KNOXVILLE, Tenn. – For the second consecutive year, the No. 16 Tennessee women’s golf team emerged victorious at the Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate, which concluded with round three on Tuesday at Cherokee Country Club.
The Lady Vols closed the 29th annual edition of the event with a 6-under-par 278 to improve to a final mark of 21-under-par. The strong final round pushed Tennessee to an 11-stroke victory over runner-up Baylor at 10-under-par. High Point rounded out the top three among the 15-team field at 4-under-par.
Tennessee’s 21-under-par 54-hole score of 831 is the second-best in tournament history, narrowly behind a 22-under-par 830 set by Kent State in 2019. Additionally, Tennessee’s second-round 11-under-par 273 matched the third-best single-round score in tournament history.
On the individual side, Madison Messimer tied for the individual title at 12-under-par alongside High Point’s Makayla Grubb. The duo matched the best 54-hole score in tournament history, previously set by UCF’s Molly Smith in 2023.
Entering the day two strokes back of the lead, Messimer exceled to a 6-under-par 65 in round three, the lowest round by any golfer in the field of 81 across the entire tournament. Over 54-holes, Messimer posted just two bogeys and 14 birdies, including a bogey-free final round. The victory is the second of Messimer’s collegiate career, pairing with her win at the Chris Banister Golf Classic last Spring.
Sophie Christopher utilized a strong final round to climb into the top 10 for Tennessee. The junior carded a 3-under-par 68, her third consecutive round of par or better, to improve to a final tally of 4-under-par. Posting four birdies to just one bogey on the day, Christopher concluded the tournament in eighth place.
Just behind Christopher was Kyra Van Kan, who ended the event with a 1-over-par 72 to close at 2-under-par. The third top-10 finisher for the Lady Vols, Van Kan earned a ninth-place finish. It is the 10th top-10 finish of her collegiate career.
An Le Chuc wrapped up the team scoring for Tennessee in round three, posting a 2-over-par 73. The freshman earned her second top-20 finish in three events this season, tying for 19th place at 1-over-par. Despite firing a 3-over-par 74 in round three, Sofie Engesæth also placed in the top 20, tying for 19th place alongside Chuc at 3-over-par.
With three tournaments in the books for Tennessee, the Lady Vols have just one event remaining in the Fall. The team will close the Fall slate with a trip to the Lone Star State to take part in the Abilene Christian Intercollegiate, set for October 19-21 at Halbert National in Granbury, Texas.
Mercedes-Benz Intercollegiate Standings (Final)
1. Tennessee (-21)
2. Baylor (-10)
3. High Point (-4)
4. USF (-2)
5. East Carolina (-1)
6. South Alabama (+9)
7. Abilene Christian (+15)
8. East Tennessee State (+17)
9. Florida International (+23)
10. Campbell (+30)
11. Eastern Kentucky (+42)
12. Western Kentucky (+52)
13. Kennesaw State (+54)
14. Charleston Southern (+56)
15. Chattanooga (+76)
Tennessee Results (Final)
T-1. Madison Messimer: 67-69-65 = 201 (-12)
8. Sophie Christopher: 70-71-68 = 209 (-4)
9. Kyra Van Kan: 73-66-72 = 211 (-2)
T-19. An Le Chuc: 71-70-73 = 214 (+1)
T-19. Sofie Engesæth: 72-68-74 = 214 (+1)
T-24. Martina Lopez-Lanchares (i): 72-71-72 = 215 (+2)
T-31. Tanjira Issaraphon (i): 70-72-76 = 218 (+5)
