Curran, Snedeker at four-over par after round one of U.S. Open

By A. Boggs

Vanderbilt alums Jon Curran and Brandt Snedeker both shot a four-over par, 75, in their first trip around Pebble Beach on Thursday at the U.S. Open. Both are in contention to make the cut, which is projected to be around seven or eight over par.

Snedeker will tee off at 8:39 am Pacific time, while Curran will have to wait until 2:42 for his second round.

You can follow the scores in a multitude of places around the web, but here's a link to the official site, USGA.com.

Video: Shaw on SEC Golf Championships

Chris Weinman interviewed Vanderbilt men's golf head coach Tom Shaw prior to the Commodores' trip to the 2010 Southeastern Conference Championships this weekend at the Seaside Course at Sea Island Golf Club.

Watch the video below, and click here for a complete tournament preview.

December Student-Athletes of the Month

by Barca Blog

Congratulations to Kristabel Doebel-Hickok (Women's Cross Country) and Ryan Haselden (Men's Golf) for being named Vanderbilt's Student-Athletes of the Month for December.

They were chosen on the basis of the all-around student-athlete... effort and excellence in academics, leadership, integrity, dedication to team, campus involvement, community service and the ability to serve as role models for current and future Vanderbilt students and student-athletes.

Click here to read Q&A's with the two honorees.

Fore! Live

By Weinman - Play has begun at the 2009 Mason Rudolph Championships at the Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin. VU junior Ryan Haselden is pictured above driving down the middle on the first hole of the South Course.

If you can't make it out to the course, keep up with all the action live at Golfstat.

Men's Live Scoring
Women's Live Scoring

Home events this weekend - Sept. 25-27

M/W Golf - Mason Rudolph Championships / Friday-Sunday
Come out to the Vanderbilt Legends Club this weekend to see the best collegiate golfers in the country compete in the 2009 Mason Rudolph Championships in Franklin, Tenn. Play for both tournaments begins with fixed tee times on the number one and 10 tees on Friday morning at 8 a.m. CT. Admission is free. Tournament Preview

Watch video interviews with Vanderbilt senior Hudson Johnson and sophomore Marina Alex below:

Shaw's 60 leads to Top 10 finish

By Weinman - Vanderbilt Men's Golf Head Coach Tom Shaw had an impressive showing in the Capital City Invitational, held last week at McCabe Golf Course in Nashville. Shaw made headlines with an opening-round 60 on the north and middle nines at McCabe, carding 12 birdies against only two bogeys.

Shaw would finish in the Top 10 among the professionals at the 54-hole pro/am event. Earlier this summer, Shaw also had solid outings at the Tennessee State Open and advanced through a local qualifying event for the U.S. Open.

Snedeker earns another top-five finish

By Ryan Schulz - Former Commodore Brandt Snedeker continued his hot play on the PGA Tour on Monday when he tied for fifth at the RBC Canadian Open with a 72-hole score of 13-under par 275.

After carding an opening round score of 1-over 73, Snedeker posted rounds of 67, 67 and 68 to finish five shots back of Nathan Green, who won the tournament at 18-under par.

Snedeker's top-five finish was his third in his last four tournaments and came on the heels of last week's announcement that he was one of nine people selected to Vanderbilt's Hall of Fame.

Before Monday's finish, Snedeker had tied for fifth at the John Deere Clasic on July 12 and tied for second at the AT&T National on July 5.

Click here to view the final leaderboard.

Around the Web - Thursday, July 16

Men's basketball guard John Jenkins talked with Maurice Patton about being the only freshman on the squad this year.

"Everybody's been helping me out," Jenkins told The Tennessean. "I've been cool with the whole team.

"I just think of myself as an upperclassman. I don't think of myself as a freshman. Mostly, the key is staying focused all the time."

In NBA Las Vegas Summer League action last night.... Derrick Byars had one point, rebound and steal in Denver's 77-70 win over Washington, while Matt Freije contributed two rebounds in eight minutes in Portland's 87-82 loss to Houston. Shan Foster is the only Commodore in action tonight as Dallas takes on Cleveland at 9 p.m. CT. Keep track of these 'Dores during summer ball here.

Update from the Cape... Russell Brewer is now tied for the league lead in saves with seven after he recorded the final three outs of Chatham's 6-4 victory over Falmouth. Grayson Garvin also threw a scoreless inning in relief for Falmouth, allowing no hits while striking out two. Follow the 'Dores this summer here.

Sonny Gray was charged with his first loss as Japan defeated Team USA, 8-7, in 11 innings. Japan took advantage of back-to-back errors to score the winning run. In two innings of work, Gray allowed one unearned run and two hits while striking out three.

Through nine holes at Turnberry this morning, Brandt Snedeker is 1-over with a bogey at hole number 5. He's grouped with Thomas Haylock and Branden Grace. Follow the British Open here. And check out Joe Biddle's column on how Snedeker adjusted his game to earn back-to-back top-5 finishes.

