University of Tennessee Athletics
Photo by: Maury Neipris/Tennessee Athletics
Tennessee Men’s Golf: 2019-20 Season Recap
March 31, 2020 | Men's Golf
Despite its 2019-20 season being abbreviated due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) global health crisis, the Tennessee men's golf team enjoyed a season of success, highlighted by a pair of team titles.
The Vols finished the season ranked No. 24 in the Golfstat team rankings – the program's highest final ranking since the 2008-09 season.
For a breakdown of the 2019-20 Tennessee men's golf season, read below.
Vols, Johnson, Claim Titles at Intercollegiate at the Grove
Tennessee's first team title of the season came in the mid-state in early October, as the Vols topped the 14-team field at the Intercollegiate at the Grove by 16 strokes.
Over the course of the weather-shortened event, the Vols carded a new 36-hole tournament record with a score of 569 (-7).
Competing as an individual, Tyler Johnson claimed the tournament's individual title with a new 36-hole tournament record score of 138 (-6). Johnson's title marked the first individual win of his collegiate career and was the only individual title of the season by a Vol.
Overall, three of the top four spots on the leaderboard were occupied by Tennessee, as Hunter Wolcott and Spencer Cross each followed closely behind Johnson. Wolcott shot 4-under and tied for second place, while Cross tied for fourth and shot 2-under.
In addition to Tennessee's five-man lineup, five additional Vols competed as individuals, led by Johnson. In total, Tennessee placed nine golfers in the top 25 – Johnson, Wolcott, Cross, Chip Thomas (T-8th), Brayden Garrison (T-10th), Rhys Nevin (T-13th), Bryce Lewis (T-13th), Jake Hall (T-20th) and Chase Roswall (T-24th).
Vols Near Top of Leaderboard at Inverness Intercollegiate, Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate
Tennessee's win at the Intercollegiate at the Grove came in between two other solid team outings, as the Vols placed second at the Inverness Intercollegiate in late September and finished third at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate.
Three Vols – Nevin, Cross and Thomas – placed inside the top 20 at the Inverness Intercollegiate as Tennessee edged out two ranked teams and three SEC teams over the course of the weekend
Nevin and Cross both tied for eleventh place with identical scores of 216 (+3), while Thomas had his second-best finish of the season, tying for 17th place and shooting 217 (+4)
Less than a week removed from the team title at the Intercollegiate at the Grove, the Vols made the quick trip up to Johnson City for the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate.
The Vols carded a season-best 54-hole score of 837 (-27) at the tournament, with three players – Cross, Wolcott and Nevin – finishing 5-under-par or better. Those three, along with Garrison and Thomas, all set season-best 54-hole scores.
Cross was Tennessee's top finisher, coming in at fourth overall with a score of 204 (-12). It marked his second top-five finish in a row. Wolcott tied for 10th place with a score of 209 (-7), one of two top-10 finishes of the season for the redshirt junior. Nevin tied for 18th, one of his six top-25 finishes during the 2019-20 season.
Vols Travel West, Capture Second Team Title
Tennessee claimed its second team title of the season at the Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic – one of only two spring tournaments it competed in. The win was Tennessee's fifth tournament title of the Brennan Webb era.
In a 19-team field that featured five teams ranked inside the top 25, Tennessee placed three golfers inside the top 25, including Nevin, who finished tied for fifth place and Lewis, who tied for 14th place. The Vols won the event by four strokes, edging out top-five teams Arizona State and Texas A&M.
Nevin's top-five finish marked his second of the season and the fifth of his career. The senior shot a three-round total of 213 (-3) with two rounds under par.
Tennessee's second-best score came from Lewis, who shot a total of 215 (-1). Lewis' top-15 finish was the fourth of his freshman season.
The Vols also got a top-25 finish from Wolcott, who after shooting an 80 (+8) during round one, rebounded to shoot 70 (-2) during round two and 67 (-5) in round three. After sitting in a tie for 90th place following round one, Wolcott shot up the leaderboard during rounds two and three and finished in 24th place overall.
While five Vols contributed to the win at the Lamkin Grips Classic, Roswall competed in the nearby Coronado Individual and tied for sixth place in the event, recording a season-best 54-hole score of 214 (-2).
Final Season Stat Leaders
Below is a condensed breakdown of Tennessee's top performers in certain statistical categories. A full rundown of Tennessee's final statistics for the 2019-20 season can be found HERE.
Stroke Average
Bryce Lewis – 71.76
Spencer Cross – 71.82
Rhys Nevin – 72.00
Rounds Par or Better
Spencer Cross – 11
Bryce Lewis – 11
Rhys Nevin – 11
Counted Rounds
Rhys Nevin – 19 (95%)
Spencer Cross – 16 (94.1%)
Hunter Wolcott – 15.5 (77.5%)
Top-10 Finishes
Spencer Cross – 2
Rhys Nevin – 2
Hunter Wolcott – 2
Top-25 Finishes
Rhys Nevin – 6
Spencer Cross – 5
Bryce Lewis – 5
Best Finish
Tyler Johnson – 1st* (Intercollegiate at the Grove)
Hunter Wolcott – T-2nd (Intercollegiate at the Grove)
Spencer Cross – 4th (Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate)
Rhys Nevin – T-4th (Carpet Capital Collegiate)
Best 54-Hole Score
Spencer Cross – 204 (Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate)
Bryce Lewis – 207* (J.T. Poston Invitational)
Hunter Wolcott – 209 (Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate)
*competed as an individual
The Vols finished the season ranked No. 24 in the Golfstat team rankings – the program's highest final ranking since the 2008-09 season.
