University of Tennessee Athletics
Sunday, February 15
Melbourne, FL
University of Tennessee
vs
Moon Golf Invitational - Round 1
Photo by: Dan Lavin
Preview: Moon Golf Invitational Next Up for #22/25 Lady Vols
February 13, 2026 | Women's Golf
The No. 22/25 Tennessee women's golf team tees up its second tournament of the spring on Sunday at the Moon Golf Invitational.
The second consecutive tournament in Florida for the Lady Vols to open the spring, the Moon Golf Invitational will be contested Feb. 15-17 at Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Fla., with 18 holes completed each day.
The ninth annual edition of the Moon Golf Invitational will take place on the Classic Course at Suntree, designed by Ed Rider and Richard LaConte, a par-72 that will play at 6,443 yards.
The Lady Vols are seeking to continue a hot start to the spring after claiming their second win of the season in the team's previous outing at the Paradise Invitational. Tennessee finished atop a 16-team field with a final tally of 10-under-par, four strokes ahead of runners-up Kentucky.
Kyra Van Kan won the individual title at the event with a dominant 10-under-par performance, a new career best for her first collegiate win. Madison Messimer also posted a career-best mark at 6-under-par, finishing the event as the individual runner-up behind her teammate. The performances helped the Lady Vols sweep the SEC's weekly awards, with Van Kan claiming Golfer of the Week and Messimer earning Freshman of the Week honors.
This will be Tennessee's second appearance in the Moon Golf Invitational. The Lady Vols made their debut in last year's tournament, tying for 13th place among a strong field of 17 teams at 32-under-par.
The 2026 field poses quite the challenge for Tennessee with 12 top-25 teams slated to compete, including five squads currently ranked in the top ten.
Round one and two tee times at the Moon Golf Invitational on Sunday and Monday will begin at 8 a.m. EST, before a 9 a.m. EST shotgun start for Tuesday's third and final round.
LADY VOLS LINEUP
Kyra Van Kan
The reigning SEC Golfer of the Week is riding high after a career performance at the Paradise Invitational, where she recorded the first individual win of her career. The sophomore finished atop a 90-golfer field with a career-best 10-under-par, which tied the third best 54-hole score in program history. Van Kan fired a bogey-free 7-under-par 65 in round two of the Paradise Invitational, which tied for the fifth best single round score in program history. With the strong performance, Van Kan soared up to No. 76 in this week's Scoreboard national individual rankings.
Madison Messimer
Finishing the Paradise Invitational as the individual runner-up behind her teammate Van Kan, Messimer earned SEC Freshman of the Week recognition. She opened the first spring of her collegiate career at 6-under-par, her best finish to par this season for her highest individual placement of the season at second place. Messimer climbed into the top 50 of this week's Scoreboard national individual rankings, rising to No. 47.
Manassanan Chotikabhukkana
Chotikabhukkana marked a strong start to the final spring of her collegiate career at the Paradise Invitational. The senior earned the 22nd top-25 finish of her career after tying for 11th place at 1-under-par. After opening the event with back-to-back rounds of 1-over-par, Chotikabhukkana carded a 3=under-par 69 in round three, including birdies on four of her final seven holes.
Kaopan Thapasit
After competing as an individual at the Paradise Invitational, Thapasit earns a spot in the Lady Vols' team lineup. The freshman marked a strong start to the spring season with a 1-under-par finish in the season's opening event. Similar to Chotikabhukkana, Thapasit's best round of the Paradise Invitational came in round three behind a bogey-free 5-under-par 67.
Sophie Christopher
Christopher rounds out the Tennessee lineup after opening her spring finishing in the top half of the individual standings at the Paradise Invitational. The sophomore tied for 40th place at 7-over-par in the event, with her clutch play down the stretch proving extremely vital to the Lady Vols' team victory. Christopher recorded two birdies on the back nine before carding an eagle on hole No. 18 to end her week at the Paradise Invitational.
