University of Tennessee Athletics
Monday, February 9
Rio Grand, Puerto Rico
University of Tennessee
vs
Puerto Rico Classic - Round 1
Photo by: Elliot Walker/Tennessee Athletics
Preview: #18/20 Vols Set to Tee Off Spring at Puerto Rico Classic
February 07, 2026 | Men's Golf
The No. 18/20 Tennessee men's golf team opens the spring season on Monday at the Puerto Rico Classic.
The first of at least six tournaments in the coming months for the Vols, the Puerto Rico Classic will be contested at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The contest is set for Feb. 9-11, with 18 holes being completed on each day.
2026 marks the fifth year the event has been played on the course, a par-72 designed by PGA Tour professional Tom Kite which is one of only two championship courses in the Caribbean. The 2026 field is loaded, with Tennessee set to compete against No. 1 Virginia and No. 2 LSU this week.
This will be the 33rd year of the event and the sixth time the Vols have participated, with the team taking part in five of the last six editions. 12 months ago, Tennessee placed eighth out of 15 teams competing at the Puerto Rico Classic behind a 19-under-par team score. Josh Hill had one of his best outings as a Vol, tying for sixth place after firing a career-low 54-hole score of 10-under-par.
Tennessee's highest ever finishes in the Puerto Rico Classic came in 2022 and 2024, placing third in both years. The Vols' 47-under-par mark in 2022 is the third-best 54-hole team score in Puerto Rico Classic history.
The fall season opened on a high mark for Tennessee, earning a wire-to-wire victory on home soil at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate. After tying for seventh place at the Invitational at The Honors Course to close September, the Vols opened October tying for sixth place among an impressive field of 16 teams at the Fighting Irish Classic. Tennessee closed the fall with a sixth place showing at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational, which also featured a competitive field of 14.
VOLS' LINEUP
Lance Simpson
Simpson enters this week after recently being named one of 35 collegiate golfers to the Ben Hogan Award watchlist. He has also been ranked ninth in the most recent PGA Tour U rankings. Simpson earned three top-ten finishes in the fall, including a tied first place finish over a loaded field at the Fighting Irish Classic, where he closed at 6-under-par.
Jackson Herrington
Herrington, who is set to play in this April's edition of the Masters, posted a 71.42 scoring average in the fall. The highlight of his season so far was a tied-fifth place finish at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate, where he fired three consecutive rounds in the 60s to end at 4-under-par.
Reed Lotter
Lotter is set to make his third appearance in the Vols' lineup after transferring to Rocky Top for his senior season. In three fall events, Lotter posted three rounds for better, including a tie for the individual championship at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate to open the season.
Josh Hill
Alongside Simpson and Herrington, Hill was one of three Vols to appear in the team lineup of all four fall events. Hill has tallied four rounds in the 60s so far this season, including a 67 and 69 in the final two rounds of the fall at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational, where he tied for 13th at 4-under-par.
Luke Smith
The lone freshman in Tennessee's lineup this week, Smith is making just his third career appearance with the Vols and second in the team lineup. A highly touted recruit from Canada, Smith recorded two rounds of par or better in the fall, including a 69 in round two of the Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
Bruce Murphy (i)
Competing as an individual this week, Murphy appeared in three of the Vols' four fall events. The talented junior has accumulated 30 rounds of par or better and four top-ten finishes in his time with Tennessee, including a tied tenth place finish at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate in the fall, where he shot 2-under-par.
Participating Teams:
College of Charleston (76)
Georgia (32)
Iowa (87)
LSU (2)
Louisville (29)
Marquette (78)
Minnesota (92)
North Florida (138)
Ohio State (68)
Oklahoma (14)
Purdue (37)
South Carolina (49)
Tennessee (18)
Virginia (1)
Wisconsin (102)
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Rankings via Scoreboard
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The first of at least six tournaments in the coming months for the Vols, the Puerto Rico Classic will be contested at Grand Reserve Golf Club in Rio Grande, Puerto Rico. The contest is set for Feb. 9-11, with 18 holes being completed on each day.
2026 marks the fifth year the event has been played on the course, a par-72 designed by PGA Tour professional Tom Kite which is one of only two championship courses in the Caribbean. The 2026 field is loaded, with Tennessee set to compete against No. 1 Virginia and No. 2 LSU this week.
This will be the 33rd year of the event and the sixth time the Vols have participated, with the team taking part in five of the last six editions. 12 months ago, Tennessee placed eighth out of 15 teams competing at the Puerto Rico Classic behind a 19-under-par team score. Josh Hill had one of his best outings as a Vol, tying for sixth place after firing a career-low 54-hole score of 10-under-par.
Tennessee's highest ever finishes in the Puerto Rico Classic came in 2022 and 2024, placing third in both years. The Vols' 47-under-par mark in 2022 is the third-best 54-hole team score in Puerto Rico Classic history.
The fall season opened on a high mark for Tennessee, earning a wire-to-wire victory on home soil at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate. After tying for seventh place at the Invitational at The Honors Course to close September, the Vols opened October tying for sixth place among an impressive field of 16 teams at the Fighting Irish Classic. Tennessee closed the fall with a sixth place showing at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational, which also featured a competitive field of 14.
VOLS' LINEUP
Lance Simpson
Simpson enters this week after recently being named one of 35 collegiate golfers to the Ben Hogan Award watchlist. He has also been ranked ninth in the most recent PGA Tour U rankings. Simpson earned three top-ten finishes in the fall, including a tied first place finish over a loaded field at the Fighting Irish Classic, where he closed at 6-under-par.
Jackson Herrington
Herrington, who is set to play in this April's edition of the Masters, posted a 71.42 scoring average in the fall. The highlight of his season so far was a tied-fifth place finish at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate, where he fired three consecutive rounds in the 60s to end at 4-under-par.
Reed Lotter
Lotter is set to make his third appearance in the Vols' lineup after transferring to Rocky Top for his senior season. In three fall events, Lotter posted three rounds for better, including a tie for the individual championship at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate to open the season.
Josh Hill
Alongside Simpson and Herrington, Hill was one of three Vols to appear in the team lineup of all four fall events. Hill has tallied four rounds in the 60s so far this season, including a 67 and 69 in the final two rounds of the fall at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational, where he tied for 13th at 4-under-par.
Luke Smith
The lone freshman in Tennessee's lineup this week, Smith is making just his third career appearance with the Vols and second in the team lineup. A highly touted recruit from Canada, Smith recorded two rounds of par or better in the fall, including a 69 in round two of the Visit Knoxville Collegiate.
Bruce Murphy (i)
Competing as an individual this week, Murphy appeared in three of the Vols' four fall events. The talented junior has accumulated 30 rounds of par or better and four top-ten finishes in his time with Tennessee, including a tied tenth place finish at the Visit Knoxville Collegiate in the fall, where he shot 2-under-par.
Participating Teams:
College of Charleston (76)
Georgia (32)
Iowa (87)
LSU (2)
Louisville (29)
Marquette (78)
Minnesota (92)
North Florida (138)
Ohio State (68)
Oklahoma (14)
Purdue (37)
South Carolina (49)
Tennessee (18)
Virginia (1)
Wisconsin (102)
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Rankings via Scoreboard
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Players Mentioned
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