University of Tennessee Athletics
Monday, August 31
Knoxville, Tenn.
University of Tennessee
vs
Visit Knoxville Collegiate - Rounds 1 & 2
PREVIEW: Vols Host Visit Knoxville Collegiate to Open Men’s Golf Season
August 29, 2026 | Men's Golf
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee men's golf team is set to tee off the 2026-27 season on Monday as the Vols host the fourth annual Visit Knoxville Collegiate at Fox Den Country Club.
The 54-hole event will begin with 36 holes played on Monday, Aug. 31, before the tournament concludes with round three on Sept. 1.
In its fourth year of existence, the tournament is set to be played at Fox Den Country Club for the first time after it was held at Tennessee National Golf Club the previous three years. NCAA rules prohibit a regular season tournament from being held at an NCAA Regional site in the same season, eliminating Tennessee National as the Vols will host an NCAA Regional at the course next May.
Designed and built by Willard Byrd in 1969, Fox Den will play as a par-70 at 6,962 yards for the Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
Entering the ninth season of the Brennan Webb era, Tennessee posted a strong finish in the team's third consecutive NCAA Championship in 2025-26. The Vols tied for seventh place, narrowly missing out on match play after falling in a playoff. It marked the program's highest finish at the national championship since the 1980-81 season.
Tennessee has won the Visit Knoxville Collegiate twice in its three seasons of existence. The Vols are the reigning champions of the event with a victory in 2025, also claiming the inaugural crown in 2023. VFL Reed Lotter tied for the individual title at 7-under-par in 2025, followed closely by VFL Lance Simpson at 5-under-par and Jackson Herrington at 4-under-par.
TENNESSEE LINEUP:
Jackson Herrington
Herrington headlines Tennessee's opening lineup of the fall after a memorable sophomore campaign in 2025-26. He posted a season scoring average of 71.35, while accumulating 16 rounds of par or better and two top-10 finishes, including a tie for fifth place at last year's Visit Knoxville Collegiate. Most notably, Herrington was in the field at the 2026 Masters and the 2026 U.S. Open, representing Rocky Top on golf's biggest stage.
Rudy Sautron
A transfer from Nebraska, Sautron is set to debut for Tennessee in his fourth season of collegiate golf. With the Cornhuskers, he won four individual events over two seasons and set the Nebraska single-season scoring average record in back-to-back campaigns. Sautron recorded a 70.27 scoring average in 2025-26, earning First Team All-Big Ten and PING All-Midwest Region honors. Over the summer, he claimed a dominant victory at the Monroe Invitational, earning an exemption into the PGA TOUR's 2026 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Pennson Badgett
Another newcomer for the Vols, Badgett is set for his freshman season on Rocky Top. One of the nation's best junior golfers before arriving at Tennessee, the Pilot Mountain, N.C., native won the 2024 AJGA Polo Championship and was a member of the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup Team. Badgett is the lone freshman in the lineup for the Vols this week, as fellow highly touted freshman Tyler Watts prepares to compete for Team USA at the Walker Cup.
Chase Kyes
Kyes showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman for Tennessee in 2025-26. Among the returning Vols, he posted the most rounds of par or better last season, closing with 20 and accumulating an impressive 71.58 scoring average. Additionally, Kyes tallied two top-5 finishes during his freshman campaign, which he closed with a top-50 finish at the NCAA Championships. In June, he survived golf's longest day, earning a spot at the 2026 U.S. Open through local qualifying.
Christian Pardue
In two seasons thus far on Rocky Top, Pardue has shown the ability to go low. The junior has tallied 21 rounds of par or better in just 42 total rounds of action. Pardue posted three top-10 finishes in events he competed in as an individual in 2025-26, including at tie for tenth place at last year's Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
Bruce Murphy (i):
The lone fifth-year athlete on Tennessee's roster, Murphy will compete as an individual this week at Fox Den. The Atlanta native had arguably his best season on Rocky Top in 2025-26, posting a 71.48 scoring average, 17 rounds of par or better, and four top-10 finishes. Murphy earned the second individual victory of his career in February's Coach Sykes Individual, shooting 10-under-par over 36 holes.
Luke Smith (i):
Smith had a strong spring to close his freshman season for Tennessee in 2025-26. He closed the season with a 72.04 scoring average and 14 rounds of par or better. All four of Smith's top-25 individual finishes came in the spring, showcasing his progression throughout the season. In his final outing of the season at the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial, he posted three consecutive rounds of par or better to close at 2-under-par.
