Men's Golf Central: Visit Knoxville Collegiate
September 04, 2025 | Men's Golf
LOUDON, Tenn. – The Tennessee men's golf team is set to open the eighth season of the Brennan Webb era as the fall season opens this weekend at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
In its third year of existence, the event is hosted by the Volunteers at the Tennessee National Golf Club, a par-70, 7,280-yard course designed by Greg Norman. Sitting alongside the Tennessee River, the 18-hole course offers a long and challenging layout for each golfer this weekend.
Tennessee will tee off for three total rounds this tournament, each on a different day with play beginning with 18 holes on Friday, followed by 18 holes apiece on Saturday and Sunday.
According to Golfweek's preseason rankings, Tennessee is the fourth-highest rated team in the field.
The Volunteers finished third in last year's competition, with golfer Lance Simpson tying for third, and Jackson Herrington, in his collegiate debut, earning top-ten honors.
Tennessee won the inaugural Visit Knoxville Collegiate and will look to compete at a high level throughout the season. Webb has led the Volunteers to consecutive NCAA Championship appearances, and last season ended with Tennessee's second straight top-20 finish at the NCAA Championships, the first time since 1980 and 1981.
THE VOLS' LINEUP
Lance Simpson
The Knoxville native opens 2025-2026 season after a redshirt junior year in which he recorded four top-10 finishes with 24 rounds of par or lower, which marks the third most in a single season in program history. Simpson has risen to No. 40 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and received recognition on Golfweek's and Golf Channel's All-America Honorable Mention lists.
Jackson Herrington
The Dickson, Tennessee native enters his sophomore campaign after a momentous summer, placing second in the U.S. Amateur Championship and becoming just the third Tennessee golfer to do so. Herrington logged a solid freshman season on Rocky Top, with four top-25 finishes and a top-ten finish in last year's Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
Josh Hill
Returning for his fourth and final season as a Volunteer, Hill logged six top-25 and two top-ten finishes last season as an anchor in the scoring lineup, consistently logging respectable scores at every event for the Volunteers, including a 1-under score in the NCAA Regionals.
Bruce Murphy
The redshirt junior enters this season on a high note, after firing a 2-under in the final round of the NCAA Championship. Murphy, in his redshirt freshman season, was a dominant force, capturing an individual title at the Wolfpack Invitational, as well as two other top-10 finishes.
Chase Kyes
The Birmingham, Alabama, native was slated to the Golf Channel All-Freshman Team and was tabbed a Golfweek Freshman to Watch to add to his highly anticipated debut on Rocky Top. Kyes is rated as the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2025 by Junior Golf Scoreboard and owns two individual AHSA Class 7A state championship titles.
THE VOLS' INDIVIDUALS
Reed Lotter
A transfer from Auburn, Lotter was a part of the 2024 national championship team and averaged 71.29 strokes per round over three seasons for the Tigers. Last season, the Savannah, Georgia native placed second in the ECU Intercollegiate at Brooke Valley as an individual.
Christian Pardue
Entering his second season on Rocky Top, Pardue logged five top-25 and one top-10 finish in his freshman campaign, along with a solid performance in the NCAA Regionals, where he shot even-par and placed 17th.
Luke Smith
PARTICIPATING TEAMS (rankings according to Golfweek's Preseason Rankings)
No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 LSU, No. 11 Florida State, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 17 Georgia Tech, ETSU, Toledo, Virginia Tech, College of Charleston, UT Chattanooga, Iowa, North Florida, Loyola Marymount, Kentucky, Augusta University, Charlotte, NC State,
ROUND ONE TEE TIMES
Christian Pardue – 07:50 a.m. ET (I)
Luke Smith – 8:01 a.m. ET (I)
Reed Lotter – 8:12 a.m. ET (I)
Chase Kyes - 12:45 p.m. ET
Bruce Murphy - 12:56 p.m. ET
Josh Hill - 1:07 p.m. ET
Jackson Herrington - 1:18 p.m. ET
Lance Simpson - 1:29 p.m. ET
In its third year of existence, the event is hosted by the Volunteers at the Tennessee National Golf Club, a par-70, 7,280-yard course designed by Greg Norman. Sitting alongside the Tennessee River, the 18-hole course offers a long and challenging layout for each golfer this weekend.
