FRANKLIN, Tenn. – The No. 3-ranked Vanderbilt men’s golf team concluded Round 1 of the 2024 Mason Rudolph Championship in first place, as the Commodores carded 8-under 276 on the day.
Junior Gordon Sargent, who is the defending Mason Rudolph champion, took the first steps towards defending his title on Friday. The Birmingham, Alabama, native finished Round 1 at 7-under 64 to end the opening day of the tournament atop the player leaderboard. Sargent carded par or better on each of his first 18 holes of play this weekend. The 2022 NCAA individual champion also added seven birdies to his scorecard during the opening round.
The junior caught fire to close out the back nine on Friday, as he collected a birdie on four of his final six holes. The All-American closed out Round 1 with back-to-back birdies on Holes 17 and 18. Sargent heads into Saturday’s second round holding a three-stroke lead over second place. Sargent’s score of 7-under 64 in the first round of the Mason Rudolph matches his best 18-hole total of the season.
“I’m proud with how we hung in there,” said Vanderbilt men’s golf head coach Scott Limbaugh. “We didn’t get off to a great start. The course played pretty tough today with the north wind. Gordon’s round was spectacular. He finished 7-under par with no bogeys and he looked really calm and in control. Also, Jackson played outstanding. We had two players with no bogeys and they carried the weight. I’m really proud of the fight our team showed today. I didn’t think we played great on the front nine, but from Holes 6-to-18 we only had one of our scorers finish below par. The guys stayed patient and that’s big.”
Junior Jackson Van Paris finished at 3-under 68 to end his day in a tie for third. Like Sargent, Van Paris carded par or better on all 18 holes in Round 1. The Pinehurst, North Carolina, native ended the round by collecting an eagle on the par-5 Hole 18.
Graduate student Matthew Riedel carded even par during Friday’s round, as he goes into Round 2 in a tie for 15th. Sophomore Wells Williams led Vanderbilt ‘B’ team during Round 1 of the Mason Rudolph, as he shot 74.
Vanderbilt takes a seven-stroke lead over UNC Wilmington heading into Round 2 of the 2024 Mason Rudolph. Play gets underway Saturday at 9:30 a.m. with a split-tee start from Holes 1 and 10. The Vanderbilt ‘B’ team tees off at 10 a.m. on Hole 10, while Vanderbilt’s ‘A’ team will start at 11:20 a.m. on Hole 1. Pairings for…
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