University of Tennessee Athletics
Friday, April 17
University of Tennessee
vs
SEC Championship - Round 1
Photo by: Drew Garrison/Tennessee Athletics
Preview: #18 Lady Vols Set for SEC Championship
April 15, 2026 | Women's Golf
Postseason golf has arrived for the No. 18 Tennessee women's golf team as the Lady Vols head to the SEC Championship this week in Belleair, Florida.
The stroke play portion of the tournament will begin on Friday, April 17, spanning through Sunday, April 19, with one round of competition completed on each day. The top eight teams at the conclusion of stroke play will advance to the match play portion of the championship, with the quarterfinals and semifinals set for Monday, April 20, and the championship match slated for Tuesday, April 21.
Pelican Golf Club will play host to the conference championship for the third consecutive season. The par 72 course is expected to play around 6,287 yards. Reimagined in 2018 by Beau Welling, the course is a homage to Augusta National, featuring bright bunkers, pine straw, and large, undulating greens.
Tennessee has had a 2025-26 season for the history books thus far, notching three team victories for the fourth time in program history, including two wins this spring. Additionally, the Lady Vols have had three different individual medalists this season in Kyra Van Kan, Madison Messimer, and Sophie Christopher, the first time that has happened in program history.
In the Lady Vols' most recent outing, the team posted 11-under-par to finish in fourth place at the Huntington Bank Collegiate in Dallas. Christopher led the team with a strong performance, tying for sixth place at 6-under-par.
The 2025 SEC Championship saw the Lady Vols qualify for the quarterfinal match, where they fell 3-2 to South Carolina, for the first time since 2022. Since the conference added the additional match play portion to the women's championship in 2018, those are the only two years Tennessee has qualified.
Tennessee has never won the SEC Championship, but the Lady Vols have earned runner-up honors on two occasions: the program's inaugural season in 1993 and most recently in 1999.
It's been a strong 2025-26 season for the conference in women's golf, reflected by the team rankings entering the SEC Championship. The 2026 field will feature five of the nation's top ten ranked teams and ten of the top 25.
Tennessee Lineup
Madison Messimer
Messimer enters the first postseason of her collegiate career after a stellar freshman season for the Lady Vols. In addition to her first career victory at the Chris Banister Golf Classic, Messimer boasts six top ten finishes, 16 rounds of par or better, and a team best 71.08 scoring average this season.
Kyra Van Kan
A stellar sophomore season for Van Kan has included four top five finishes, 14 rounds of par or better, eight rounds in the 60s, and a 71.48 scoring average. Van Kan earned medalist honors to open the spring at the FAU Paradise Invitational, where she closed at 10-under-par.
Manassanan Chotikabhukkana
The lone senior in the Tennessee lineup this weekend, Chotikabhukkana is looking to add to an illustrious career as a Lady Vol. The program leader in career rounds of par or better (60) has earned two top ten finishes this season, highlighted by a seventh place finish at the Moon Golf Invitational, which featured a very impressive field.
Sophie Christopher
Christopher is carrying serious momentum into the postseason for Tennessee. The sophomore has hit her stride in the last few weeks, capturing her first career victory at the Georgia State Invitational and a sixth place finish at the Huntington Bank Collegiate, where she led the Lady Vols with a career-best 6-under-par performance.
Kaopan Thapasit
Another skilled freshman for Tennessee, Thapasit has earned five top 25 finishes in her debut season with the Lady Vols. The Thailand native has shot 11 rounds of par or better in 2025-26, accumulating a 72.81 scoring average.
Sofie Engesaeth (sub)
A substitute option in Tennessee's lineup this weekend, Engesaeth has two top ten finishes for the Lady Vols this season. The highlight of her spring was a seventh place finish at the Chris Banister Golf Classic, where she helped the team to its third victory of the season.
