Dores Close The Fall In Fifth – Vanderbilt Commodores

No. 13/12 Vanderbilt ends the 2026 fall season with a fifth-place finish at The Williams Cup
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Vanderbilt men’s golf sophomore Will Hartman closed the 2026 fall season with his third top-10 finish of the campaign, tying for seventh at The Williams Cup with a three-day score of 2-under 214 to help the No. 13/12-ranked Commodores finish fifth on the team leaderboard.
Hartman ended the 2026 fall season by carding 1-under 71 for the second straight day. It’s the All-American’s third top-10 finish of the 2026-27 season and the fifth of his collegiate career. The sophomore added two birdies on Tuesday, pushing his tournament total to 11, the seventh-most in the field. He recorded the second-lowest par-3 score in the 81-golfer event at 1-under.
Vanderbilt ended The Williams Cup at 12-over 876 to post its third top-five finish of the fall. The Commodores played through cool, windy conditions at Eagle Point Golf Club, as Vandy held scores of 294-291-291 to finish fifth on the team leaderboard. The Dores’ 47 birdies through three rounds ranked second in the 14-team tournament.
“We really wanted to come out today and play a great final round. Unfortunately, we just never could keep momentum going, and that seemed to be the story for us this week,” said Scott Limbaugh, the Thomas F. Roush, M.D., and Family Vanderbilt Men’s Golf Head Coach. “I am proud of the fight we played with, and I thought the guys competed hard. Obviously, Will had another good day and really carried our team this fall with his consistency. It was great to see Carlos play a good round for us. We all know he has the ability to help take us to a new level.
“Consistency in performance is ultimately what defines success. However, we have to continue to learn from our mistakes and take ownership of our actions. There are no excuses because it takes what it takes. We cannot and will not be happy about where we are, and it’s all our responsibility to get it right.”
Hartman’s performance on Tuesday marked his eighth round of par or lower this season. The All-American has now finished at par or better in 23 of his last 31 rounds dating back to last year. Additionally, he has placed in the top 10 in five of his last six tournaments.
Sophomore Michael Riebe collected his second top-25 finish of the fall, closing his stay at Eagle Point Golf Club in a tie for 22nd. The Encinitas, California, native carded 3-over 219, holding scores of 72-72-75. He now has six rounds of par or better this season.
Senior Carlos Astiazaran and sophomore Jon Ed Steed tied for 34th on the player leaderboard, as each Commodore golfer finished 5-over 221. Astiazaran ended The Williams Cup by carding 1-under 71 in Round 3. It marked his sixth under-par round of the season.
Freshman Luke Colton‘s 13 birdies were tied for the most at The Williams Cup. The Frisco, Texas, native tied for 41st with a 54-hole score of 6-over 222. Fellow freshman Tyler Mawhinney carded 7-over 223 over three rounds to end play tied for 49th.
No. 10/9-ranked Florida won The Williams Cup with a score of 19-under 845. Auburn’s Josiah Gilbert won the individual title after carding 8-under 208 over 54 holes.
The Commodores now head into a break for the rest of 2026. Vanderbilt returns to the course in 2027, as the Dores open the spring season Feb. 14-16 in Panama City, Florida, for the Watersound Invitational
“The offseason is a great time to recharge and continue to get better,” Limbaugh expressed. “I feel this is a really important few months, as we hope to continue to see leaders emerge and see the right type of buy-in from everyone. I want the guys that are all the way in the deep end. We will identify the guys that believe in Vandy golf, want to play with grit, and want to work to become the best they can. All in all, we have a lot of work to do to improve as a team, and we are going to continue to do that. I’m certainly excited about what this group can become, but our expectations have to be higher.”
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