the 2022-23 season.

“Jackson played great,” said Vanderbilt men’s golf head coach Scott Limbaugh. “He’s someone that really knows how to keep his ball low to the ground, has an unbelievable short game, and a great imagination. When we got to St Andrews, I said to my assistant coach, I really like Jackson this week, so I’m just super pumped for him to get the win.”

The Commodores captured the top two spots on the player leaderboard, as Van Paris was followed by Sherwood, who finished stroke play at 6-under 134. The All-American moved up four places during Round 2, concluding the day at 4-under 66 to post a second-place finish.

Their performances helped Vanderbilt claim the No. 1 seed going into Wednesday’s medal match play, as the Dores posted a two-round score of 23-under 677. Vandy will challenge No. 1-ranked North Carolina in Wednesday’s medal match play to determine the St Andrews Links Collegiate team champion.

A trio of Commodores also posted a top-10 finish during stroke play at the St Andrews Links Collegiate. Graduate student William Moll carded 3-under 67 during Round 2 to finish in a tie for seventh on the player leaderboard with a two-round score of 3-under 137. Graduate student Matthew Riedel and sophomore Wells Williams finished tied for ninth place, as each golfer carded 2-under 138 during stroke play. Williams shot 4-under 66 to move seven spots up on the player leaderboard during Round 2, while Riedel posted a round score of 2-under 68 to close out stroke play.

“You want to take all the right steps along the way,” said Limbaugh about advancing to medal match play. “Our guys played great golf today and we played well yesterday. We just didn’t finish very well (in Round 1), so all we talked about last night was the ability to stay focused and finish. We did that today.”

Vanderbilt heads into Wednesday’s medal match play as the No. 1 seed. The Commodores will go head-to-head against top-ranked North Carolina on St Andrews’ legendary Old Course in medal match play, which consists of six groups of two golfers playing one-on-one over 18 holes of play, with the golfer posting the lowest score claiming the point. Medal match play is set to tee off this Wednesday at 4:55 a.m. CT.

“North Carolina is a great team, and we know it’ll take a great effort tomorrow,” stated Limbaugh. “It’ll be interesting to see how we play on the Old Course because we haven’t played it yet, we’ve just walked it. It will be a historic day. It’s something we’ll definitely be ready for, and I know our team will be excited.”

The Golf Channel and Peacock will air live coverage of Wednesday’s medal match play starting at 8 a.m. CT. Fans can follow along with the entire medal match play at GolfStat.com.

For more information on the Vanderbilt men’s golf team, follow @VandyMGolf on Instagram and Twitter.

Dores Victorious at St Andrews

Vanderbilt picks up the team title at the inaugural St Andrews Links Collegiate

ST ANDREWS, Scotland – The No. 4-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team made it a clean sweep at the inaugural St Andrews Links Collegiate, as the Commodores defeated No. 1-ranked North Carolina, 4 1/2 to 1 1/2, in medal match play to claim the team title.

The wind and rain at St Andrews’ legendary Old Course couldn’t slow down the Dores, as Vanderbilt claims its second-straight team title against the top-ranked Tar Heels. It is also the third team victory during the fall season for Vandy, as the Commodores won the Valero Texas Collegiate and the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational.

“Our team wanted to finish the fall the right way,” said Vanderbilt men’s golf head coach Scott Limbaugh. “They take a lot of pride in finishing. I’m super proud of these guys and how they represent themselves, but to do it here at the Home of Golf is pretty unbelievable. I’m proud of the toughness our guys played with today in tough conditions. It’s nice to close out the fall season with a week like this. Our Vandy family showed up for us and we sure appreciate it. This was a week that we will all remember for a long time.”

Sophomore Wells Williams sank the winning shot for Vanderbilt, as the West Point, Mississippi, native put in a 13-foot birdie putt on Hole 18 to collect a 1-stroke win over North Carolina’s Austin Greaser. Williams ended his round of play on the Old Course at St Andrews carding even par 72.

“I had Austin (Cody) walk with me all week and he was affirming me as we were going along,” said Williams. “Going into that last putt, he told me that it was to either win or tie, so all I saw was opportunity. He assured me right before I hit that I was going to make it. I took a deep breath and let it go.”

Fellow sophomore Ben Loomis opened the scoring for the Commodores, as he shot 5-over 77 to pick up a 1-stroke victory over UNC’s Hampton Roberts. The two golfers were tied going into the final hole, where Loomis was able to sink a 22-foot putt for birdie to give Vanderbilt the first point of the medal match.

Junior Jackson Van Paris, who won St Andrews Links Collegiate’s individual title earlier this week, picked up a half point for the Commodores. Van Paris overcame a 5-stroke deficit through 11 holes to end his match with Dylan Menante in a tie, as both golfers carded 3-over 75.