Tennessee will tee off for three total rounds this tournament, each on a different day with play beginning with 18 holes on Friday, followed by 18 holes apiece on Saturday and Sunday.
According to Golfweek's preseason rankings, Tennessee is the fourth-highest rated team in the field.
The Volunteers finished third in last year's competition, with golfer Lance Simpson tying for third, and Jackson Herrington, in his collegiate debut, earning top-ten honors.
Tennessee won the inaugural Visit Knoxville Collegiate and will look to compete at a high level throughout the season. Webb has led the Volunteers to consecutive NCAA Championship appearances, and last season ended with Tennessee's second straight top-20 finish at the NCAA Championships, the first time since 1980 and 1981.
THE VOLS' LINEUP
Lance Simpson
The Knoxville native opens 2025-2026 season after a redshirt junior year in which he recorded four top-10 finishes with 24 rounds of par or lower, which marks the third most in a single season in program history. Simpson has risen to No. 40 in the World Amateur Golf Rankings and received recognition on Golfweek's and Golf Channel's All-America Honorable Mention lists.
Jackson Herrington
The Dickson, Tennessee native enters his sophomore campaign after a momentous summer, placing second in the U.S. Amateur Championship and becoming just the third Tennessee golfer to do so. Herrington logged a solid freshman season on Rocky Top, with four top-25 finishes and a top-ten finish in last year's Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
Josh Hill
Returning for his fourth and final season as a Volunteer, Hill logged six top-25 and two top-ten finishes last season as an anchor in the scoring lineup, consistently logging respectable scores at every event for the Volunteers, including a 1-under score in the NCAA Regionals.
Bruce Murphy
The redshirt junior enters this season on a high note, after firing a 2-under in the final round of the NCAA Championship. Murphy, in his redshirt freshman season, was a dominant force, capturing an individual title at the Wolfpack Invitational, as well as two other top-10 finishes.
Chase Kyes
The Birmingham, Alabama, native was slated to the Golf Channel All-Freshman Team and was tabbed a Golfweek Freshman to Watch to add to his highly anticipated debut on Rocky Top. Kyes is rated as the No. 1 overall player in the class of 2025 by Junior Golf Scoreboard and owns two individual AHSA Class 7A state championship titles.
THE VOLS' INDIVIDUALS
Reed Lotter
A transfer from Auburn, Lotter was a part of the 2024 national championship team and averaged 71.29 strokes per round over three seasons for the Tigers. Last season, the Savannah, Georgia native placed second in the ECU Intercollegiate at Brooke Valley as an individual.
Christian Pardue
Entering his second season on Rocky Top, Pardue logged five top-25 and one top-10 finish in his freshman campaign, along with a solid performance in the NCAA Regionals, where he shot even-par and placed 17th.
Luke Smith
Rated No. 27 in the class of 2025 according to Rolex AJGA rankings, Smith enters his first season as a Volunteer after logging top-10 finishes at the Butterfield Bermuda Junior Championship (T6), K.J. Choi Foundation Texas Junior Championship (7th) and Wyndham Invitational (T5).
PARTICIPATING TEAMS (rankings according to Golfweek's Preseason Rankings)
No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 LSU, No. 11 Florida State, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 17 Georgia Tech, ETSU, Toledo, Virginia Tech, College of Charleston, UT Chattanooga, Iowa, North Florida, Loyola Marymount, Kentucky, Augusta University, Charlotte, NC State,
ROUND ONE TEE TIMES
Christian Pardue – 07:50 a.m. ET (I)
Luke Smith – 8:01 a.m. ET (I)
Reed Lotter – 8:12 a.m. ET (I)
Chase Kyes - 12:45 p.m. ET
Bruce Murphy - 12:56 p.m. ET
Josh Hill - 1:07 p.m. ET
Jackson Herrington - 1:18 p.m. ET
Lance Simpson - 1:29 p.m. ET
Players Mentioned
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MGolf | Brennan Webb Media Availability (9.3.24)
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MGolf | Brennan Webb Post-Round Interview - SEC Championship: Round Three (4.26.24)
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MGolf | Jake Hall Post-Round Interview - SEC Championship: Round Two (4.25.24)
Thursday, April 25