CARLSBAD, Calif. – Vanderbilt men’s golf All-American Jackson Van Paris is tied for fourth place after 18 holes of play at the 2025 NCAA Men’s Golf Championships, as the senior finished at 4-under 68 on Friday.
No. 16-ranked Vanderbilt, which is the No. 13 seed at the 2025 NCAA Championships, concluded its first round at 6-over 294. The Commodores head into Round 2 in a tie for 19th with San Diego, and just a stroke behind five teams tied for 14th.
Vandy, which is playing with only one player in its lineup with NCAA Championship experience, showed early jitters on the front nine. The Dores, who were the last team to start the round on Hole 10, sat at 7-over as a team at the turn. Vanderbilt picked up the pace on its back nine, as the Commodores went 1-under in their final nine holes to finish Round 1 at 6-over 294.
“We were excited to get going,” said Thomas F. Roush, M.D., and Family Vanderbilt Men’s Golf Head Coach Scott Limbaugh. “It’s the national championship, so there is going to be some excitement. I think we came out with a little bit of nervous energy. Some of the guys had a slow start, but I thought the way we responded and how well Jackson played was huge for our team.”
In Friday’s Round 1, Van Paris tied for the program’s fourth-lowest 18-hole score vs. par at the NCAA Championships, finishing his day at 4-under 68. Van Paris becomes the fifth Commodore to card 4-under or lower in a single round at an NCAA Championship. The senior joins Jon Curran (6-under, 2007), Matthias Schwab (5-under, 2017), Will Gordon (5-under, 2019) and Cole Sherwood (4-under, 2021 and 2023).
The Pinehurst, North Carolina, native kept pace with Curran’s school record of 6-under through 16 holes, but Van Paris ended his day with a bogey on his final two holes to conclude the round at 4-under 68. The All-American went 3-under on his front nine and collected a team-best six birdies on Friday. Van Paris goes into Saturday tied for fourth on the player leaderboard, two strokes off the lead.
Freshman Ryan Downes had a strong debut round at the NCAA Championships, as he wrapped up his day at 1-over 73. The Longmeadow, Massachusetts, native recovered from a choppy front nine, as he went even par over his final nine holes.
“Jackson was huge for us,” Limbaugh expressed. “He struck it with his irons all day. I know he would like to have those last two holes back, but it’s just the first round of a long week. This tournament is a marathon, not a sprint. We had to have that round from him today, and he gave it to us. I’m also super proud of Ryan for how he played in his first round at the NCAA Championships.”
No. 6-ranked Oklahoma leads the tournament after 18 holes of play. The Sooners went 8-under 280 in Round 1 and hold a five-stroke lead over the field going into Round 2. Texas A&M’s Phichaksn Maichon sits in first place on the player leaderboard by a stroke, as he concluded Round 1 at 6-under 66.
No. 16 Vanderbilt tees off Round 2 on Saturday at 10:20 a.m. CT. Fans can follow along with live scoring by clicking the link here.
“Overall, everyone battled, and that’s the expectation and the standard we have,” stated Limbaugh. “We weren’t quite good enough in all areas, and we need to be a little tougher as the week goes on. Saturday is a huge morning for us. We need to be ready to go and play with some conviction and courage.”
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