VU GOLF VANDERBILT MEN S GOLF FALL SCHEDULE 2008 SPRING SCHEDULE Commodore Men s Golf

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1 VU GOLF FALL SCHEDULE 2008 Olympia Fields Invitational Sept Chicago, Ill. Mason Rudolph Championship Sept Nashville, Tenn. Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate Oct Johnson City, Tenn. The Hummingbird Intercollegiate Nov Cashiers, N.C. SPRING SCHEDULE 2009 Rio Pinar Intercollegiate Feb Orlando, Fla. Seminole Intercollegiate March Tallahassee, Fla. Border Olympics March Laredo, Texas Schenkel Invitational March Statesboro, Ga. Reunion Intercollegiate April Jackson, Miss. SEC Championship April Sea Island, Ga. NCAA East Regional May Galloway, N.J. NCAA Championship May Toledo, Ohio VANDERBILT QUICK FACTS School Name Vanderbilt University Location Nashville, Tenn. Founded Enrollment ,532 Nickname Commodores Colors Black & Gold Conference Southeastern (SEC) Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos Vice Chancellor David Williams II Athletic Department Phone (615) Website TABLE OF CONTENTS Roster Head Coach Tom Shaw Assistant Coach Justin Emil Mason Rudolph, Director of Golf, Emeritus Season Preview Meet the Commodores Jon Curran John Ebert Tyler Matthews Hudson Johnson Chris Rockwell Craig Tallent Ryan Haselden Adam Hofmann Ben Klaus Trey DelGreco Season Review Letterwinners & Records Program History Former All-American Brandt Snedeker The Vanderbilt Legends Club Conner Short Game Practice Facility Commodore Travel Qualifying Courses/Support Staff Vanderbilt University Head Coach Tom Shaw page 3 All-American Jon Curran page PGA Rookie of the Year Brandt Snedeker page 20 MEN S GOLF INFORMATION Head Coach Tom Shaw (Georgia Tech, 1991) Season at Vanderbilt Third Assistant Coach Justin Emil (Southern Mississippi, 2002) Golf Office Phone Home Course The Vanderbilt Legends Club (Franklin, Tenn.) Letterwinners Returning/Lost / 2 Top Returnees Jon Curran, Hudson Johnson Newcomers (Trey DelGreco) 2008 SEC Finish Seventh 2008 NCAA Regional Finish N/A 2008 NCAA Championships Finish N/A ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE Director of External Relations Rod Williamson Assistant Director / Men s Golf Contact Chris Weinman Weinman s Office Phone (615) Weinman s chris.weinman@vanderbilt.edu Assistant Director Andy Boggs Assistant Director Larry Leathers Assistant Director Thomas Samuel Intern Travis Young Editor, Commodore Nation Ryan Schulz Director of Online Services Brandon Barca Online Services Assistant Josh Arntz Commodore Men s Golf 1

2 Front Row (L-R): Craig Tallent, Tyler Matthews, Trey DelGreco, Hudson Johnson; Middle: John Ebert, Chris Rockwell, Adam Hofmann, Ben Klaus, Ryan Haselden; Back: Jon Curran, Assistant Coach Justin Emil, Head Coach Tom Shaw. THE COMMODORES NAME CLASS HOMETOWN HIGH SCHOOL Jon Curran Sr. Hopkinton, Mass. Hopkinton Trey DelGreco Fr. Birmingham, Ala. Spain Park John Ebert R-Sr. Charlotte, N.C. Charlotte Country Day Ryan Haselden So. Houston, Texas Stratford Adam Hofmann So. Pittsburgh, Pa. Fox Chapel Hudson Johnson Jr. Longview, Texas Longview Ben Klaus So. Edmond, Okla. Edmond North Tyler Matthews Sr. Redmond, Wash. Inglemoor Chris Rockwell Jr. Owings Mills, Md. Gilman School Craig Tallent R-So. Haverford, Pa. The Pendleton School Head Coach: Tom Shaw Assistant Coach: Justin Emil The Vanderbilt men s golf media guide was produced by the Vanderbilt Athletic Communications Offi ce and printed by Franklin Graphics, Nashville, Tenn. The cover, which features senior All-American Jon Curran, was designed by Vanderbilt Creative Services. Inside covers and template designed by David G. Lowry. Photos courtesy of VU Photography, Getty Images (Jonathan Ernst & Steve Grayson), PGA Tour (Chris Condon), and The Golf Club of Tennessee. Special thanks to Josh Ambrose and Kent Herod of Franklin Graphics. 2 vucommodores.com

