University of Tennessee Athletics
Friday, April 26
St. Simons Island, GA
All Day
University of Tennessee
vs
SEC Championship
Tennessee Advances to Match Play at the SEC Championships
April 26, 2019 | Men's Golf
Redshirt sophomore Hunter Wolcott finishes in top five and ties program record for lowest 54-hole score at the SEC Championships
ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – The University of Tennessee men's golf team advanced to match play at the SEC Championships Friday afternoon.
The Vols tied for fifth after three rounds of stroke play with Georgia with a 54-hole total of 846 (+6). Tennessee won the tiebreaker of lower combined drop score between the two schools and earned the No. 5 seed heading into match play.
After finishing even par in the final round of stroke play, redshirt sophomore Hunter Wolcott tied for fourth on the individual leaderboard. Wolcott tied the lowest 54-hole score at the SEC Championships for any player in program history.
He finished stroke play with a score of 205 (-5), tying the mark Tommy McGinnis set in 1968 when he was the runner-up at the SEC Championships in Knoxville.
It is the second consecutive season a Tennessee player has finished in the top five on the individual leaderboard. Last season, Lorenzo Scalise tied for third with a 54-hole total of 207 (-3).
Joining him in the top 25 on the leaderboard are juniors Brayden Garrison and Rhys Nevin. Garrison and Nevin tied for 21st individually, finishing 3-over-par for the week.
Nevin helped Tennessee bring in its score as he was 2-under-par on the back nine.
After birding the par-4 14th, he hit his second shot on the par-5 15th within 15 feet of the hole. Nevin knocked in the putt for eagle, the only eagle for the team this week at Sea Island Golf Club.
In the third year of the match play format, this will be the first time Tennessee plays in the eight-team match play tournament.
Tennessee will tee off the quarterfinal round of match play tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. ET. The Vols head to match play as the No. 5 seed and will play No. 4 seed Kentucky in quarterfinals.
Coach's Take
On playing in tough conditions:
"They handled themselves great in some tough conditions and a pretty pressure-filled day, trying to do something that we haven't done before. The first step of having success this week is to qualify for match play, and that's what we've achieved." – Coach Brennan Webb
On how this week has helped prepare the team for match play:
"Match play is a different animal, and it's something our guys are looking forward to. The conditions don't have as much affect, because it's just head-to-head. So, it is just deciding that you want to beat the guy across from you." – Coach Brennan Webb
On Hunter Wolcott's week:
"It's just a continuation of his play this this whole year, and especially this semester. He is, without a doubt, one of the best players I've ever coached. And so for him to (play so well) this week here is not surprising at all. He's putting together quite an impressive resume." – Coach Brennan Webb
On strategy heading into match play:
"At the end of the day, whoever plays better is going to win. It's a little bit of a different mental approach to some shots, but for the most part, it's just going to play golf and taking advantage of the opportunity." – Coach Brennan Webb
Final Scores:
Team
Tennessee Team
Match-ups:
Quarterfinals – Saturday at 7:30 a.m. (ET)
The Vols tied for fifth after three rounds of stroke play with Georgia with a 54-hole total of 846 (+6). Tennessee won the tiebreaker of lower combined drop score between the two schools and earned the No. 5 seed heading into match play.
After finishing even par in the final round of stroke play, redshirt sophomore Hunter Wolcott tied for fourth on the individual leaderboard. Wolcott tied the lowest 54-hole score at the SEC Championships for any player in program history.
He finished stroke play with a score of 205 (-5), tying the mark Tommy McGinnis set in 1968 when he was the runner-up at the SEC Championships in Knoxville.
It is the second consecutive season a Tennessee player has finished in the top five on the individual leaderboard. Last season, Lorenzo Scalise tied for third with a 54-hole total of 207 (-3).
Joining him in the top 25 on the leaderboard are juniors Brayden Garrison and Rhys Nevin. Garrison and Nevin tied for 21st individually, finishing 3-over-par for the week.
Nevin helped Tennessee bring in its score as he was 2-under-par on the back nine.
After birding the par-4 14th, he hit his second shot on the par-5 15th within 15 feet of the hole. Nevin knocked in the putt for eagle, the only eagle for the team this week at Sea Island Golf Club.
In the third year of the match play format, this will be the first time Tennessee plays in the eight-team match play tournament.
Tennessee will tee off the quarterfinal round of match play tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. ET. The Vols head to match play as the No. 5 seed and will play No. 4 seed Kentucky in quarterfinals.
Coach's Take
On playing in tough conditions:
"They handled themselves great in some tough conditions and a pretty pressure-filled day, trying to do something that we haven't done before. The first step of having success this week is to qualify for match play, and that's what we've achieved." – Coach Brennan Webb
On how this week has helped prepare the team for match play:
"Match play is a different animal, and it's something our guys are looking forward to. The conditions don't have as much affect, because it's just head-to-head. So, it is just deciding that you want to beat the guy across from you." – Coach Brennan Webb
On Hunter Wolcott's week:
"It's just a continuation of his play this this whole year, and especially this semester. He is, without a doubt, one of the best players I've ever coached. And so for him to (play so well) this week here is not surprising at all. He's putting together quite an impressive resume." – Coach Brennan Webb
On strategy heading into match play:
"At the end of the day, whoever plays better is going to win. It's a little bit of a different mental approach to some shots, but for the most part, it's just going to play golf and taking advantage of the opportunity." – Coach Brennan Webb
Final Scores:
Team
| 1 | Auburn | -24 (816) |
| 2 | Vanderbilt | -8 (832) |
| T3 | Texas A&M | +3 (843) |
| T3 | Kentucky | +3 (843) |
| T5 | Tennessee | +6 (846) |
| T5 | Georgia | +6 (846) |
| 7 | Arkansas | +15 (855) |
| 8 | South Carolina | +16 (856) |
| 9 | LSU | +17 (857) |
| 10 | Ole Miss | +22 (862) |
| T11 | Florida | +35 (875) |
| T11 | Missouri | +35 (875) |
| 13 | Mississippi State | +38 (878) |
| 14 | Alabama | +42 (882) |
Tennessee Team
| Hunter Wolcott | T4 | 205 (-5) |
| Brayden Garrison | T21 | 213 (+3) |
| Rhys Nevin | T21 | 213 (+3) |
| Nolan Ray | T35 | 217 (+7) |
| Tyler Johnson | T52 | 222 (+12) |
Match-ups:
Quarterfinals – Saturday at 7:30 a.m. (ET)
| Tennessee Player | Kentucky Player | Hole | Time (Eastern) |
| Tyler Johnson | Matt Liston | 10 | 7:30 a.m. |
| Nolan Ray | Fred Allen Meyer | 10 | 7:40 a.m. |
| Brayden Garrison | Cullan Brown | 10 | 7:50 a.m. |
| Rhys Nevin | Max Mehles | 10 | 8:00 a.m. |
| Hunter Wolcott | Lukas Euler | 10 | 8:10 a.m. |
Players Mentioned
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
/ Men's Golf
MGolf | Brennan Webb Media Availability (9.2.25))
Tuesday, September 02
MGolf | Brennan Webb Media Availability (9.3.24)
Tuesday, September 03
MGolf | Brennan Webb Post-Round Interview - SEC Championship: Round Three (4.26.24)
Friday, April 26
MGolf | Jake Hall Post-Round Interview - SEC Championship: Round Two (4.25.24)
Thursday, April 25