For a breakdown of the 2019-20 Tennessee men's golf season, read below.
Vols, Johnson, Claim Titles at Intercollegiate at the Grove
Tennessee's first team title of the season came in the mid-state in early October, as the Vols topped the 14-team field at the Intercollegiate at the Grove by 16 strokes.
Over the course of the weather-shortened event, the Vols carded a new 36-hole tournament record with a score of 569 (-7).
Competing as an individual, Tyler Johnson claimed the tournament's individual title with a new 36-hole tournament record score of 138 (-6). Johnson's title marked the first individual win of his collegiate career and was the only individual title of the season by a Vol.
Overall, three of the top four spots on the leaderboard were occupied by Tennessee, as Hunter Wolcott and Spencer Cross each followed closely behind Johnson. Wolcott shot 4-under and tied for second place, while Cross tied for fourth and shot 2-under.
In addition to Tennessee's five-man lineup, five additional Vols competed as individuals, led by Johnson. In total, Tennessee placed nine golfers in the top 25 – Johnson, Wolcott, Cross, Chip Thomas (T-8th), Brayden Garrison (T-10th), Rhys Nevin (T-13th), Bryce Lewis (T-13th), Jake Hall (T-20th) and Chase Roswall (T-24th).
Vols Near Top of Leaderboard at Inverness Intercollegiate, Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate
Tennessee's win at the Intercollegiate at the Grove came in between two other solid team outings, as the Vols placed second at the Inverness Intercollegiate in late September and finished third at the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate.
Three Vols – Nevin, Cross and Thomas – placed inside the top 20 at the Inverness Intercollegiate as Tennessee edged out two ranked teams and three SEC teams over the course of the weekend
Nevin and Cross both tied for eleventh place with identical scores of 216 (+3), while Thomas had his second-best finish of the season, tying for 17th place and shooting 217 (+4)
Less than a week removed from the team title at the Intercollegiate at the Grove, the Vols made the quick trip up to Johnson City for the Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate.
The Vols carded a season-best 54-hole score of 837 (-27) at the tournament, with three players – Cross, Wolcott and Nevin – finishing 5-under-par or better. Those three, along with Garrison and Thomas, all set season-best 54-hole scores.
Cross was Tennessee's top finisher, coming in at fourth overall with a score of 204 (-12). It marked his second top-five finish in a row. Wolcott tied for 10th place with a score of 209 (-7), one of two top-10 finishes of the season for the redshirt junior. Nevin tied for 18th, one of his six top-25 finishes during the 2019-20 season.
Vols Travel West, Capture Second Team Title
Tennessee claimed its second team title of the season at the Lamkin Grips San Diego Classic – one of only two spring tournaments it competed in. The win was Tennessee's fifth tournament title of the Brennan Webb era.
In a 19-team field that featured five teams ranked inside the top 25, Tennessee placed three golfers inside the top 25, including Nevin, who finished tied for fifth place and Lewis, who tied for 14th place. The Vols won the event by four strokes, edging out top-five teams Arizona State and Texas A&M.
Nevin's top-five finish marked his second of the season and the fifth of his career. The senior shot a three-round total of 213 (-3) with two rounds under par.
Tennessee's second-best score came from Lewis, who shot a total of 215 (-1). Lewis' top-15 finish was the fourth of his freshman season.
The Vols also got a top-25 finish from Wolcott, who after shooting an 80 (+8) during round one, rebounded to shoot 70 (-2) during round two and 67 (-5) in round three. After sitting in a tie for 90th place following round one, Wolcott shot up the leaderboard during rounds two and three and finished in 24th place overall.
While five Vols contributed to the win at the Lamkin Grips Classic, Roswall competed in the nearby Coronado Individual and tied for sixth place in the event, recording a season-best 54-hole score of 214 (-2).
Final Season Stat Leaders
Below is a condensed breakdown of Tennessee's top performers in certain statistical categories. A full rundown of Tennessee's final statistics for the 2019-20 season can be found HERE.
Stroke Average
Bryce Lewis – 71.76
Spencer Cross – 71.82
Rhys Nevin – 72.00
Rounds Par or Better
Spencer Cross – 11
Bryce Lewis – 11
Rhys Nevin – 11
Counted Rounds
Rhys Nevin – 19 (95%)
Spencer Cross – 16 (94.1%)
Hunter Wolcott – 15.5 (77.5%)
Top-10 Finishes
Spencer Cross – 2
Rhys Nevin – 2
Hunter Wolcott – 2
Top-25 Finishes
Rhys Nevin – 6
Spencer Cross – 5
Bryce Lewis – 5
Best Finish
Tyler Johnson – 1st* (Intercollegiate at the Grove)
Hunter Wolcott – T-2nd (Intercollegiate at the Grove)
Spencer Cross – 4th (Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate)
Rhys Nevin – T-4th (Carpet Capital Collegiate)
Best 54-Hole Score
Spencer Cross – 204 (Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate)
Bryce Lewis – 207* (J.T. Poston Invitational)
Hunter Wolcott – 209 (Bank of Tennessee Intercollegiate)
*competed as an individual
Players Mentioned
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