3 HEAD COACH Coach Shaw caddied for amateur Michael Thompson at the 2008 Masters. Thompson played golf under Shaw at Tulane before transferring to Alabama in In just two seasons as Vanderbilt s head coach, Tom Shaw has made a profound impact on the Commodore golf program. His Vanderbilt teams have shown a propensity for finishing strong down the stretch and continually improving over the course of each year. Shaw s first Vanderbilt team finished fifth at the NCAA West Regional at Arizona State University s Karsten Golf Course, leading many to consider the Commodores as one of the most improved teams in the nation. Seventeenunder after 36 holes, the Commodores shot a 21-under the low round of the tournament -- and advanced to the NCAA National Championships, where then-sophomore Jon Curran joined senior Luke List as All-Americans. The following year, the Commodores earned their first tournament championship since 2003 when they won the 2008 Kauai Collegiate Cup in Lihue, Hawai i. Two Commodores would earn individual medalist honors during the season, with sophomore Hudson Johnson taking first place at Kauai while Curran won the 2008 Seminole Intercollegiate. Shaw quickly put his stamp on the Commodore program when he arrived in the Music City. He implemented a winter training program to better prepare his golfers for the rigorous spring schedule. That helped produce a surprising second place finish at the spring s opening event, the 2007 John Hayt Collegiate, which had the strongest field of the year outside the NCAA Tournament. Shaw has opted to play a variety of lineups at tournaments, building depth by providing each member of his team the opportunity to gain tournament experience. That move has paid dividends as each season has progressed, leading to strong finishes each year. Shaw utilizes his rich golfing background, both as a player and coach, and his excellent communication skills to lead his program forward. His success at Vanderbilt has mirrored the outstanding results he saw as Tulane s head coach from , where he was the Conference USA Coach of the Year and Southeast Region Coach of the Year in Shaw helped improve the Green Wave s national ranking every year, but he probably received his greatest challenge when forced to guide the team through the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. He relocated the team to Southern Methodist University, which entailed enrolling his team in classes and securing practice and playing facilities for the semester. His background as a Georgia Tech student-athlete and experience at Tulane have led to a stronger emphasis on academic development. His teams at Tulane consistently had a team GPA over 3.0 and the team at Vanderbilt achieved it s first 3.0 GPA in several years. Third Season at Vanderbilt College Georgia Tech, 1991 (cum laude) COACHING CAREER 2006-present...Vanderbilt Head Coach Tulane Head Coach South Carolina Assistant Coach PLAYING CAREER Nationwide Tour Three appearances in tour championship Georgia Tech Two-time Academic All-American Shaw was an NCAA Academic All-American at Georgia Tech in 1990 and 1991 while serving as captain of the nationally ranked Yellow Jacket golf team. He graduated in 1991 with High Honor. He joined the Nike Tour (now Nationwide Tour) in 1992 and competed in three Nike Tour Championships, reserved for the Top 50 money winners of the year. On the Tour, he posted three career second-place finishes and was regarded as one of the Tour s hardest workers and best shortgame specialists. Shaw left the Tour to become assistant coach at South Carolina in 1999 and in two years he handled a variety of duties including recruiting for the Top 10 program along with scheduling and academic and budget oversight. He was instrumental in the development of two Gamecock All-Americans, Eric Ecker and Kyle Thompson. His work at USC led to the head coaching position at Tulane. Tom and his wife, Sherri, have two children Ryan (10) and Katie (6) Commodore Men s Golf 3

4 ASSISTANT COACH Since joining the Commodore staff in ship (74-67) in 2007, qualifying to play the summer of 2006, Assistant Coach Justin Emil has played a key role in building Championship. He was also a member of in the Taylor Made/adidas PGA Assistants Vanderbilt s men s golf program. the Tennessee Assistants Cup team that Last season, Emil and Head Coach competed against Georgia last summer. Tom Shaw led the Commodores to their Emil also has played a big role in the fi rst tournament championship since development of Commodore Golf Day, the 2008 Kauai Collegiate Cup moving the event to the Golf Club of in March -- and boasted two different individual medalists (Kauai and the Semi- He helped introduce the Mason Ru- Tennessee with great success last year. nole Intercollegiate) for the fi rst time in dolph Award, a special honor for service school history. to Vanderbilt golf which honors former Those results came on the heels of PGA Tour star and Commodore Golf a busy fi rst