Sargent, Vanderbilt keep moving forward with victory in Watersound Invitational at Shark's Tooth

 

   Vanderbilt can only keep moving forward. Looking back would be just too painful.

   The Commodores were the best team in college golf for the majority of the wraparound 2022-2023 season. They fell to Florida in the match-play final of the toughest conference in college golf, the Southeastern Conference. Certainly no shame in that.

   Vanderbilt was the top seed in the NCAA’s Auburn Regional and still considered the No. 1 team in the country. The Commodores were the runnerup to Auburn, playing on its home course, by a shot.

   And then Vanderbilt got to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk Golf Club in Scottsdale, Ariz. and just failed to fire. The Commodores would have been a tough out in match play having been battled-tested by the SEC’s match-play format. But they didn’t give themselves that chance.

   The experience of going through the SEC’s match-play championship did prove out to be helpful – for Florida. It was the Gators who survived the three-match gauntlet to capture the NCAA crown.

   Vanderbilt wilted in the final rounds of qualifying for match play, finishing nine shots out of the top eight that earned spot in the match-play bracket.

   All you can do is move on.

   Gordon Sargent, a junior from Birmingham, Ala. and the No. 1 player in the World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR), certainly did. A few weeks after the NCAA Championship, Sargent earned the silver medal as the low amateur in the U.S. Open at Los Angeles Country Club.

   Sargent went 4-0 to lead the United States to a hard-fought 14.5-11.5 victory over Great Britain & Ireland in a Walker Cup Match staged at the home of golf, the Old Course at St. Andrews. In October, Sargent again represented the United States as the Red, White & Blue claimed the Eisenhower Trophy with a runaway victory in the World Amateur Team Championship at Abu Dhabi Golf Club.

   Sargent led the way as Vanderbilt went wire to wire to successfully defend its title in the Watersound Invitational with a nine-shot victory, its fourth tournament win of the 2023-’24 season, over a loaded field at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course at Panama City Beach, Fla. The tournament wrapped up Wednesday.

   The aftermath of the weather system that plagued Florida last weekend made for some tough conditions for the Presidents Day Monday opening round, but the Commodores seemed unbothered, starting with a 10-under-par 278 over the 7,246-yard, par-72 Shark’s Tooth layout.

   Vanderbilt added another 10-under 278 in Tuesday’s second round and closed with a 9-under 279 for a 29-under 835 total.

   The two teams that finished in a tie for second place in the Watersound with 20-under 844 totals, nine shots behind Vanderbilt, were two Atlantic Coast Conference teams that did earn a spot in the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk last spring, Florida State, the tournament co-host along with Alabama, and Georgia Tech.

   The Seminoles suffered what to be a bitter loss to cross-state rival Florida, the eventual national champion, in the semifinals at Grayhawk while Georgia Tech, the reigning ACC champion, got past ACC rival North Carolina in the semifinals before falling to Florida in the Final Match at Grayhawk.

   Florida State matched par in the opening round at Shark’s Tooth with a 288 and added a 9-under 279 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with an 11-under 277.

   The Seminoles might have finished closer to Vanderbilt if they had included Gray Albright, a senior from Ocala, Fla., in their lineup. Competing as an individual, Albright closed with a 4-under 68 to capture the individual title with a 10-under 206 total.

   He had opened with a 4-under 68 before adding a 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round.

   Apparently Albright didn’t get the memo that he was being chased by the Nos. 1 and 2 players in the WAGR in No. 1 Sargent and No. 2 Christo Lamprecht, a senior at Georgia Tech from South Africa.

   Sargent was right with Albright, adding a 70 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening round of 4-under 68. He closed with a 3-under 69, but came up just short of catching Albright with a 9-under 209 total.

   Lamprecht had opened with a 1-under 71 and then grabbed the lead going into the final round with the best individual round of the tournament, a sizzling 7-under 65, in Tuesday’s second round. But another 1-under 71 in the final round wasn’t enough to hold off Albright and Lamprecht had to settle for a share of runnerup honors with Sargent at 9-under.

   Georgia Tech had opened with a 1-under 287 and added a 7-under 281 in Tuesday’s second round, behind Lamprecht’s 65, before finishing up by matching the low team round of the tournament, a 12-under 276.

   A fourth ACC team made it into the match-play bracket in the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk last spring and that was Virginia, the Cavaliers falling to eventual national champion Florida in the quarterfinals.

   Virginia finished in fourth place in the Watersound, five shots behind its ACC brethren Florida State and Georgia Tech with a 15-under 849 total. After opening with a 2-under 286, the Cavaliers recorded a solid 10-under 278 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 3-under 285.

   Big 12 power Oklahoma State was another five shots behind Virginia in fifth place with a 10-under 854 total. The Cowboys struggled a little in the opening round with a 6-over 294, but bounced back by matching the low round of the tournament, a 12-under 276, in Tuesday’s second round before finishing up with a 4-under 284.

