Once top junior, Van Paris earns college breakthrough in St. Andrews

Jackson Van Paris is a remarkable junior player, consistently performing well in major events. Even at the age of 14, he made waves at the 2019 U.S. Amateur, coming close to breaking Bobby Jones’ record as the youngest player to win a match. He has also achieved success in winning two AJGA invitationals and the prestigious Junior Invitational at Sage Valley in 2020. Van Paris is often mentioned alongside his contemporaries, such as Gordon Sargent, Preston Summerhays, and David Ford.

However, college golf has presented its own challenges for Van Paris, a native of Pinehurst, North Carolina. Recently, though, he has started to find his stride.

Currently a junior at Vanderbilt, Van Paris secured his first individual win in college at the St. Andrews Links Collegiate. Despite facing difficult conditions of cold and wind on the Jubilee Course at St. Andrews, Van Paris only recorded three bogeys over two rounds, finishing at 9-under and claiming victory with a three-shot lead over his teammate Cole Sherwood.

Impressively, Van Paris had never played on UK links prior to this trip, but his skills allowed him to overcome this inexperience. His performance has propelled the Commodores into the championship match at the renowned Old Course, often considered the greatest links in the world.

“He’s someone that really knows how to keep his ball low to the ground, has an unbelievable short game, and a great imagination,” said Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh. “When we got to St Andrews, I said to my assistant coach, I really like Jackson this week, so I’m just super pumped for him to get the win.”

Despite the absence of their star player Gordon Sargent, who was competing in the World Amateur Team Championship, the Commodores performed exceptionally well as a team, finishing 23 under in the 6-count-5 format. In the championship match, they will face off against rival North Carolina, who also will be without their top performer, David Ford, due to the WATC.

Van Paris will be matched up against Dylan Menante, a senior from North Carolina known for his speed. Menante, along with Austin Greaser, has previously competed at the Old Course during the Walker Cup. Vanderbilt will be represented by college winners in the four matches following Van Paris. Over the past year, six different Commodores have achieved victory in college tournaments, including Sargent, Sherwood, Moll, Riedel, Williams, and now Van Paris.

On the women’s side, Vanderbilt and North Carolina will compete for the team title, with North Carolina having standout player Kayla Smith.

Van Paris’ outstanding performance is part of a resurgent year for him. After receiving limited playing opportunities in his first three semesters at Vanderbilt, he earned five starts last spring. He followed up with a win at the Sunnehanna Amateur and impressive finishes in other elite summer amateur events.

“This has been a long time coming,” Van Paris mentioned. “My first two years at school were not what I or others had envisioned. I didn’t realize how immature I was when I arrived at school, especially in regards to golf. But Vanderbilt has high standards that don’t allow for immaturity, and I’ve grown up.”

Van Paris has made significant improvements in various aspects of his game, from better time and course management to improved wedge play and more consistent driving. His roommate, Sargent, who recently became the first player to earn his PGA Tour card via the PGA Tour University’s Accelerated program and is an NCAA individual champion, has been instrumental in pushing Van Paris to excel.

“When you live with the No. 1 amateur in the world, and you see him every day – he does all the things you’d expect – it’s a great reference point,” Van Paris explained.

Van Paris has made impressive strides in the World Amateur Golf Ranking, climbing from a position outside the top 150 at the beginning of this year to No. 37 (and likely higher after the next update). He is on his way to becoming an example himself.