year that saw the Commodores advance to the prestigious 27-team A native of Gulfport, Miss., Emil came Coach Emeritus Mason Rudolph. fi eld at the 2007 NCAA Championships. to Nashville after a stellar collegiate playing career at the University of Southern Both Luke List and Jon Curran would earn All-America recognition following Mississippi, where he was a four-year letterwinner. He earned Conference USA the season. Emil strongly believes in the power Freshman of the Year honors in 2000, and of fi tness, placing part of his focus with was named second-team All-Conference the team s physical conditioning. He following his senior season in Emil participates in all group workouts and qualifi ed for the United State Amateur pushes the team in every session. Vanderbilt s conditioning has played a major and 2003 (Oakmont). Championships in 2002 (Oakland Hills) factor in late-season surges over that past Emil earned his bachelor s degree in two years. sports administration from the University of Southern Mississippi in On the course, Emil still keeps his game fi nely tuned. He competes throughout the off-season, including an appearern Miss, earning a master s degree He continued his education at Southance in this summer s Tennessee State in sports management in 2004 while Open. He fi nished second in the Tennessee PGA Section Assistants Champion- a graduate working with Golden Eagle golfers as assistant. Third Season at Vanderbilt Hometown Gulfport, Miss. College University of Southern Mississippi 2002, B.S. in Sports Administration 2004, M.S. in Sport Management COACHING CAREER 2006-present... Vanderbilt Assistant Coach Southern Mississippi Graduate Assistant Coach PLAYING CAREER Southern Mississippi 2000 C-USA Freshman of the Year 2003 Second-Team All-Conference... Amateur 2004 Miss. Gulf Coast Amateur Champion Qualified for 2002 & 2003 U.S. Amateur... Professional 2005 Gulf States Section Apprentice Champion 4 vucommodores.com

5 COACH SHAW S On his goals entering his third season at Vanderbilt after winning a tournament last year and making the NCAA Championships two seasons ago: SHAW: Our short-term goal is to get the fall off to a good start. Last year we struggled at the beginning and tried to play catch-up the rest of the year. We hope to be in a better position come spring so we have a realistic chance to win the SEC and make some noise in the NCAA tournament. On starting the season at Olympia Fields, which has hosted two United States Open Championships and two PGA Championships: SHAW: We always try and schedule tournaments on the best courses we can find and Olympia Fields is one of America s finest. It just so happens that the tournament field will be the strongest of the year, so our opening event will be a terrific test for us. On the decision to host both the men s and women s Mason Rudolph Championships on the same weekend this season: SHAW: It should highlight the stature of both programs and allow many fans to see some of the best college players in the country. No other school hosts their men s and women s tournaments at the same time, so we are very unique in what we are doing. We believe this can be one of the best amateur sporting events of the year in Nashville. On adding the Rio Pinar and the Schenkel Invitational to the schedule -- two tournaments that the Commodores have not played under Shaw: SHAW: Rio Pinar is a great warm-weather start in February and is important to our prepartion for the rest of the spring MASON RUDOLPH DIRECTOR OF GOLF, EMERITUS In an effort to bolster the Commodore golf program, Vanderbilt named Mason Rudolph its director of golf in the fall of In the summer of 2002 Rudolph s title changed to director of golf, emeritus, but his impact on both the lives and the golf games of the Commodores remains the same. In his five seasons as Vanderbilt s head coach, Rudolph enthusiastically charted the process of taking the Commodore men s golf program to the next level. He taught his players how to improve their games and gave them a new appreciation for the game of golf. A veteran of 21 years on the PGA Tour, Rudolph has seen golf at its very best. He posted six victories on the PGA Tour. He also played for his country in the Ryder and Walker Cups, helping to capture these championships for the United States. He played in 15 Masters and 16 U.S. Open Championships. He won his first tournament in 1959, the Golden Gate Open, and was