   Oklahoma State failed to advance to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk last spring as a four seed in the Las Vegas Regional.

   Yet another ACC power, Clemson, finished four shots behind Oklahoma State in sixth place with a 6-under 858 total. The Tigers added a solid 8-under 280 in Tuesday’s second round to their opening-round 283 before struggling a little in the final round with a 7-over 295.

   It was a frustrating finish to the 2022-’23 season for Clemson as the Tigers, seeded ninth, lost in a playoff to Texas A&M for the fifth and final berth to the NCAA Championship out of the Salem Regional.

   Big Ten power Ohio State finished a shot behind Clemson in seventh place in the Watersound with a 5-under 859 total. The Buckeyes, who opened the spring portion of the season with a team title in the Southwestern Invitational in California, matched par in the opening round with a 288, added a 4-under 284 in Tuesday’s second round and closed with a 1-under 287.

   Ohio State advanced to the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk last spring by finishing in fourth place as a five seed in the Auburn Regional and made it to the final day of qualifying for match play at Grayhawk when the Buckeyes won a playoff against Texas Tech to survive the cut to the low 15 teams after 54 holes.

   Notre Dame, another ACC entry, finished a shot behind Ohio State in eighth place with a 4-under 284 total as the Fighting Irish added a 287 in Tuesday’s second round to their opening round of 4-under 284 before closing with a 1-over 289.

   It was the spring opener for Penn, out of the Ivy League, and the Quakers were in over their heads a little -- not necessarily a bad thing to play up against tough competition -- as they finished last of the 12 teams with a 47-over 911 total.

   Penn did get better each round as the Quakers added a 303 in Tuesday’s second round to their opening-round 313 before closing with a 7-over 295.

   Backing up Sargent for Vanderbilt was Cole Sherwood, a senior from Austin, Texas and No. 19 in the WAGR who finished in a tie for fifth place with a 7-under 209 total. After struggling a little with a 2-over 74 in the opening round, Sherwood ripped off a 6-under 66 in Tuesday’s second round before finishing up with a 3-under 69.

   Jackson Van Paris, a junior from Pinehurst, N.C. and No. 25 in the WAGR, gave the Commodores three players in the top seven as he finished among a group of five players tied for seventh place with a 6-under 210 total. Van Paris was only two shots off the individual lead after signing for back-to-back 3-under 69s in the first two rounds before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   A pair of graduate students from Houston, Matthew Riedel, No. 27 in the WAGR, and William Moll, No. 18 in the WAGR, rounded out the Vanderbilt lineup.

   Riedel closed with a solid 3-under 69 to finish in the group tied for 14^th place with a 4-under 212. Riedel had opened with a 2-under 70 before adding a 1-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round.

   After opening with a 1-under 71, Moll struggled a little in Tuesday’s second round with a 77 before matching par in the final round to finish among the group tied for 45^th place with a 4-over 220 total.

   By winning the Mark H. McCormack Medal for 2023 as the player who spent the most time at the top of the WAGR, Sargent earned starts in the U.S. Open and The Open Championship in 2024. He could easily have decided to just leave college golf behind and turn pro.

   Not sure what the professional ambitions are for Sherwood, Riedel and Moll – a degree from a school like Vanderbilt certainly gives you options -- but they’re all back at Vandy for the 2023-’24 season and I’m fairly certain they’re aiming high.

   Oh yeah, Wells Williams, a sophomore from West Point, Miss., competed as an individual for Vanderbilt and finished in a tie for 12^th place with a 5-under 211 total, so the Commodores certainly have depth. After opening with a solid 3-under 69, Williams registered back-to-back 1-under 71s in the final two rounds.

   Alabama’s Thomas Ponder, a senior from Dothan, Ala. and No. 84 in the WAGR, finished a shot behind Sargent and Lamprecht in fourth place with an 8-under 208 total. Ponder sandwiched a 2-over 74 in Tuesday’s second round with a pair of sizzling 6-under 66s.

   Joining Vanderbilt’s Sherwood in the tie for fifth place at 7-under, a shot behind Ponder, was Florida State’s Cole Anderson, a redshirt senior from Camden, Maine and No. 50 in the WAGR. Anderson opened with a 1-under 71 and followed that up with back-to-back 3-under 69s in the final two rounds.

   Joining Vanderbilt’s Van Paris in the quintet tied for seventh place at 6-under were Anderson’s Florida State teammate, Luke Clanton, a sophomore from Hialeah, Fla. and No. 16 in the WAGR, Georgia Tech’s Hiroshi Tai, a sophomore from Singapore and No. 72 in the WAGR, Ohio State’s Jackson Chandler, a fifth-year player from Dublin, Ohio, and Clemson’s Jonathan Nielsen, a senior from Denmark.

   Clanton struggled a little in the opening round with a 2-over 74 before bouncing back with back-to-back 4-under 68s in the final two rounds. After opening with a 1-over 73, Tai posted a 1-under 71 in Tuesday’s second round before finishing with a flourish, a sparkling 6-under 66.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Chandler carded a 4-under 68 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 2-under 70. Nielsen opened with a solid 3-under 69 and added a 2-under 70 in Tuesday’s second round before finishing up with a 1-under 71.