Senior Cole Sherwood shot 3-under 69 to post the 3-stroke victory over Peter Fountain and set up Williams for the match-clinching shot. Graduate student William Moll matched Sherwood’s performance on the Old Course, as the All-American also shot 3-under 69 to pick up a 6-stroke victory over UNC’s Kenan Poole.

The Commodores now head into the winter break once they return stateside. Vanderbilt returns to action Feb. 18-20 for the Watersound Invitational at Sharks Tooth Golf Club in Panama City Beach, Florida.

For more information on the Vanderbilt men’s golf team, follow @VandyMGolf on Instagram and Twitter.

Vanderbilt Through 18 in Scotland

Ava Merrill, Virginie Ding tied for third individually

ST ANDREWS, Scotland — Vanderbilt women’s golf finished the first day of the inaugural St Andrews Links Collegiate on Monday with a 16-over-par 376-stroke performance. The Commodores sit tied for third place with Georgetown, two strokes behind Notre Dame following 18 holes. North Carolina is in the lead at 12-over par.

“Today was a really cool experience for our program getting to compete at St. Andrews,” said head coach Greg Allen.

Freshman Ava Merrill—tied for third individually—led the Commodores out the gate Monday with four birdies on the front nine on her way to a 1-over-par 73 performance. Virginie Ding also sits tied for third place, holing four total birdies en route to a 1-over 73 as well.

“[Virginie] Ding and Ava [Merrill] played really solid golf most of the day,” said Allen. “Unfortunately, they had a couple of bad breaks that cost them.”

Lynn Lim—also cracking the top 10—is tied for ninth place after carding a 3-over-par 75 total Monday. Sara Im notched a 4-over 76 that included three birdies on the front nine holes. Charlene Chung finished with a 79, and Tillie Claggett shot an 80.

After the opening round, Vanderbilt leads all teams in total birdies with 17, three more than any other school.

“The conditions got really tough the last six-seven holes and I don’t think we handled that very well,” said Allen. “But as poorly as we finished, we have another day to make sure we finish inside the top two and play for the championship on Wednesday. I’m excited for the challenge tomorrow and know that whatever the outcome, it will help prepare us for making cuts when April and May tournaments get here.”

All four teams will start the second round together with the first golfers taking the tee at 3:30 a.m. CT. Live scoring for the event can be found HERE.

Merrill Leads Vandy to Championship Match

Commodores to compete for St Andrews Links Collegiate title

ST ANDREWS, Scotland — Vanderbilt women’s golf secured a spot in the championship match of the inaugural St Andrews Links Collegiate on the back of a 1-under-par 71 performance from freshman Ava Merrill on Tuesday. The Commodores finished 13-over par in the second round, carding a two-day total of 29 over and will compete against North Carolina—same as the men’s team—for the right to claim the first title in the history of the event.

“What a roller coaster of a round today,” said head coach Greg Allen. “We played great at times. We got into trouble and made big numbers at times. But in the end, we found a way to hang in there to get the job done.”

Merrill led the way again for the Dores on Tuesday with her 1-under score. She followed up her four-birdie opening round front nine with three on Tuesday, capped by an eagle on No. 6. Her second-place performance marks her second straight top-5 finish individually.

“Ava was really impressive today and came close to winning her first college golf tournament,” said Allen. “She continues to get better every day.”

Fellow freshmen Charlene Chung and Sara Im contributed to the Commodore second-round total as both notched 3-over-par 75 rounds.

“Our freshmen grew up a little bit today,” said Allen. “This kind of pressure of trying to make a cut will help us in April and May.”

Sophomore Lynn Lim carded three birdies in the second round on her way to also recording a 3-over-par 75 finish. She and Virginie Ding each had two-day totals of 6 over, placing them both inside the top 10 at tied for eighth individually. Ding shot a 77 on Tuesday. Tillie Claggett had a 78.

“We’re pumped to be in the championship match and have a chance to win the inaugural St Andrews Links Collegiate,” said Allen.

Wednesday’s championship match between Vanderbilt and North Carolina will take place on the Old Course at St Andrews Links. The Old Course is considered to be the oldest golf course in the world, and its fairways and greens have been touched by all of the game’s greats.

“Tomorrow will be a special day for our program and for these young ladies getting to compete on the Old Course,” said Allen. “We continue to be grateful for this opportunity.”

The championship match will be scored on a stroke total system rather than a traditional match play method. Whoever finishes with a lower stroke total will win the pairing.

The first Commodore to take the tee will be Lynn Lim at 4:45 a.m. CT. Live scoring for the event can be found HERE.