Williams Wins It

Junior Wells Williams carded 5-under 208 to win the individual title at the Southwestern Invitational

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Vanderbilt men’s golfer Wells Williams captured the individual title at the Southwestern Invitational to open his 2025 spring season, as the junior carded 5-under 208 over three rounds of play at the Sherwood Country Club.

Williams earned medalist honors for the second time in his collegiate career, as he previously won the 2023 Cabo Collegiate during his freshman season. The West Point, Mississippi, native was solid through three days at the Southwestern Invitational. He carded par or better in all three rounds, posting scores of 68-71-69 to end the first tournament of the spring at 5-under 208.

The junior entered Round 3 in third place at 3-under and got off to a hot start. Williams was 4-under through 14 holes to move into first place. The preseason All-American navigated his way through a pair of bogeys on Holes 17 and 18 to end his day as the leader in the clubhouse. Williams had to wait out a trio of contenders after walking off the course, but his attrition paid off, as he posted the 1-stroke victory.

Williams is the second Dore to collect an individual title this season, as junior Ben Loomis won the Colonel Shootout on Sept. 8 to open his 2024-25 season.

The No. 15-ranked Commodores had their best round at the Southwestern Invitational on Wednesday, as Vandy carded 5-under 279. Vanderbilt posted the second-best team score in Round 3 and moved up one spot on the team leaderboard to finish in third place at 4-under 848.

“I thought it was a good day for our team and great to see our older guys step up and play so well,” said Scott Limbaugh, the Thomas F. Roush, M.D. and Family Vanderbilt Men’s Golf Head Coach. “We gave ourselves a chance on the back nine, and it’s so great for all of us to be in the moments and understand what it feels like coming down the stretch. We have some guys that haven’t experienced that as much, and I’m proud of how they hung in there.

“I am thrilled for Wells to get the win against a great field on a demanding golf course. He played great golf all week, was really composed, and handled himself like a stallion today. It is certainly a great way for him to start the spring and give our team a huge lift. He prepared at home really well in the offseason and was disciplined in his work, and I think it’s a great lesson for everyone to learn. I’m also very proud of Ryan, and it was great to see him get his best collegiate finish this week.”

The third-place finish at the Southwestern Invitational matches Vanderbilt’s best team finish this season, as the Dores also finished third at the Inverness Intercollegiate to open the 2024-25 campaign. In total, the Commodores had four golfers placed inside the top 20 at the event.

Freshman Ryan Downes, who played as an individual at the event, posted the first top-five finish of his collegiate career as he carded 3-under 210 to tie for fifth. The Longmeadow, Massachusetts, native had the best round of his short Vandy career on Wednesday, as he ended the round at 4-under 67. After making the turn at 1-under, Downes went on to collect three more birdies on the back nine to end Round 3 at 4-under.

Senior Jackson Van Paris and sophomore Chase Nevins each finished in a tie for 18th, with both holding a 54-hole total of 1-over 214. Van Paris moved up 16 places on the player leaderboard in Round 3, as he carded 3-under 68. The senior captured Vanderbilt’s third eagle of the tournament, as he finished 2-under on the par-5 Hole 11.

Junior John Broderick collected his fourth top-25 finish of the season by ending the Southwestern Invitational in a tie for 21st at 2-over 215. Senior Gordon Sargent carded under par on Wednesday, as he finished Round 3 at 1-under 69.

No. 5-ranked Texas overtook San Diego State late in Round 3 to complete the comeback and win the 2025 Southwestern Invitational team title with a score of 8-under 844.

The No. 15 Vanderbilt men’s golf team returns to the course in mid-February, as the Commodores are slated to compete in the Watersound Invitational on Feb. 17-19 at Sharks Tooth Golf Club in Panama City, Florida. Check back with VUCommodores.com for a full tournament preview.

“This was a good start to a long spring journey, and I’m excited about seeing different guys step up each day,” added Limbaugh. “We need to take some of the momentum from this week and get back to work to prepare for our next event in a couple of weeks. There is still a whole other level we are capable of playing to, but we have to get everyone buying in and focusing on the right things.”

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