   Virginia’s Ben James, a sophomore from Milford, Conn. and No. 5 in the WAGR, joined Vanderbilt’s Williams in the tie for 12^th place at 5-under as he matched par in the opening round with a 72 and added a 4-under 68 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 1-under 71.

   James might have been the best freshman in the country a year ago and yes, that includes Nick Dunlap, who left Alabama last month to turn pro after winning The American Express on the PGA Tour as an amateur.

   James finished in sixth place in the individual standings in the NCAA Championship at Grayhawk while leading the Cavaliers into the match-play bracket. James was a teammate of Sargent’s on the winning U.S. side the Walker Cup at St. Andrews.

  Those of us who follow college golf closely already know this, but Dunlap’s win in the California desert last month drove the point home: These top college players are not that far away from competing at the next level.

   Chandler’s Ohio State teammate, graduate student Neal Shipley, a member of Pittsburgh Central Catholic’s 2018 PIAA Class AAA Championship team and No. 38 in the WAGR, finished in the group tied for 45^th place in the Watersound with a 4-over 220 total.

   Shipley, the runnerup to Dunlap in last summer’s U.S. Amateur at Cherry Hills Country Club in Colorado, opened with a solid 3-under 69, then struggled a little, recording a 4-over 76 in Tuesday’s second round before finishing up with a 75.

   Shipley opened the spring portion of this season with a really impressive individual title in the Southwestern Invitational at North Ranch Country Club in Westlake Village, Calif.

   Did somebody say Pittsburgh Central Catholic? A more recent PCC graduate, Rocco Salvitti, is a freshman at Notre Dame and was the Irish’s top finisher in the Watersound, ending up in the group tied for 14^th place with a 4-under 212.

   After matching par in the opening round with a 72, Salvitti posted back-to-back 2-under 70s in the final rounds. The kid elbowed his way into the first five for Notre Dame last fall and it looks like he’s going to be tough to dislodge.

   Salvitti was a four-time PIAA Class AAA qualifier in high school and finished in the top 10 all four times, including a runnerup finish as a senior in 2022. Salvitti also led Pittsburgh Central Catholic to the PIAA Class AAA team crown in 2022 at Penn State.

   Graduate student Palmer Jackson, the PIAA Class AAA champion as a senior at Franklin Regional in 2018, is back for a fifth year at Notre Dame. He finished in the group tied for 34^th place with a 1-over 217 total, opening with a 2-under 70 and adding a 1-over 73 in Tuesday’s second round before closing with a 74.

   Notre Dame has another PIAA Class AAA champion on its roster in sophomore Calen Sanderson, who captured the title in the pandemic fall of 2020 as a junior at Holy Ghost Prep at the Heritage Hills Golf Resort in York County.

   Sanderson did not make the trip to Panama City Beach with Notre Dame. Just shows you how tough it can be to make the top five or six at any ACC school.

   I was a little out on some of the state stuff last summer, but Sanderson was the Pennsylvania Golf Association’s Player of the Year in 2023, primarily as a result of his tie for 20^th place in the Pennsylvania Amateur at The Pittsburgh Field Club and a really strong runnerup finish in the Pennsylvania Open at the Country Club of York.

   Ben Scott, a junior from Manhattan Beach, Fla., led the way for Penn as he finished in the group tied for 49^th place with a 5-over 221 total. Scott opened with a 1-over 73 and added a 76 in Tuesday’s second round before matching par in the final round with a 72.

   Backing up Scott for the Quakers were Jimin Jung, a senior from Briarcliff Manor, N.Y., and Max Fonseca, a freshman from Miami, Fla., both of whom landed in the group tied for 67^th place at 228.

   Jung struggled to an 81 in the opening round, but bounced back in Tuesday’s second round by matching par with a 72 before closing with a 3-over 75. Fonseca added a 2-over 74 in Tuesday’s second round to an opening-round 76 before finishing up with a 78.

   Hayden Adams, another freshman from Lexington, Ky., finished alone in 74^th place as he struggled in the first two rounds, adding an 81 in Tuesday’s second round to an opening-round 84 before finding his game in the final round with a 2-under 70.

   George Roessler, a junior from North Palm Beach, Fla., never got it going at Shark’s Tooth as he added an 84 in Tuesday’s second round to his opening-round 83 before closing with an 84 to finish in 75^th place with a 253 total.

   Steven Lee, a sophomore from Scarsdale, N.Y., competed as an individual for Penn and finished in 73^rd place with a 233 total as he opened with a 2-over 74 and added a 77 in Tuesday’s second round, but struggled to an 82 in the final round.

   Scott, Jung and Roessler were in the lineup for Penn as the Quakers finished in fifth place in last spring’s Ivy League Championship at The Stanwich Club in Greenwich, Conn.