OOLTEWAH, Tenn. – Senior Wells Williams posted a top-three finish at The Invitational at The Honors Course to help the No. 12-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team collect a fourth-place finish with a team score of 1-under 863.
Williams tied for third on the player leaderboard, carding 5-under 211 to post his second-straight top-10 finish of the season. The West Point, Mississippi, native nearly took home medalist honors in a loaded 12-team field at The Honors Course, as he was one stroke shy of claiming a share of the individual title. It is Williams’ sixth career top-five finish, while it is his first since winning the 2024 Mason Rudolph Championship as a junior in April.
The No. 12 Commodores concluded Round 3 of the tournament at 8-over 296. Vanderbilt held round scores of 281-286-296 over 54 holes of play to finish in fourth at The Invitational at The Honors Course. Vanderbilt defeated a trio of top-25 teams in No. 8 Oklahoma, No. 17 Tennessee and Pepperdine.
“It was such a great test of golf today at The Honors Course,” said Vanderbilt Thomas F. Roush, M.D., and Family Men’s Golf Head Coach Scott Limbaugh. “These are the kind of days that train your competitive character and help form a team’s identity. Obviously, we didn’t play as well as we wanted to, but there was a lot of good stuff that happened. Wells was special today and gave our team a huge lift, and that’s really good for these young guys to see. When things are hard, it makes you better, and you have to embrace it because that’s where real growth happens.
“We were probably a little protective today instead of approaching the day in pursuit, but we will be better next time. Our young guys are learning a lot about themselves and getting better every day. We stuck our noses in there this week against a great field, and I’m proud of our guys. Now we get to learn, grow and embrace improvement. I love this team and I’m loving our climb together.”
Williams posted scores of 73-69-69 to tie for third with Virginia’s Ben James at 5-under 211. The senior had his score count in all three rounds, as he extended his consecutive-round-counted streak to 44 dating back to the 2023-24 season. The All-American led the tournament in par-5 scoring at 8-under, while his 14 birdies were third-most. He was one of 15 golfers to collect an eagle at The Invitational of The Honors Course, as he went 2-under on the par-5 on Hole 11 in Round 3.
Freshman Michael Riebe posted his second-straight top-15 finish to begin his Commodore career, tying for 11th at 1-under 215. The Encinitas, California, native concluded his second tournament with Vanderbilt with scores of 68-72-75. Riebe’s 36 pars led Vandy, while it was tied for seventh-most among all golfers in the field, and his par-5 score of 7-under was second-best in the tournament, just behind Williams.
Fellow freshman Jon Ed Steed collected his first top-20 collegiate finish by tying for 19th. The Enterprise, Alabama, native carded 2-over 218, and went 2-under 70 in both of his first rounds.
No. 5 Ole Miss posted a five-stroke win over No. 2 Auburn and No. 7 Virginia, as the Rebels finished The Invitational at The Honors Course with a team score of 10-under 854. Mississippi’s Cameron Tankersley and Auburn’s Josiah Gilbert tied for co-medalist honors with a 54-hole total of 6-under 210.
Vanderbilt returns to action Sept. 29-30, as the Commodores will play in the Ben Hogan Collegiate Invitational in Fort Worth, Texas. Check back with VUCommodores.com on Sept. 28 for a full tournament preview.
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