For the seventh time in its history, and for the fifth time since 2015, the fifth-ranked Commodores made the short drive back from Franklin, Tenn. with the Mason Rudolph Championship trophy in hand after they shot a tournament-record 806 to finish 46-under-par and beat Liberty by nine strokes.
Sherwood held off teammate Reid Davenport who carded back-to-back 66s and finished 13-under-par for the tournament. Liberty teammates Jonathan Yaun (-12) and Isaac Simmons (-11) finished third and fourth, respectively.
Vandy freshman Gordon Sargent placed fifth with a 9-under-par after 54 holes.
Sherwood’s triumph was his second of the season. His 196 also matched his own program record set earlier this season at the Cabo Collegiate.
“Super excited for our guys and proud of how they played all week,” Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “That was as close to a complete tournament as we have played so far this season.
“Obviously, Cole played awesome this week and he’s continuing to do a lot of things at a really high level,” Limbaugh said. ““Liberty has a good team and they pushed us which ultimately makes us better. I thought our team was resilient today and I’m proud of how they responded and finished. Winning is never easy and it was our first time playing with the lead going into the final round so there is always a lot to learn about yourself in these moments.”
Vanderbilt will return to action in the two-day Mossy Oak Collegiate Championship in West Point, Mississippi, on April 11-12 for its final regular-season event prior to the SEC Championships.