Preview: #15/16 Vols Head West for Pauma Valley Collegiate

Monday, March 16

Pauma Valley, Calif.

University of Tennessee

Pauma Valley Collegiate - Round 1

Photo by: Elliot Walker/Tennessee Athletics

Preview: #15/16 Vols Head West for Pauma Valley Collegiate

March 14, 2026 | Men's Golf

Live Scoring

The spring season is in full swing for the No. 15/16 Tennessee men's golf team as the Vols are set to begin their third tournament of the slate at the Pauma Valley Collegiate.

The event is set to take place from Monday, March 16, through Wednesday, March 18 at Pauma Valley Country Club in Pauma Valley, California. 18 holes of play are scheduled to be completed on each day of competition.

A beautiful course based on the foothills of Palomar Mountain, Pauma Valley Country Club is considered one of the toughest in California. The par 71 course will play at 7,311 yards this week for the Pauma Valley Collegiate.

This week marks Tennessee's second appearance in the Pauma Valley Collegiate, as the Vols made their debut in the event last spring. In 2025, Tennessee finished in fifth place among a loaded 15-team field that featured nine top 25 teams and six top ten opponents. The Vols closed the tournament at 5-under-par, while LSU claimed the team title at 27-under-par. Lance Simpson led Tennessee with an 11^th place individual finish at 4-under-par.

Like 2025, this year's edition of the Pauma Valley Collegiate features a very strong field. Nine top 20 teams are making the trek to the outskirts of San Diego, headlined by No. 2 Virginia, No. 3 Florida, and No. 6 LSU.

Tennessee Lineup
Lance Simpson
Entering the heart of his final collegiate spring season, Simpson leads Tennessee with a 70.06 scoring average in the 2025-26 season. Despite four top ten finishes this season, the senior enters the Pauma Valley Collegiate seeking to bounce back from his lowest finish of the season at the Cabo Collegiate, where he tied for 42^nd place at 5-over-par.

Jackson Herrington
This week will be Herrington's final appearance with the Vols before he competes in the 2026 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Course. The sophomore is getting hot at the right time, as he has closed the opening two tournaments of the spring with back-to-back overall tallies of 6-under-par. In his most recent outing at the Cabo Collegiate, Herrington tied for sixth place among a very strong field of 80.

Josh Hill
Another senior for the Vols, Hill earned the 14^th top 25 finish of his career at the Cabo Collegiate. The Dubai native posted back-to-back rounds of 69 to close the tournament at 3-under-par and tied for 11^th place. An impressive start to the spring sees Hill carry a 70.83 scoring average into the Pauma Valley Collegiate.

Chase Kyes
Kyes enters the Tennessee team lineup for the first time this spring after two strong individual appearances. The freshman opened the spring with a runner-up finish at the Coach Sykes Individual, where he closed the 36-hole event at 9-under-par. Competing as an individual at the Cabo Collegiate, Kyes posted back-to-back 2-under-par 69s in rounds one and two en route to a tie for 17^th at 1-under-par, his third top 25 finish of the season.

Luke Smith
Smith is another freshman who has had a strong start to his first collegiate spring season. At the Puerto Rico Classic, he tied for 29^th place at 6-under-par, before tying for 15^th at the Coach Sykes Individual, where he closed at 1-under-par. In his most recent outing at the Cabo Collegiate, Smith recorded a 2-under-par 69 in round three to close the event at 1-over-par and tied for 25^th place, giving him the first two top 25 finishes of his collegiate career in each of his last two appearances.

Reed Lotter (i)
A senior transfer from Auburn, Lotter will compete as an individual this week in California. Carrying a 71.67 scoring average across four seasons, the highlight of Lotter's spring thus far was a 3-under-par 69 in the final round of the Puerto Rico Classic. Last fall, Lotter opened his Tennessee career with an individual victory at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate.

Teams Competing:
Colorado State (116)
East Tennessee State (87)
Florida (3)
Georgia Tech (20)
Illinois (9)
Loyola Marymount (60)
LSU (6)
Oklahoma State (7)
Ole Miss (13)
Princeton (93)
San Diego (42)
San Diego State (28)
SMU (56)
Tennessee (15)
Texas Tech (10)
Toledo (152)
Virginia (2)

Rankings via Clippd