ST. SIMONS ISLAND, Ga. – The No. 14 Tennessee men’s golf team marked positive improvement in round two of the SEC Championship on Thursday at Sea Island Golf Club.
The Volunteers posted a 7-under-par 273, a five-stroke improvement on their first-round score, to improve to 9-under-par through 36 holes. No. 1 Auburn headlines four teams at 20-under-par or better at the end of round two, with the Tigers sitting atop the stroke play standings at 27-under-par.
Tied for tenth place, Tennessee is just three strokes behind eighth-placed South Carolina, who holds the final match play qualification spot as things currently stand. To advance to the match play quarterfinals, the Vols must sit inside the top eight at the end of Friday’s third stroke play round.
Lance Simpson had a resurgent performance in round two, carding a seven-stroke improvement on his opening round score with a 5-under-par 65. The senior, competing in his final SEC Championship, notched three consecutive birdies on holes 15 through 17 to sit at 4-under-par through nine holes.
With two birdies and just one bogey on his final nine holes of the day, Simpson climbed to an overall score of 3-under-par, rising to a tie for 28th place individually among the 83 golfers who have competed thus far.
Josh Hill closed round two as the only Vol to open the SEC Championship with two consecutive rounds under par. The senior built on a 1-under-par 69 in round one with a 3-under-par 67 in Thursday’s second round. Hill’s clean-cut round featured four birdies to just one bogey. At 4-under-par overall, Hill is Tennessee’s low scorer through 36 holes and tied for 21st place.
Jackson Herrington bounced back from an uncharacteristic 3-over-par 73 in round one with an even-par 70 in round two. The sophomore, fresh off an appearance at the Masters, opened his day with back-to-back birdies on holes No. 10 and 11, before suffering two bogeys later in the round. At 3-over-par through 36 holes, Herrington is tied for 59th place.
Bruce Murphy wrapped up the countable scoring for Tennessee in round two, posting a 1-over-par 71. An up-and-down day saw the junior card four birdies and five bogeys, falling to a 1-under-par 36-hole score and a tie for 37th place.
The Vols will close stroke play at the SEC Championship on Friday, seeking to climb to a top eight position and advance to weekend match play. Tennessee tee times are set to begin at 8 a.m. EST from hole No. 10.
SEC Championship Standings (Round Two)
1. Auburn (-27)
2. Texas (-22)
3. Ole Miss (-21)
4. Florida (-20)
5. Oklahoma (-17)
T-6. Texas A&M (-16)
T-6. Mississippi State (-16)
8. South Carolina (-12)
9. Vanderbilt (-11)
T-10. Arkansas (-9)
T-10. Tennessee (-9)
T-10. Alabama (-9)
13. Georgia (-7)
14. LSU (E)
15. Missouri (+5)
16. Kentucky (+15)
Tennessee Results (Round Two)
T-21. Josh Hill: 69-67 = 136 (-4)
T-28. Lance Simpson: 72-65 = 137 (-3)
T-37. Bruce Murphy: 68-71 = 139 (-1)
T-53. Chase Kyes: 69-72 = 141 (+1)
T-59. Jackson Herrington: 73-70 = 143 (+3)