THE FIELD:
Host: Tennessee
Charlotte
Chattanooga
Georgia
Indiana
Kentucky
Liberty
Louisville
Memphis
Mississippi State
Missouri
North Carolina
NC State
South Carolina
Toledo
Vanderbilt
Virginia Tech
The 54-hole event will begin with 36 holes played on Monday, Aug. 31, before the tournament concludes with round three on Sept. 1.
In its fourth year of existence, the tournament is set to be played at Fox Den Country Club for the first time after it was held at Tennessee National Golf Club the previous three years. NCAA rules prohibit a regular season tournament from being held at an NCAA Regional site in the same season, eliminating Tennessee National as the Vols will host an NCAA Regional at the course next May.
Designed and built by Willard Byrd in 1969, Fox Den will play as a par-70 at 6,962 yards for the Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
Entering the ninth season of the Brennan Webb era, Tennessee posted a strong finish in the team's third consecutive NCAA Championship in 2025-26. The Vols tied for seventh place, narrowly missing out on match play after falling in a playoff. It marked the program's highest finish at the national championship since the 1980-81 season.
Tennessee has won the Visit Knoxville Collegiate twice in its three seasons of existence. The Vols are the reigning champions of the event with a victory in 2025, also claiming the inaugural crown in 2023. VFL Reed Lotter tied for the individual title at 7-under-par in 2025, followed closely by VFL Lance Simpson at 5-under-par and Jackson Herrington at 4-under-par.
TENNESSEE LINEUP:
Jackson Herrington
Herrington headlines Tennessee's opening lineup of the fall after a memorable sophomore campaign in 2025-26. He posted a season scoring average of 71.35, while accumulating 16 rounds of par or better and two top-10 finishes, including a tie for fifth place at last year's Visit Knoxville Collegiate. Most notably, Herrington was in the field at the 2026 Masters and the 2026 U.S. Open, representing Rocky Top on golf's biggest stage.
Rudy Sautron
A transfer from Nebraska, Sautron is set to debut for Tennessee in his fourth season of collegiate golf. With the Cornhuskers, he won four individual events over two seasons and set the Nebraska single-season scoring average record in back-to-back campaigns. Sautron recorded a 70.27 scoring average in 2025-26, earning First Team All-Big Ten and PING All-Midwest Region honors. Over the summer, he claimed a dominant victory at the Monroe Invitational, earning an exemption into the PGA TOUR's 2026 Butterfield Bermuda Championship.
Pennson Badgett
Another newcomer for the Vols, Badgett is set for his freshman season on Rocky Top. One of the nation's best junior golfers before arriving at Tennessee, the Pilot Mountain, N.C., native won the 2024 AJGA Polo Championship and was a member of the 2024 Junior Presidents Cup Team. Badgett is the lone freshman in the lineup for the Vols this week, as fellow highly touted freshman Tyler Watts prepares to compete for Team USA at the Walker Cup.
Chase Kyes
Kyes showed flashes of brilliance as a freshman for Tennessee in 2025-26. Among the returning Vols, he posted the most rounds of par or better last season, closing with 20 and accumulating an impressive 71.58 scoring average. Additionally, Kyes tallied two top-5 finishes during his freshman campaign, which he closed with a top-50 finish at the NCAA Championships. In June, he survived golf's longest day, earning a spot at the 2026 U.S. Open through local qualifying.
Christian Pardue
In two seasons thus far on Rocky Top, Pardue has shown the ability to go low. The junior has tallied 21 rounds of par or better in just 42 total rounds of action. Pardue posted three top-10 finishes in events he competed in as an individual in 2025-26, including at tie for tenth place at last year's Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
Bruce Murphy (i):
The lone fifth-year athlete on Tennessee's roster, Murphy will compete as an individual this week at Fox Den. The Atlanta native had arguably his best season on Rocky Top in 2025-26, posting a 71.48 scoring average, 17 rounds of par or better, and four top-10 finishes. Murphy earned the second individual victory of his career in February's Coach Sykes Individual, shooting 10-under-par over 36 holes.
Luke Smith (i):
Smith had a strong spring to close his freshman season for Tennessee in 2025-26. He closed the season with a 72.04 scoring average and 14 rounds of par or better. All four of Smith's top-25 individual finishes came in the spring, showcasing his progression throughout the season. In his final outing of the season at the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial, he posted three consecutive rounds of par or better to close at 2-under-par.
THE FIELD:
Host: Tennessee
Charlotte
Chattanooga
Georgia
Indiana
Kentucky
Liberty
Louisville
Memphis
Mississippi State
Missouri
North Carolina
NC State
South Carolina
Toledo
Vanderbilt
Virginia Tech
Players Mentioned
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