#18 Vols Tied for 15th Through Round One of NCAA Championships

Friday, May 29

Carlsbad, Calif.

University of Tennessee

NCAA Championships - Round 1

#18 Vols Tied for 15th Through Round One of NCAA Championships

May 29, 2026 | Men's Golf

Results

CARLSBAD, Calif. – The No. 18 Tennessee men's golf team began its third consecutive NCAA Championship appearance on Friday, with the opening round contested at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.

The Vols shot a 4-over-par 292 in round one to sit in a tie for 15^th place among the 30 teams competing on the West Coast. Of important note, Tennessee is just five strokes behind the current top eight, as four teams are tied for sixth place at 1-under-par. UCLA sits atop the team standings through 18 holes after posting an 8-under-par 280 on Friday.

As a reminder of the tournament format, Tennessee must be one of the top 15 teams after 54 holes to advance to the fourth and final round of stroke play on Monday. Following round four, the top eight 72-hole scores will advance to the match play quarterfinals, which will begin on Tuesday morning.

Making his NCAA Championships debut, Chase Kyes led Tennessee in round one. The freshman was the only Vol to post a score below par with a 1-under-par 71. Kyes opened the day with three birdies on his opening seven holes, but two bogeys down the stretch kept him from earning a score in the 60s. Kyes is tied for 25^th place among the 156 golfers to compete in round one.

On the opposite side of the experience spectrum, Lance Simpson began his third appearance at Omni La Costa with a solid even-par round of 72. After bogey troubles early in the day, the redshirt senior tallied birdies on three of his final six holes to avoid posting a score over par, including a birdie on his final hole of the day. With Tennessee's second-best score in round one, Simpson is tied for 35^th place ahead of Saturday's second round.

Another senior making a return to the NCAA Championships, Josh Hill opened the weekend with a 2-over-par 74 in round one. After a birdie on his opening hole of the day, the senior was set back by four bogeys down the stretch. Hill is tied for 74^th place entering round two.

Jackson Herrington earned the Vols' final score countable toward the team total on Friday. A sophomore making his second consecutive NCAA Championships appearance, Herrington carded a 3-over-par 75 to open the 2026 edition of the tournament. The 2026 Masters tournament participant is tied for 91^st place through 18 holes of play.

The NCAA Championships will resume with round two on Saturday. With anticipated early afternoon tee times, the Vols will likely appear on Babygrande Golf's live coverage of the event. The stream begins at 3:30 p.m. EST and is available for free following account creation on the company's website.

Tennessee Tee Times – Round Two
Bruce Murphy – 2:50 p.m. EST (11:50 a.m. PST)
Jackson Herrington – 3:01 p.m. EST (12:01 p.m. PST)
Chase Kyes – 3:12 p.m. EST (12:12 p.m. PST)
Josh Hill – 3:23 p.m. EST (12:23 p.m. PST)
Lance Simpson – 3:34 p.m. EST (12:34 p.m. PST)

NCAA Championship Standings (Round One)
1. UCLA (-8)
2. Auburn (-4)
3. Pepperdine (-3)
T-4. Duke (-2)
T-4. San Diego (-2)
T-6. Texas (-1)
T-6. Arizona (-1)
T-6. North Carolina (-1)
T-6. Vanderbilt (-1)
T-10. Arkansas (E)
T-10. Virginia (E)
T-12. Florida (+3)
T-12. Stanford (+3)
T-12. Arizona State (+3)
T-15. Georgia (+4)
T-15. Oklahoma (+4)
T-15. Tennessee (+4)
T-18. Chattanooga (+6)
T-18. Louisville (+6)
T-20. Oklahoma State (+7)
T-20. Arkansas State (+7)
T-22. Purdue (+8)
T-22. BYU (+8)
24. USC (+9)
25. Mississippi State (+10)
26. Texas A&M (+11)
27. Memphis (+13)
T-28. Ole Miss (+15)
T-28. LSU (+15)
30. Florida State (+19)

Tennessee Results (Round One)
T-25. Chase Kyes: 71 (-1)
T-35. Lance Simpson: 72 (E)
T-74. Josh Hill: 74 (+2)
T-91. Jackson Herrington: 75 (+3)
T-146. Bruce Murphy: 80 (+8)