LEXINGTON, Ky. – The No. 7 Tennessee men’s golf team earned its second victory of the Fall on Tuesday at the Cullan Brown Collegiate, which concluded with round three at Lexington Country Club.
Entering the day with a three-stroke lead, the Vols exploded with a 14-under-par 270 in round three, the lowest among the 15-team field across all three rounds. The impressive final round put Tennessee firmly in control of first place at 22-under-par. The Vols were the only team to finish the tournament under par, 22 strokes ahead of runner-up Mississippi State at even par.
Tennessee took home more than just the team title as Christian Pardue tied for the individual crown, closing at 9-under-par for the first victory of his collegiate career. The junior posted a 4-under-par 67 in round three for his third consecutive round in the 60s. Pardue carded birdies on three of his final four holes to come from behind and tie Vanderbilt’s Carlos Astiazaran for first place among the 88-golfer field.
Tyler Watts lived up to the hype on his Tennessee debut, posting a 6-under-par 65 to conclude his first tournament with the Vols. The highly-ranked freshman went bogey-free on Tuesday, tallying six birdies, including three consecutive to end the round. At 6-under-par overall, Watts opened his collegiate account with a tie for 3rd place.
After consecutive rounds over par to begin the tournament on Monday, Rudy Sautron bounced back with a 4-under-par 67 in round three. The senior’s improvement in score saw him rise 26 spots among the individual standings as he tied for 12th place at 1-under-par overall. Sautron has now recorded three consecutive top-15 finishes to begin his career on Rocky Top.
Jackson Herrington wrapped up the countable team scores for Tennessee in round three with an even-par 71. The junior’s third consecutive round of par or better saw him close the event at 2-under-par, good enough to tie for eighth place. It marks Herrington’s second top-10 finish and third top-20 finish through three events this Fall.
Bruce Murphy concluded the Cullan Brown Collegiate as the best of three individual competitors outside of the team lineup for Tennessee. The fifth-year from Atlanta carded an even-par 71 in round three to post a 54-hole tally of 2-under-par. Tied with Herrington for eighth place, Murphy was one of four Vols to close the tournament within the top 10.
With three Fall tournaments down for Tennessee, the Vols have just one event remaining before pausing until Spring. The team will wrap up the Fall slate at the Fallen Oak Collegiate Invitational, set for October 17-19 at Fallen Oak Golf Course in Saucier, Mississippi.
Cullan Brown Collegiate Standings (Final)
1. Tennessee (-22)
2. Mississippi State (E)
3. NC State (+2)
4. Kentucky (+3)
5. Penn State (+5)
T-6. Memphis (+6)
T-6. Cincinnati (+6)
8. Xavier (+7)
T-9. VCU (+12)
T-9. Western Kentucky (+12)
11. Iowa State (+17)
12. West Florida (+26)
13. Kennesaw State (+33)
14. North Alabama (+36)
15. Eastern Kentucky (+51)
Tennessee Results (Final)
T-1. Christian Pardue: 68-69-67 = 204 (-9)
T-3. Tyler Watts: 72-70-65 = 207 (-6)
T-8. Jackson Herrington: 71-69-71 = 211 (-2)
T-8. Bruce Murphy (i): 73-67-71 = 211 (-2)
T-12. Rudy Sautron: 72-73-67 = 212 (-1)
T-21. Chase Kyes (i): 68-74-72 = 214 (+1)
T-21. Luke Smith (i): 70-72-72 = 214 (+1)
T-25. Pennson Badgett: 71-70-74 = 215 (+2)
