CARLSBAD, Calif. – The No. 18 Tennessee men’s golf team’s season came to a dramatic close on Monday night at the conclusion of round four of the NCAA Championships at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa.
Entering the day, the Vols knew they needed to be within the top eight 72-hole scores to advance to the match play quarterfinals. Tennessee responded with their best score of the week, posting a 4-under-par 284 in round four to improve to an overall score of 2-under-par.
While the improved score moved the Vols into the top eight, a four-way tie for seventh place meant 72 holes were not enough to determine the final two match play berths. A four-for-two playoff was held at the conclusion of the round between Tennessee, North Carolina, UCLA, and Stanford. In the playoff, each of the five players on each team played one hole simultaneously and the aggregate scores were used to determine who would advance.
Tennessee fell just short in the playoff, as the Vols posted a cumulative tally of 2-over-par. The total matched North Carolina, while coming in behind UCLA and Stanford, who advanced with playoff scores of 1-over-par and even par, respectively.
By tying for seventh place, Tennessee matched the program’s second-best finish at the NCAA Championships in program history. The Vols also tied for seventh place in 1981, while the team earned its highest all-time finish by placing sixth the year before in 1980.
With no match play appearance for Tennessee, the decorated collegiate career of Lance Simpson comes to a close. The redshirt senior carded his fourth consecutive round of par or better on Monday with a 3-under-par 69 to lead the Vols. Simpson opened the day with five birdies on his first ten holes, before two bogeys on the back nine set him back.
With a 72-hole score of 8-under-par, the Knoxville, Tennessee, native closed the NCAA Championships tied for eighth place. He is Tennessee’s highest individual finisher in the tournament since 2013, when Rick Lamb tied for second place.
Bruce Murphy recorded the Vols’ second-best score of the day with a 1-under-par 71. Closing his third consecutive appearance at the NCAA Championships, Murphy carded an eagle on hole No. 18 that proved crucial to Tennessee forcing a playoff. Ending the week at 10-over-par, Murphy tied for 72nd place.
Another senior concluding his Tennessee career, Josh Hill earned a top 50 finish in his final NCAA Championship appearance. Hill fired an even-par 72 in round four, including birdies on hole No. 17 and hole No. 18. At 4-over-par, he tied for 49th place to end the week.
On the other end of the spectrum, Chase Kyes earned a top 50 finish in his first NCAA Championship appearance. The freshman matched Hill with an even-par 72 in round four, also tying for 49th place with a final tally of 4-over-par.
Despite not earning a countable score in round four, Jackson Herrington closed his second NCAA Championship tournament as Tennessee’s second-best finisher. The sophomore shot a 1-over-par 73 in round four, bringing his final total to 3-over-par. Herrington leaves Carlsbad with a tied 46th place finish and will now turn his sights toward the 2026 U.S. Open, in which he will compete as an amateur.
After a strong close to the 2025-26 season, Tennessee will look to carry the momentum into the beginning of the 2026-27 season in the fall.
NCAA Championship Results (Round Four)
1. Auburn (-26)
2. Texas (-23)
3. Vanderbilt (-12)
T-4. Florida (-11)
T-4. Oklahoma State (-11)
6. Arizona (-3)
T-7. Stanford (-2) (Advanced Through Playoff)
T-7. UCLA (-2) (Advanced Through Playoff)
– Cut Line –
T-7. North Carolina (-2)
T-7. Tennessee (-2)
11. Virginia (+1)
12. LSU (+3)
13. Duke (+4)
14. Oklahoma (+5)
15. San Diego (+24)
NCAA Championship Playoff Results
1. Stanford (E)
2. UCLA (+1)
T-3. North Carolina (+2)
T-3. Tennessee (+2)
Tennessee Results (Round Four)
T-8. Lance Simpson: 72-71-68-69 = 280 (-8)
T-46. Jackson Herrington: 75-73-70-73 = 291 (+3)
T-49. Josh Hill: 74-72-74-72 = 292 (+4)
T-49. Chase Kyes: 71-74-75-72 = 292 (+4)
T-72. Bruce Murphy: 80-71-76-71 = 298 (+10)