Christina Wirth did not play in Indiana's 84-74 victory over Chicago. The Fever extended its franchise record winning streak to 10 in a row (seventh longest in WNBA history).

In his AJC blog, Mark Bradley lists Vanderbilt's Bobby Johnson as one of top 15 coaches in college football.

Chris Low of ESPN.com points out that Vanderbilt's the only team in the SEC without a football bye this year.

Finally, Vanderbilt Athletics' second Hall of Fame class will be announced next Tuesday. The event will be available live online in Commodore Nation All Access.

Make sure you check out the latest stories on our official site, VUcommodores.com.

Around the Web - Wednesday, July 15

Update from the Cape League... Caleb Cotham made his first appearance of the summer for Brewster Tuesday, throwing three innings of one-hit relief while striking out seven to pick up the win against Wareham. Also, Russell Brewer earned his sixth save (tied for second in the Cape) in Chatham's 4-2 victory over Hyannis.

The Shelbyville Times-Gazette has an update on Jonathan White, who is currently playing for San Francisco in the Arizona Rookie League.

Vanderbilt golfer Hudson Johnson recapped his junior season -- which included winning the Hummingbird Intercollegiate -- with his hometown paper, The Longview News Journal. In the article, Johnson also mentions about his goals for his senior year.

"I would like to win at least two more tournaments next year," Johnson said. "In my freshman year, we qualified for the NCAA Championships as a team. That was a great experience and I would like to get back there."

Derrick Byars had four points, a rebound and an assist in his debut with Denver in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League last night. The Nuggets will take on Washington tonight at 9:30 p.m. CT. Also, Matt Freije and Portland will face Houston at 9 p.m. CT. Keep track of these 'Dores during summer ball here.

In WNBA action, Indiana will try to extend their franchise-record nine-game winning streak against Chicago at noon CT today. Wirth recorded season-highs in rebounds (3), assists (2) and minutes (11:48) in the Fever's last outing, a 83-54 victory over the Sky.

Brandt Snedeker will tee off in his second British Open Thursday at approximately 5 a.m. CT. He will be grouped with Thomas Haylock and Branden Grace in the first two rounds at Turnberry. Follow the action here.

Finally, in keeping with the spirit of the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, Chris Low from ESPN.com came up with his SEC All-Star teams.

Around the Web - Monday, July 13

Brandt Snedeker finished tied for second (-17) after playing 36 holes Sunday at the John Deere Classic. It was Snedeker's second straight top-5 finish. The former Commodore recapped the final day of action with PGAtour.com.

Snedeker will now turn his attention to the British Open, which takes place this week at Turnberry in Scotland.

David Boclair of The City Paper caught up with Sonny Gray via email during Team USA's trip to Japan. In five appearances for USA this summer (four in relief), Gray is 1-0 with a 0.93 ERA with 14 strikeouts in 9.2 innings.

Pedro Alvarez went 1-for-2 with an RBI single for the United States in the MLB Futures Game Sunday in St. Louis. The World team won the game though, rallying with four runs in the final inning to defeat the U.S., 7-5. (shortened to seven innings due to rain). MLB.com posted a cool video of Alvarez mic'd up during the All-Star festivities -watch here.

Shan Foster and the Dallas Mavericks will return to the court today to face the Phoenix Suns at 5 p.m. CT in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. Also, Matt Freije and Portland will open up league play against Toronto at 7 p.m. CT. Follow the action here.

Around the Web - Sunday, July 12

Rising sophomore pitcher Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) pitched one inning of scoreless relief to help Team USA beat Japan 3-0 in game one of the 37th Annual USA vs. Japan Collegiate Championships in Matsuyama, Japan.

Shan Foster didn't play in Dallas' 98-95 loss to Houston last night in the NBA Las Vegas Summer League. The Mavs will return to the court Monday to face Phoenix. Also, Matt Freije and Portland will open up league play tomorrow as the Trail Blazers are scheduled to take on Toronto. Follow the action here.

Brandt Snedeker is in contention at the John Deere Classic, entering Sunday tied for fourth at eight-under, only five shots of the lead. Snedeker, who finished fifth at the AT&T National last week, fired 67's in the previous two rounds. The former Commodore spoke with PGA.com about the excitement of being in the mix for another win.

"It's great. Last week I felt like I played really well at AT&T," Snedeker said. "I never really had a chance to feel like I was really close to breaking through with a really good round. I finally played good on Sunday.

"This week I sort of have been right where I was -- took off last week. I feel really great about my game, especially this week going into next week at the British Open. It's just nice to be in the mix again and know where my game is."

With 36 holes scheduled for today, anything can happen. Follow the action here.

Dores Excel in Birmingham

By Weinman - While you may think that summer is a time for college students to take it easy, the student-athlete is certainly an exception. In no sport is that more true than golf, where the best weather of the year beckons just as classes fall idle.

