NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Vanderbilt’s spring season begins in earnest Sunday when the Commodores tee off Sunday at the John Hayt Invitational.
Hosted by North Florida and commonly known as The Hayt, the two-day tournament features 36 holes Sunday followed by 18 more Monday played at the Sawgrass Country Club in Pontre Vedra Beach, Florida. Vandy last played in this event in 2008.
“First of all, we are just thrilled to get this spring season started, especially at a new event that will offer us a good challenge right out of the gate,” Vandy head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “It’s important to us to get started the right way and try to send the right type of message about who we are going to be. I feel we’ve had a productive offseason. The guys seem rested emotionally and physically ready to begin this climb.
“Coach (Gator) Todd and I are encouraged by amount of buy-in that we are seeing from the guys. We are always trying to help everyone remember that you don’t play for outside forces. It’s hard sometimes to get enough guys staying locked in on just having fun and working to be the very best player they can be. We ask the guys to find one or two things that you truly believe can and will make them successful and do those things at an extremely high level.”
The Commodores are coming off a hard-fought fall slate that saw them win two of the four tournaments in which they competed: The Frederica Cup in September and the Jones Cup in October. Sunday’s event marks the first of six regular-season spring events for the Dores before the SEC Championships begin April 19.
This week, Vandy will be represented by Gordon Sargent, Cole Sherwood, Matthew Riedel, Jackson Van Paris and Wells Williams. A freshman from Mississippi, Wells will be making his Vanderbilt debut.
William Moll and Reid Davenport will be competing as individuals.
“It’s not a secret that we have a deep roster this year with some talented guys. And we believe in all of these guys and know they can help the team,” Limbaugh said. “This will be a new-look lineup this week for us and it’s been great watching some of our young guys step up. We are always searching for the guys that can be trusted to be consistent and do the little things at a high level. It’s a great thing for growth when the bar gets raised a little and forces everyone to be a little uncomfortable.
“In my opinion, that is what golf does to you for as long as you choose to play it, it makes you…
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