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Commodores Still the Talk of the Town

May 4, 2000
It happened in March, but people around Vanderbilt and Nashville all still talking about the Commodores' amazing opening round in the Alabama Spring Invitational.

The first-round performance of the men's golf team at the Alabama Spring Invitational was certainly one of the highlights of the 1999-2000 season. The Commodores fired an 11-under-par opening round to record the best single round score in school history. What made the feat even more remarkable was the circumstances in which it occurred.

The Alabama Spring Invitational in Montgomery, Ala., was a meeting of most of the South District's teams. The tournament was an opportunity for the Commodores to gauge their abilities against some of the top players and top teams in the district. The tournament also was important because it would go a long way in determining the qualifiers for the NCAA Regional Tournament.

Vanderbilt was coming off a third-place finish at the Seminole Intercollegiate a week earlier and had confidence on its side. Head coach Jim Ragan and his squad knew they had to post top finishes in the remaining three tournaments to have a chance at the team's first postseason action in school history. However, with all of this pressure on the young Commodores, they still excelled.

Freshman Brandt Snedeker was the leading force in Vanderbilt's first-round dominance in Alabama. He fired a four-under-par 68 to open the scoring. That score of 68 would end up being Snedeker's best round of the season. The two-time Tennessee high school champion went on to fire rounds of 70 and 73 to finish fifth with a three-round score of 211. Both his finish and his score were seasonal bests. Snedeker finished his freshman campaign as the No. 1 Commodore with a stroke average of 73.86.

Next in the Vanderbilt assault was the duo of Ned Michaels and John Pitt, whose pair of 69s placed them second on the Vanderbilt roster that day. The round of 69 shot by Michaels also was his best round of the season. The senior from Atlanta, Ga., received the inaugural Craig Rudolph Memorial Cup for his team qualifying efforts throughout the season.

Pitt, a junior from Wilmington, N.C., also fired a first-round 69 at Alabama. Encouraging for Vanderbilt fans is the fact that the 69 was not Pitt's best effort of the season. His best performance of the season was a first-round 67 at the Gator Invitational. Pitt finished this season fourth on the team with a 75.00 stroke average.

Nick Manthey was the fourth-best golfer for Vanderbilt that day, carding a one-under-par 71. The freshman from Mesa, Ariz., struggled early in his first season, but found his game in the spring. He came into the Alabama Spring Invitational off of a tie for 18th at the Seminole Intercollegiate and a tie for 23rd at the Mercedes-Benz Championship. Manthey finished the season fifth on the team in stroke average with a mark of 76.00.

Rounding out the scoring was junior Ryan Grant, who fired an even-par 72. In college golf, only the top four scores from each team count toward the team total. So, in the case of this outstanding first round in Alabama, the Commodores were able to throw out Grant's even par performance.

But that doesn't diminish the value Grant had to his team. Along with finishing second on the team with a 74.06 stroke average, Grant was the team leader. He finished his junior campaign at the SEC Championship, where he played with four other Vanderbilt golfers that were not even on the team when he began his sophomore season. In all of the turnover with the program, Grant was the constant and was depended on to lead the way.

Vanderbilt's opening round at the Alabama Spring Invitational showed the nation what is possible. With two freshmen and two juniors helping to put together the magical round in Alabama, the future definitely looks bright for the Vanderbilt men's golf program.