Participants
Alabama (56)
Arkansas (6)
Auburn (8)
Florida (3)
Georgia (55)
Kentucky (31)
LSU (32)
Mississippi State (16)
Missouri (35)
Oklahoma (27)
Ole Miss (20)
South Carolina (23)
Tennessee (18)
Texas (5)
Texas A&M (4)
Vanderbilt (14)
Rankings via Clippd
The stroke play portion of the tournament will begin on Friday, April 17, spanning through Sunday, April 19, with one round of competition completed on each day. The top eight teams at the conclusion of stroke play will advance to the match play portion of the championship, with the quarterfinals and semifinals set for Monday, April 20, and the championship match slated for Tuesday, April 21.
Pelican Golf Club will play host to the conference championship for the third consecutive season. The par 72 course is expected to play around 6,287 yards. Reimagined in 2018 by Beau Welling, the course is a homage to Augusta National, featuring bright bunkers, pine straw, and large, undulating greens.
Tennessee has had a 2025-26 season for the history books thus far, notching three team victories for the fourth time in program history, including two wins this spring. Additionally, the Lady Vols have had three different individual medalists this season in Kyra Van Kan, Madison Messimer, and Sophie Christopher, the first time that has happened in program history.
In the Lady Vols' most recent outing, the team posted 11-under-par to finish in fourth place at the Huntington Bank Collegiate in Dallas. Christopher led the team with a strong performance, tying for sixth place at 6-under-par.
The 2025 SEC Championship saw the Lady Vols qualify for the quarterfinal match, where they fell 3-2 to South Carolina, for the first time since 2022. Since the conference added the additional match play portion to the women's championship in 2018, those are the only two years Tennessee has qualified.
Tennessee has never won the SEC Championship, but the Lady Vols have earned runner-up honors on two occasions: the program's inaugural season in 1993 and most recently in 1999.
It's been a strong 2025-26 season for the conference in women's golf, reflected by the team rankings entering the SEC Championship. The 2026 field will feature five of the nation's top ten ranked teams and ten of the top 25.
Tennessee Lineup
Madison Messimer
Messimer enters the first postseason of her collegiate career after a stellar freshman season for the Lady Vols. In addition to her first career victory at the Chris Banister Golf Classic, Messimer boasts six top ten finishes, 16 rounds of par or better, and a team best 71.08 scoring average this season.
Kyra Van Kan
A stellar sophomore season for Van Kan has included four top five finishes, 14 rounds of par or better, eight rounds in the 60s, and a 71.48 scoring average. Van Kan earned medalist honors to open the spring at the FAU Paradise Invitational, where she closed at 10-under-par.
Manassanan Chotikabhukkana
The lone senior in the Tennessee lineup this weekend, Chotikabhukkana is looking to add to an illustrious career as a Lady Vol. The program leader in career rounds of par or better (60) has earned two top ten finishes this season, highlighted by a seventh place finish at the Moon Golf Invitational, which featured a very impressive field.
Sophie Christopher
Christopher is carrying serious momentum into the postseason for Tennessee. The sophomore has hit her stride in the last few weeks, capturing her first career victory at the Georgia State Invitational and a sixth place finish at the Huntington Bank Collegiate, where she led the Lady Vols with a career-best 6-under-par performance.
Kaopan Thapasit
Another skilled freshman for Tennessee, Thapasit has earned five top 25 finishes in her debut season with the Lady Vols. The Thailand native has shot 11 rounds of par or better in 2025-26, accumulating a 72.81 scoring average.
Sofie Engesaeth (sub)
A substitute option in Tennessee's lineup this weekend, Engesaeth has two top ten finishes for the Lady Vols this season. The highlight of her spring was a seventh place finish at the Chris Banister Golf Classic, where she helped the team to its third victory of the season.
Participants
Alabama (56)
Arkansas (6)
Auburn (8)
Florida (3)
Georgia (55)
Kentucky (31)
LSU (32)
Mississippi State (16)
Missouri (35)
Oklahoma (27)
Ole Miss (20)
South Carolina (23)
Tennessee (18)
Texas (5)
Texas A&M (4)
Vanderbilt (14)
Rankings via Clippd
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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