TOLEDO, Ohio — The No. 3-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team got its season underway on Monday, posting an 8-over par total through 36 holes at the Inverness Intercollegiate.
The Commodores notched a 3-over team total in the morning round and 5-over later in the afternoon, finishing the day tied for fifth place. The Dores sit side-by-side with SMU and nine strokes behind clubhouse leader, top-ranked Auburn.
In the morning, Jackson Van Paris led the way for Vanderbilt, notching a 3-under-par 66 round with four birdies. The Pinehurst, North Carolina, native stayed warm in the afternoon with a 1-over par second round to keep him under par. Van Paris, who is leading the tournament with 30 total pars, rests inside the top five individuals with 18 holes remaining.
Joining Van Paris inside the top 10 is John Broderick at 1-under par through two rounds. The junior is tied for seventh place individually thanks to three birdies on the final 11 holes on Monday. Wells Williams—tied for 28th individually—opened up his day with a 3-over round before improving to a 1-over performance in the twilight to close out the day.
Ryan Downes—making his Commodore debut—is 7 over through 36 holes after carding a 3-over 72 and a 4-over 73 to begin his career at Vanderbilt. Gordon Sargent began his day with a 72 in the first round and a 74 in the second to sit one shot behind the freshman while Rowan Sullivan, competing as an individual in his Vandy debut, Sullivan started the day with a 76 and is currently 7-over par with two holes remaining in his second round.
“It was fun getting back out there today and starting this new climb,” said head coach Scott Limbaugh. “We have some new guys and it’s great seeing them get to do what they’ve been dreaming of doing for a while. John did a great job all day long and I’m super proud of him and the way he played with joy, toughness and discipline. JVP was steady all day long and obviously played a great first round.
“This is a major championship course that rewards toughness and players who know how to keep their ball on the right side of perfect.”
Following the conclusion of the second round Tuesday, teams will be repaired and tee off at 7:30 a.m. CT for the final 18 holes.
“It’s the first day of the year and we certainly weren’t our best, but I saw a lot of fight out there as we battled til the very end,” Limbaugh said. “Tomorrow is a new opportunity, we need to be excited about going out there and competing to our standards. We can be a little better than we were today and that is the goal.”
Loomis Earns First Collegiate Victory
Ben Loomis shared medalist honors at the Colonel Shootout at The University Club at Arlington in Richmond, Kentucky, on Sunday after wrapping up the tournament with a 7-under-par performance. Keyed by a 6-under-par 65 in the opening round, he was under par in each of the three rounds of the event to earn his first individual collegiate victory. The junior shared the title with Connor Gdovin of Eastern Kentucky.