Participating Teams
Alabama (56)
Auburn (8)
Duke (13)
Florida (5)
Florida State (24)
Louisville (74)
LSU (32)
Mississippi State (16)
NC State (42)
Ole Miss (14)
South Carolina (18)
Tennessee (22)
Texas (9)
Texas A&M (6)
UCF (15)
Virginia (38)
Wake Forest (7)
Rankings via Scoreboard
The second consecutive tournament in Florida for the Lady Vols to open the spring, the Moon Golf Invitational will be contested Feb. 15-17 at Suntree Country Club in Melbourne, Fla., with 18 holes completed each day.
The ninth annual edition of the Moon Golf Invitational will take place on the Classic Course at Suntree, designed by Ed Rider and Richard LaConte, a par-72 that will play at 6,443 yards.
The Lady Vols are seeking to continue a hot start to the spring after claiming their second win of the season in the team's previous outing at the Paradise Invitational. Tennessee finished atop a 16-team field with a final tally of 10-under-par, four strokes ahead of runners-up Kentucky.
Kyra Van Kan won the individual title at the event with a dominant 10-under-par performance, a new career best for her first collegiate win. Madison Messimer also posted a career-best mark at 6-under-par, finishing the event as the individual runner-up behind her teammate. The performances helped the Lady Vols sweep the SEC's weekly awards, with Van Kan claiming Golfer of the Week and Messimer earning Freshman of the Week honors.
This will be Tennessee's second appearance in the Moon Golf Invitational. The Lady Vols made their debut in last year's tournament, tying for 13th place among a strong field of 17 teams at 32-under-par.
The 2026 field poses quite the challenge for Tennessee with 12 top-25 teams slated to compete, including five squads currently ranked in the top ten.
Round one and two tee times at the Moon Golf Invitational on Sunday and Monday will begin at 8 a.m. EST, before a 9 a.m. EST shotgun start for Tuesday's third and final round.
LADY VOLS LINEUP
Kyra Van Kan
The reigning SEC Golfer of the Week is riding high after a career performance at the Paradise Invitational, where she recorded the first individual win of her career. The sophomore finished atop a 90-golfer field with a career-best 10-under-par, which tied the third best 54-hole score in program history. Van Kan fired a bogey-free 7-under-par 65 in round two of the Paradise Invitational, which tied for the fifth best single round score in program history. With the strong performance, Van Kan soared up to No. 76 in this week's Scoreboard national individual rankings.
Madison Messimer
Finishing the Paradise Invitational as the individual runner-up behind her teammate Van Kan, Messimer earned SEC Freshman of the Week recognition. She opened the first spring of her collegiate career at 6-under-par, her best finish to par this season for her highest individual placement of the season at second place. Messimer climbed into the top 50 of this week's Scoreboard national individual rankings, rising to No. 47.
Manassanan Chotikabhukkana
Chotikabhukkana marked a strong start to the final spring of her collegiate career at the Paradise Invitational. The senior earned the 22nd top-25 finish of her career after tying for 11th place at 1-under-par. After opening the event with back-to-back rounds of 1-over-par, Chotikabhukkana carded a 3=under-par 69 in round three, including birdies on four of her final seven holes.
Kaopan Thapasit
After competing as an individual at the Paradise Invitational, Thapasit earns a spot in the Lady Vols' team lineup. The freshman marked a strong start to the spring season with a 1-under-par finish in the season's opening event. Similar to Chotikabhukkana, Thapasit's best round of the Paradise Invitational came in round three behind a bogey-free 5-under-par 67.
Sophie Christopher
Christopher rounds out the Tennessee lineup after opening her spring finishing in the top half of the individual standings at the Paradise Invitational. The sophomore tied for 40th place at 7-over-par in the event, with her clutch play down the stretch proving extremely vital to the Lady Vols' team victory. Christopher recorded two birdies on the back nine before carding an eagle on hole No. 18 to end her week at the Paradise Invitational.
Participating Teams
Alabama (56)
Auburn (8)
Duke (13)
Florida (5)
Florida State (24)
Louisville (74)
LSU (32)
Mississippi State (16)
NC State (42)
Ole Miss (14)
South Carolina (18)
Tennessee (22)
Texas (9)
Texas A&M (6)
UCF (15)
Virginia (38)
Wake Forest (7)
Rankings via Scoreboard
Players Mentioned
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