By Lohan Sutton
With the spring season gearing up, the Tennessee men’s golf team delivered a thunderous statement – another victory on the season. Competing against some of the top teams in the nation, the Volunteers would come out on top with their second statement win.
The No. 15-ranked Volunteers matched up this week against eight of the top-15 teams in the country at the Pauma Valley Country Club in Pauma Valley, California.
Coming into the tournament, Tennessee has claimed one tournament title this season at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate and a third-place finish at the Puerto Rico Classic.
From the very first swing, the Volunteer squad dominated with an opening round score of 11-under-par and a commanding three-shot advantage on second place Ole Miss.
Tennessee redshirt senior Lance Simpson lit up the course with an opening round of 5-under-par and was in a tie for third. Simpson was in full control during the opening round carding only one bogey, and an eagle on hole two on his closing nine.
Volunteer freshman Chase Kyes recovered his opening round after making double-bogey on his fifth hole, finishing the day with six birdies on his last 12 holes. Kyes would finish the round at 4-under-par.
Simpson stayed unstoppable in round two; he drained another eagle on hole two for the second straight day. He finished his round at 3-under-par, bringing his tournament score to 8-under-par and tied for the lead.
The Volunteers ultimately had a quiet day scoring. They would finish round two even-par, but still maintained the lead at 11-under-par.
A scrappy Georgia Tech squad closed the lead to just 1-stoke after round two.
Round three would turn into a battle filled with drama between the Volunteers and the Yellow Jackets.
Georgia Tech redshirt senior Benjamin Reuter would start his round three with an eagle on hole two, followed up with an ace on the third to go 4-under-par through three. Reuter would finish his round 5-under-par.
Despite the outstanding shots by Reuter, the Volunteers were able to keep pace with Georgia Tech’s scoring to finish the tournament tied at 16-under-par.
Simpson was able to finish strong in the tournament, firing a closing round 2-under-par and tied for the lead with SMU senior Will Sides at 10-under-par. Simpson and Sides shared the co-champion honors of the event.
The Volunteers would walk away with the tournament title for their second win of the season. Claiming a win over No. 2 Virginia, No. 3 Florida, No. 6 LSU, No. 7 Oklahoma State, No. 9 Illinois, No. 10 Texas Tech, and No. 13 Ole Miss.
Tournament Leaderboard:
1. Tennessee, -16
2. Georgia Tech, -16
T3. LSU, -13
T3. Florida, -13
5. Oklahoma State, -8
T6. Virginia, -6
T6. Illinois, -6
8. SMU, -5
9. Ole Miss, +1
10. Texas Tech, +3
11. ETSU, +5
12. San Diego State, +8
13. San Diego, +10
T14. Toledo, +13
T14. Loyola Marymount, +13
16. Colorado State, +31
This victory marks the 13th win for the program under head coach Brennan Webb and the 21st season in program history with multiple tournament wins.
Tennessee Leaderboard:
1. Lance Simpson, -10
T14. Jackson Herrington, -3
T22. Josh Hill, -1
T29. Reed Lotter (IND), E
T41. Chase Kyes, +2
T65. Luke Smith, +6
With only two tournaments remaining before the SEC Championship, the Volunteers will look to build on their momentum. Next up is the Mason Rudolph Championship, April 3-5 at Vanderbilt Legends Club in Franklin, Tennessee.