Warming Up

Three Dores sit inside the top 10 after two rounds at the Southwestern Invitational

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Junior Wells Williams leads a trio of Vanderbilt men’s golfers placed inside the top 10 after two days of play at the Southwestern Invitational, as the All-American is tied for third place.

Williams holds a 36-hole score of 3-under 139 and enters Wednesday’s finale two strokes off the lead. The West Point, Mississippi, native carded even par 71 in his second round of play at the Sherwood Country Club.

No. 15-ranked Vanderbilt sits in fourth place on the team leaderboard with a two-day score 1-over 569. Round 2 of the Southwestern Invitational was delayed by 30 minutes due to frost on the course. The Commodores finished Round 2 at 3-over 287. The Dores head into the final round five strokes behind current leader UNLV.

“We knew it was an important day today, and I am super excited about how some guys stepped up when we had to have it,” said Scott Limbaugh, the Thomas F. Roush, M.D. and Family Vanderbilt Men’s Golf Head Coach. “John showed a lot of resiliency again today in how he responds to adversity. Wells made some great putts to keep momentum all day long, and I’m excited for where he is. Chase was solid all day long and we are excited about how he competes. It was also great to see Ryan play so well.  Obviously, we believe in our seniors and we know they will be ready to play tomorrow and lead us off.”

Junior John Broderick and freshman Ryan Downes each carded a team-low 1-under 70 on Tuesday.

Broderick erased an early double-bogey on Hole 1 with birdies on Holes 4 and 5. The Wellesley, Massachusetts, native shaved two more strokes with consecutive birdies after the turn. The junior ended his day in a tie for ninth and sits at even par through 36 holes of play.

Downes, who is playing as an individual, also carded 1-under par on Tuesday. The rookie collected Vanderbilt’s second eagle of the tournament as he finished 2-under on the par-5 Hole 14. Downes goes into Round 3 sitting in 16th on the player leaderboard with at 1-over 143.

Sophomore Chase Nevins carded even par 71 for the second-straight day. He goes into Round 3 tied with Broderick for ninth.

Christiaan Maas of Texas and Zach Little of UNLV are tied for first place on the player leaderboard at 5-under 137 after two rounds of play at the Southwestern Invitational. UNLV heads into Wednesday’s finale holding a two-stroke lead over No. 5-ranked Texas and San Diego State.

The Commodores tee off between 11:55 a.m. and 12:39 p.m. CT on Wednesday, with Downes beginning his day at 12:59 p.m. CT. Fans can click here for Round 3 pairings and click here for live scoring.

“We have to be excited to get out there and compete to our standards and finish strong,” Limbaugh added. “It’s a great opportunity for us to take a step forward and we need to play with some energy, discipline, and passion.”

For more information and exclusive content on the Vanderbilt men’s golf team, follow @VandyMGolf on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter/X.