named PGA Tour Senior John Ebert season. The Schenkel is one of the premier events in the South - known for its quality tournament field and tremendous southern hospitality. The guys will LOVE this one! On how winning the Kauai Collegiate Cup might influence the Commodores scheduling in years to come: SHAW: We will go exotic whenever we can, regardless of our performance. It is important to give the team memorable experiences in their time at Vanderbilt. We will go back to the Aloha State -- I can guarantee it! Rookie of the Year in In 1950, when he was just 16 years old, Rudolph became the youngest player ever to compete in the U.S. Open. That same year, he became the first 16-year-old ever to win the prestigious USGA National Junior Championship. His accomplishments as a junior player did not go unnoticed. In 1999, Rudolph was selected by Golf World magazine as one of the Top 10 Best Junior Boys of the 20th Century. For all of his accomplishments, Rudolph was elected as a charter inductee into the Tennessee Golf Hall of Fame. In 1995, he was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame. Rudolph is a native of nearby Clarksville, Tenn. He played his collegiate golf at Memphis State (now the University of Memphis) before being called into service in After serving in the military for several years, he returned home and started on the PGA Tour. He is married to the former Carol Griffin, who is a long-time and loyal Vanderbilt fan. Her father, V.H. Griffin, received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Vanderbilt. Mason and Carol have two sons Mason, II, of Nashville, and Griff, of Memphis Commodore Men s Golf 5

6 SEASON On the leadership of senior All-American Jon Curran and the role of junior Hudson Johnson, medalist at the 2008 Kauai Collegiate Cup: SHAW: Jon is the rock of our team and someone you can count on to grind out the best score he can on any given day. He gives the rest of the team confidence because they know Jon will be there ready to go at all times. Hudson is growing into a similar role as well. He had a good summer of tournament play and feels like he has matured to the point that consistency will be his strong suit this year. On his choice of a player who is ready for a big season in : SHAW: I would love to see Tyler Matthews have a great senior season. He came on very strong at the end of last year and could play a key role in our success in On the team s only freshman in , Birmingham, Ala., native Trey DelGreco: SHAW: Trey is a bulldog. He will fight for whatever he can get. What he is lacking in experience, he more than makes up for in grit and determination. I think he will fit in very nicely this year. On the type of student-athlete that best fits into the Vanderbilt model: SHAW: I want a young man that is an excellent golfer, gifted student, and exudes high character. These three traits are all equally important. I will certainly not sacrifice character to find a great player; the reputation of the Vanderbilt student-athlete is too important. On how the Vanderbilt Legends Club, the Conner Short Game Facility and the recent addition of a team van make it easier for the Commodores to compete among the golfing elite: SHAW: Vanderbilt has everything thing a player needs to become great. The Vanderbilt Legends Club is a place where the team can feel at home, which is so important to fostering an intense work ethic. It is a wonderful place to work on your game. Being comfortable also finds its way into our mode of travel to tourrnaments, as our team van is simply unbeatable! On the athletic support staff s role in the success of each Vanderbilt student-athlete: SHAW: With a university that demands and produces excellence in every aspect of a student-athlete s life, Vanderbilt provides a support system that is unrivaled in college athletics. From academic support to strength and conditioning to CHAMPS Programs, Vanderbilt Athletics creates an environment that allows every student-athlete to maximixe their potential. Senior Tyler Matthews Southeastern Conference Men s Golf Six teams ranked in the Golfweek.com fi nal Top 20 in Ten NCAA team titles and six NCAA individual champions. Thirty-fi ve fi rst-team All- Americans since Forty-six Top 10 fi nishes in the NCAA Championships since Forty-fi ve individuals have placed in the Top 10 at NCAA Championships since Curran won the 2008 Seminole Intercollegiate 6 vucommodores.com