LOUDON, Tenn. – The 10th-ranked Tennessee men’s golf team is set to open its fall season at home this weekend, competing in the Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
The Vols are set to play three total rounds—teeing off with 18 holes on Friday, followed by 18 holes apiece on Saturday and Sunday.
ADVERTISINGThe tournament is set to be played at the par-70, 7,280-yard Tennessee National Golf Club. The Greg Norman designed course sits along the Tennessee River and offers a challenging layout.
“Tennessee National is really the only course in town that provides the length that can challenge these guys as far as they hit it nowadays,” head coach Brennan Webb said. The opportunities they have given us to practice out there have been great.”
According to Golf Central’s preseason college rankings, five of the participating teams are ranked inside the top 30, with Tennessee being the highest-ranked team.
This is the first time since 2005 that the Vols will compete at home. Last time UT hosted a home tournament, they fired a 34-under team score to claim the Tennessee Tournament of Champions title.
The Vols are coming off 2022-23 season that featured a program-record-tying three tournament championships. In Webb’s fifth season as head coach, Tennessee finished inside five seven times and put up its best stroke play finish at the SEC Championships. Bryce Lewis, Caleb Surratt, and Jake Hall all captured individual titles as well—including Surratt’s SEC Championship win.
“We had a very talented team last year, but we were starting three freshmen,” said Webb. To have them come back and show some signs of maturity that they are learning and getting more prepared and ready to take on the expectations that we have.”
THE VOLS’ LINEUP
Caleb Surratt
Entering his sophomore season, Surratt is ranked as the No. 8 amateur in the world. Last season, he captured individual titles at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate and the SEC Championship. During his first season at Tennessee, the Indian Trail, North Carolina, native set a program-record single-season stroke average of 69.58, while setting another single-season program record of rounds of par or better with 27. His dominant freshman season earned him SEC Freshman of the Year, First Team All-SEC and First Team All-American honors. Most recently, Surratt participated on the United States Walker Cup team where he went undefeated in his singles matches to aid his team to victory over Great Britain and Ireland (GB&I).
Bryce Lewis
Lewis, a two-time All-SEC selection, is entering his sixth and final season with the Volunteers. Last season, he registered an individual win at the Purdue Fall Invitational and a runner-up finish at the Mason Rudolph Championship. Additionally, he notched 14 rounds in the 60s and posted a season scoring average of 70.58—the fourth-best single-season stroke average in program history. Throughout his career, Lewis has posted 67 rounds of par or better, tying himself with VFL David Skinns for the program record.
Jake Hall
Hall, a Knoxville native, enters the 2023-24 season with a 72.24 career stroke average—the sixth-best career stroke average in program history. Last season, he finished with a 71.64 stroke average and fired 16 rounds of par or better. The redshirt senior has seven career top-25 finishes, including an individual title at the 2023 All-American Intercollegiate, where he shot a 7-under 209.
Lance Simpson
Redshirt sophomore Lance Simpson posted four top-20 finishes last season and had a 72.38 season stroke average. His highest finish during the 2022-23 season came at the SEC Match Play Championship where he notched an 8-under 202. This summer, Simpson finished third at the Monroe Invitational after shooting a final round 64 to climb 13 spots up the leaderboard.
Evan Woosley-Reed
During the 2022-23 season, Woosley-Reed posted two top-15 finishes, including a tied for eighth finish at the Puerto Rico Classic that later earned him SEC Freshman of the Week honors. In his first year on Rocky Top, the Shelbyville native logged a 72.80 scoring average.
THE VOLS’ INDIVIDUALS
Laurent Desmarchais
Junior Laurent Desmarchais posted six top-25 finishes last season—with four of them being in the top ten. Additionally, Desmarchais finished fourth on the team with a 71.66 stroke average last season and enters the 2023-24 season with a 72.32 stroke average—the eighth-best career stroke average in program history.
Josh Hill
Hill enters year two with the Vols. Last season, he placed third in the All-American Individual after shooting a 54-hole 5-under total. The sophomore shot eight rounds of par or better and registered a 72.18 scoring average during the 2022-23 season.
Bruce Murphy
Murphy is set to make his Tennessee debut after redshirting last season. In March, the Johns Creek, Georgia, native placed tied for fourth at the Azalea Invitational.
Jean-Philippe Parr
The sole true freshman on the team, Parr, was ranked as the No. 1 international player in the class of 2023 according to Junior Golf Scoreboard. In the summer, Parr got a start on the PGA Tour Canada at the Quebec Open.
PARTICIPATING TEAMS (rankings according to Golf Central Preseason rankings)
No. 10 Tennessee, No. 18 ETSU, No. 25 Ole Miss, No. 26 UNF, No. 30 Mississippi State, Charlotte, USF, UConn, Toledo, Virginia Tech, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Cincinnati, Clemson
ROUND ONE TEE TIMES
Friday, Sept. 8 – Round One
Evan Woosley-Reed – 11:35am ET
Lance Simpson – 11:45am ET
Jake Hall – 11:55am ET
Bryce Lewis – 12:05pm ET
Caleb Surratt – 12:15pm ET
Laurent Desmarchais – 12:30pm ET
Josh Hill – 12:40pm ET
Bruce Murphy – 12:50pm ET
JP Parr – 1:00pm ET
Source : Tennessee