A number of Commodore men's golfers took part in the ninth annual Greystone Invitational in Birmingham last month, with impressive results. Most notably, rising senior Chris Rockwell (above, with Tournament Director Tom Ramsey) was the tournament's runner-up after posting a four-day total of 288 (even-par and only one stroke behind medalist Justin Yoder). Rising sophomore Trey DelGreco finished in a tie for 10th place in an event which saw 80 players make the cut.

For complete information about the tournament, including results and a photo gallery, visit http://www.greystoneinvitational.com/

Snedeker British Open-bound

by Associated Press

WASHINGTON D.C. — Brandt Snedeker earned a spot in the 2009 British Open on Sunday in the AT&T National.

Snedeker got there because he was the leading player among the top five at Congressional who hadn't already qualified.

"Floored and excited," said Snedeker, whose closing round of 67 was just enough to earn him a tie for fifth at 7-under 273.

Snedeker wasn't even aware that he had qualified when he left the course at Congressional Country Club. He missed eight weeks earlier this year with a rib injury and had been planning to play the U.S. Bank Championship in Milwaukee during the week of the British, which takes place at Turnberry in Scotland in two weeks.

"My golf game was in bad shape before I got hurt," Snedeker said. "The first time I felt healthy, I didn't know what to think about coming back out. People gave me the sympathy vote last week when I made the cut - first cut I'd made in a while, and it ticked me off. I don't want sympathy. This week, I felt like I proved to everyone and myself that I can get back to where I was."

For more information about the British Open, click here.

Father's Day feature, part 2

by Ryan Schulz, Commodore Nation magazine

Around the Nashville metropolitan area, the surname Del Greco conjures up memories of made extra points and game-winning field goals, but on the west side of the city at Vanderbilt University, there is another Del Greco making a name for himself for an entirely different reason.

Trey Del Greco, son of former NFL kicker Al Del Greco, has returned to the city where his dad spent the final years of his professional career with the Tennessee Titans and is making an immediate impact as a freshman on Vanderbilt's golf team.

Click Here to Read More

Shaw Top 20 at State Open

By Weinman - Men's Golf Head Coach Tom Shaw earned a Top 20 finish in the 61st annual Tennessee State Open Championship presented by Coca-Cola at Gaylord Springs Golf Links. After making the 36-hole cut as one of the top 60 golfers in the field of 140, Shaw fired a four-under 67 in Thursday's final round to end the three-day event with a score of 214 (+1) to tie for 20th.

Shaw's final round included five birdies and was the third-best score of the day. Rising junior Ryan Haselden and assistant coach Justin Emil each took turns on the bag for Shaw, who advanced through a U.S. Open local qualifying event in Georgia earlier this month. Shaw will play in a sectional qualifying event beginning on June 1 in Memphis for the right to play in the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage (N.Y.) Black.

NCAA Golf: A fond farewell

By Weinman - For seniors Jon Curran and Tyler Matthews, Saturday's final round at the NCAA Central Region was their last as collegiates. Curran (above, speaking with the Daily News Journal's Greg Pogue) finished the event in a tie for third, missing advancement to the NCAA National Championship by two strokes. Stay tuned later today for a photo gallery of today's events....

NCAA Golf: Down the stretch they come

By Weinman - The first group of scorecards are just coming into the clubhouse. The Commodores are on the front nine, all through at least three holes. Pictured above are the closing holes on the front side, the par-4 ninth in front of the par-3 eighth.

In scoring news, UCLA caught and passed Washington around the turn today. The Huskies had taken a 10-stroke lead after day one. Georgia Tech is currently three strokes ahead of Ole Miss for the fifth and final spot in the NCAA National Championship.

Jon Curran is one-under for the tournament after birdies on Nos. 2 and 3. Only one individual player will be taken on to Nationals, and at three-under for the day Curran is putting himself in the hunt.

NCAA Golf: God's mandatory lunch break

By Weinman - Another lightning delay was called just before 1 p.m. Sophomore Adam Hofmann (pictured above with family) was standing over an eagle putt from just off the 18th green when the horn sounded. Apparently, the delay was caused by lightning within an eight-mile radius of the course. Officials were hopeful to get players back out quickly, and most golfers did not come all the way back to the clubhouse during the break.

NCAA Golf: Round Two Scores

By Weinman - Here are the Commodores' scores through two rounds of play. Jon Curran went one-under for his second round, while Ryan Haselden was even. Vanderbilt remains in 10th place with 18 holes to play. Jon Curran was in a tie for eighth through the first two rounds. The top five teams, and one individual not on that team, advance to the NCAA National Championships.

Currently, the Commodores are on the back nine with the first group heading toward the 18th hole. Round three scores should start coming through on Golfstat very soon.

NCAA Golf: Day 3, Round ???

By Weinman - There is golf being played all over The Club at Olde Stone this morning. Play was delayed nearly two hours this morning due to an early storm, but the golfers resumed second round play at 9:12 a.m. Most of the golfers are now playing their third rounds, but not all scores have been reported for round two so the computer program controlling the live scoring site will not allow scores to be inputted for the third round yet. Stay tuned, as scores will jump from the end of round two to the middle of round three....