No. 15 Vanderbilt Men’s Golf kicked off its spring season at the Southwestern Invitational at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks, California. After a relatively quiet fall, the rejuvenated Commodores opened their 2025 season by carding a 5-under 279, good enough for a third-place finish. 

Vanderbilt’s lineup for the season opener consisted of Jackson Van Paris, Gordon Sargent, Wells Williams, John Broderick and Chase Nevins while first-year Ryan Downes played as an individual. 

On Day One, Wells Williams, the junior from West Point, Mississippi, carded a 4-under 68 to end the day in fourth place. Propelled by birdies on holes 1, 4, 10, 11 and 14, Williams led the Commodores’ charge on Day One. His stellar round was followed by Van Paris and Nevins’ even-par 71s and Broderick’s 1-over 72. 

On Day Two, the Commodores fought hard with Broderick leading the team’s efforts by firing a 1-under 70, catapulting him into the event’s top 10 heading into the final round. Broderick was backed by Williams and Nevins’ even-par 71s, which moved Nevins into a tie for ninth place while Williams ended the day in a tie for third. Ryan Downes, playing as an independent, surged up the leaderboard with a 1-under 70, putting him in 16th place. 

On the final day, Wells Williams came right out of the gate with birdies on four of his opening nine holes for a front nine of 32. He kept the momentum as he opened the back nine with two birdies in the span of five holes to be 4-under through fourteen. Williams would end the day shooting a 2-under 69 — enough for him to win the individual title of the Southwestern Invitational after a thrilling wait in the clubhouse. In the end, Daniel Bennett of Texas finished one stroke behind Williams as the junior took home some hardware.

Posting scores of 68-71-69, Williams ended the tournament at 5-under and earned his second medalist honors in his Vanderbilt career. Following Williams, notable scores included Van Paris’ 3-under 69 and Sargent’s 1-under 70. Surprising many was Downes with a 4-under 67, enough for him to capture his first top five in his collegiate career as he checked in at a tie for fifth place. 

Following the final round, head coach Scott Limbaugh expressed optimism about his team’s performance and the remainder of the season. 

“This was a solid start to what will be a long spring journey, and I’m excited to see different guys step up each day,” Limbaugh said. “We need to build on the momentum from this week and stay focused as we prepare for our next event in a couple of weeks. There’s still another level we’re capable of reaching, but it’s going to take full buy-in and attention to the right details.”

With a strong start to 2025, the Commodores will look to elevate their game as the season progresses and will be back in action on Feb. 17-19 at Sharks Tooth Golf Club in Panama City, Florida, for the Watersound Invitational.